Director: Osamu Yamasaki,
Starring: Hiroyuki Yoshino, Greg Ayres, Koji Yusa, Illich Guardiola, Kousuke Toriumi, Leraldo Anzaldua, Shinchiro Miki, Andrew Love, Showtaro Morikubo, Blake Shepard,
Running Time: 300 minutes
Certificate: 15
After wrapping things up in the previous season, season 3 of HAKUOKI is a prequel. Prequels don’t always spell success, often dragging out a story and revealing way too much of the past which was better left to the imagination. There’s also the tricky issue of knowing where the story’s going, which can lead to the plot becoming very disinteresting. Thankfully, HAKUOUKI avoids all of these potential traps in storytelling. Instead we get a riveting stand alone tale that can easily be enjoyed on its own merits.
In fact, it could be argued that is the best season so far, as it gives a huge amount of development to the male cast. The original series focused on a female having feelings for just about every one of the Shinsengumi. Here, there are no women to be found and as such the men develop without being written as possible romances for the protagonist. Although the original seasons were far from nonsense sexist fantasies, this time it seems to be all about the boys, despite being based on video games aimed at females.
The main plot also focuses on two very different characters and their complex relationship. From the outset we see Serizawa, head of the Roshigumi a group before the Shinsengumi existed, rescue a badly beaten Ibuki by giving him some food and taking him back to headquarters to heal. Feeling indebted to Serizawa, Ibuki becomes his ‘dog’ and is constantly mistreated and abused while carrying out any order. Meanwhile, Serizawa’s reckless leadership comes under question from his subordinates, many of whom will later become the Shinsengumi. It’s a very intricate story involving ideas of honour and respect, especially in ancient Japanese culture.
The whole idea of putting an antagonist at the forefront allows this show to excel in every possible way. We see how our favourite characters grew into their respective roles, and how blind loyalty should always be questioned. Action comes in the form of the discovery of the supernatural furies, but it’s the quieter moments that sweat tension from every pore. Seeing the inner struggle of having to bow to Serizawa’s wishes gradually builds to the inevitable conclusion, but even Serizawa is not left as a 2D villain. Stunning animation and wonderful attention to detail help make this not only a wonderful precursor, but also the best in the series so far.
[usr=5]HAKUOKI Season 3 is released on DVD on 7th April via MVM.
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