Mirai's ChocoLand: Hakuouki

Hakuouki cast and their chibi versions.

Hey guys!!

I made a post about my life just now, but I'm back here because I need to rant. XD Well, this rant might be interesting to some people, but not necessarily all. If you like anime and you watch this particular series called Hakuouki (be it Shinsengumi Kitan ot Hekketsuroku or Sekkaroku... anything...) you might find this interesting (hopefully) and you may even share the same views as me. If you don't like anime or you just simply don't watch them, well, you should. You should watch it and come back to read my blog post. I probably mentioned this anime somewhere, but I came back to it after rewatching the series, and I have a lot to say.

Okay, so, I like the anime Hakuouki. Reason: It's historical fiction. That's right, baby. Historical. The plot is set in the Edo period, when Japan is still ruled by the Tokugawa Shogunate. Basically, you don't need to know what the Shogunate is and what Edo is. The Tokugawa Shogunate is simply the people who are in charge of Japan and the Edo period is just the name for the period they are in control. "Edo" in itself, is the former name of modern day Japan. "Shinsengumi" is the name of the police force then. That's it. History class is over.

Plot: !!!(Spoilers)!!!

"Yukimura Chizuru heads to Kyoto to search for her father. While there, she witnesses a fight between Rasetsu and members of the Shinsengumi. The Shinsengumi take her into custody and, once learning she is the daughter of the doctor they are searching for, decide to keep her close at hand. Chizuru follows the Shinsengumi in their battles to help the Shogunate. "

What do I have to say about this anime?

Simple. I would say that I love this anime, because of the bishies and the plot.

The anime uses characters based on their historical counterparts, so you can be sure that the people shown in the anime actually used to exist. The anime tells us a story, about how the Shinsengumi was hated by the people and looked down upon, but they were slowly acknowledged due to their efforts.

The soundtrack is beautiful. The characters' designs and the creators skill in portraying Edo-period Japan is to be commended on. It makes you feel like you're actually in that era and as corrupted as it sounds like, it makes you feel like entering that era yourself. (You know, with the geishas and geikos and all.)

The plot was crafted well and it slowly builds the tension to the ending. Sure, there was the rise of the Shinsengumi, and there will be the fall for them. As the fall would be somewhat emotional, the creators decided to drag everything out slowly, as if softening the blow. I mean, if you didn't know any better, you might think that the creators had the impression making everyone die one by one was better for the audience because it didn't hurt as much. Seriously?! Every time someone was going to die, you kind of had a premonition and the whole time the creators were probably grinning sadistically on their chairs, knowing you were hopelessly wishing that it wasn't the case. Their deaths strike at you when you're the most emotional.

What happens after they actually die? You just sit there like "Was happenin'?" What? Is that the end? They're not gonna talk about him now that he's dead? Maybe I was just secretly hoping they would mention the ones who have died, one way or another. They could have just mentioned that they have died honorably or something. I just couldn't get over the fact that once the characters disappear, it makes me feel like they have been forgotten. Yes, maybe the anime did mention them for a while, but I felt that it did not give enough credit to the characters for what they did.

Anyone remember what happened after Souji died? Hijikata and Chizuru sobbed a little and just walked away. They walked away and that's it. Okay, you may be thinking, what's wrong with that? Souji's dead and there wasn't anything they could do but walk away. His freaking body was not even there anymore. HE TURNED INTO ASHES, DAMMIT! But you know what I think? I, too, think that there's no problem with Chizuru and Hijikata walking away. I think there's a problem if they didn't even show us Souji's last moments. Maybe it's to save us from tears, but hey, what about some feelings in there? Souji died protecting and though I'm sure he did it willingly, he had a grudge on Hijikata for letting Kondou die. Did they seriously just let Souji leave while having a grudge? You might disagree with me since Souji willingly died protecting Hijikata so he couldn't possibly still hold a grudge. If you haven't noticed, he was doing everything for Kondou. Did they (creators) seriously develop Souji up till that point, to just let him die with a grudge, with sorrow for Kondou's death, and with a blind conviction stemmed from Kondou's ideals? I think it would be more impactful if they showed Souji saying his last words (possibly about entrusting the future of the Shinsengumi to Hijikata) before he took his last breath. Dramatic, perhaps. But not redundant.

Also, they didn't show what exactly happened to Saitou, Nagakura and Sano. Yeah sure, we could wikipedia it, but you and I know that the anime didn't completely follow history. If they did, Souji would die because of Tuberculosis. What about Kazama and Hijikata? Did they both die? I don't know about Kazama (since he took a blow in this heart, I think?) but some people theorize that Hijikata didn't die because he didn't turn into ashes like he should if he died.

Well, I don't know. While I may be pissed at some points, (like Souji's death and the Hakuouki ending overall for not letting me know everything) I managed to see the charm of how they ended the anime. Without letting me know what happened in the end, I'm allowed to believe in what I want to believe. I can believe that Hijikata isn't dead even if he was supposed to be, because the anime didn't tell us anything. Happy endings don't always make the best endings. I will admit this: sometimes the sad and angsty ones make a greater impact because it wasn't what you expected. Since it's a period anime, most will expect a sad ending where everyone dies, but the attachment to the characters makes you believe that a happy ending might have been possible, so when the sadder-than-you-thought ending falls in place, it throws you off a bit.

The biggest charm point was how the tied everything up. Chizuru met the Shinsengumi in the start, and she "meets" the Shinsengumi at the end. The battle the Shinsengumi was fighting was a losing battle. What is sadder than fighting a losing battle by yourself? It looks as though Chizuru was alone in the end, looking up at the sky and remembering the people who stood and fought till the end, only to know that they indeed have met their end and are never coming back, and she is indeed alone (if Hijikata really dies... Well, let's just say that she's alone for that moment.) The people whom she had known for the years she spent away from home have left, some even leaving in front of her. It was a tear-jerking moment for me, even if I'm not Chizuru. I liked how the anime wasn't just skirting around the borders of reality. Loss is a part of reality and this anime showed just how it could possibly feel like. It provided a grim reminder of how life is fragile and can lose its flame any time. I like subjects that portray realistic human aspects such that I can relate to them.

I craved more from the anime, somewhat hoping to seek some comfort in knowing they (the characters) are out there somewhere, and they are not lost forever. Next comes the following season, which is the prequel to the actual anime. The fact that it shows all the characters happily spending time together, alive, just reminds me of the fact that they eventually died and the happy moments will never be back again. It's like the feeling you get after watching Titanic, haha. I guess I'm addicted to that kind of feeling. I wanted everything to go back. I wanted time to not move on. It was depressing for me, actually. I lay down on my bed and thought and thought about the characters. But I loved the anime. I really did.

Hey guys, I've been hiding this for a long while, but...

I really don't like Chizuru. If you didn't feel any hate from my thoughts about the anime, kudos to me. I've been trying to be impartial. But really, there is so much hate radiating from me towards Chizuru that I'm just typing rapidly now, so if I actually sound like I'm losing my mind and is a temperamental b**ch, you know the reason.

1) She is such a Mary-Sue. If you don't know what a Mary-Sue is, I am honoured to be the one to introduce one of the most annoying types of characters media can possibly produce. I'm sure Chizuru is honoured to be the number one representative of this distasteful and pathetic excuse of a well-developed character. A Mary-Sue is a type of character that follows the criteria of being a perfect human (in terms of morals) so closely that you'd think she's being manipulated like a robot. A Mary-Sue is always the stereotypical kind girl/boy (mostly girls) who is nice to everyone, even if the person is the enemy, because a Mary-Sue IS ALWAYS SO F**KING NICE AND IS ABLE TO EMPATHISE WITH ANYONE EVEN IF YOU ARE A PITIFUL BEING WITH A SAD AND DISTORTED PAST. They are known to have very strong morals and miraculously have the ability to convince everyone because of their ridiculously potent good girl/good boy vibes. Here's what I believe: they are secretly manipulating you, supposedly changing you into a better person since they're always right (but they put on a facade and say really sensible things and make you think that they are just speaking their minds. Then you believe that they are actually really sensible and you eventually believe what they say, do what they say BECAUSE THEY ARE SOOOO SENSIBLE!!) Because they are such extraordinary humans, everybody likes them. Everybody feels the need to protect them because they are so good and good means naive and naive people get hurt easily. Now, do you understand what a Mary-Sue is? She is absurdly nice to the people around her, even the eccentric ones whom you don't usually approach, i.e., San'nan. Sensible girl Chizuru decides to make an easy-to-eat meal for poor San'nan who injured his hand and when he accused her for treating him like an invalid who needs special attention, good girl Chizuru makes him look bad by saying her oh-so-sensible things because she's like a f**king saint. She knows well that the guys in the Shinsengumi would never abandon her even if hell freezes over (because they like her so much and she's so important) but being sensible and not wishing to be anyone's burden, Chizuru waltzes out in the battlefield to offer herself to the enemy. Oh no, Chizuru's not in the wrong because she's thinking about others. Oh my, the guys are even more determined to win the fight because they want to protect Chizuru. They all feel the need to protect Chizuru. Nobody sees that she is being reckless and a pain in the ass to protect when her stupid actions cause potential harm to her. And since the guys would never let harm go her way, they all stake their lives for hers to protect her. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought she was trying to gain validation of her worth by putting herself in danger and seeing who will bravely put her life before theirs. Tch...

2) She. Is. So. F**king. Weak. Seriously, if you have decided to come search for your father in an unknown land, there has to be a certain amount of danger you're gonna have to be prepared for. Maybe you didn't expect blood-thirsting creatures, but c'mon, Edo period has rouge samurai and some of them are brutal. If you're gonna be a damsel in distress every single freaking time you leave the headquarters, you should have gotten the hint that You. Are. Weak. and it should dawn on you that your trip to Kyoto would have been well-wasted if not for the guys. Train, dammit. You spend your hours bringing tea to people and doing chores. The Shinsengumi have managed themselves long enough before you came and they won't die due to lack of thirst if you used your time training instead of bringing tea. You have a f**king sword and I have only seen you unsheathe it 3 times. You say you know the basics of self-defense? Isn't the basic to defend yourself when someone is going to attack? If your idea of the basics of self-defense is to close your eyes and scream while someone is about to slash your throat, then I have nothing to say. Sure, she's young and is a girl and of course, guys feel this need to protect girls. She is no exception. But she's been in so many dangerous positions and near-death situations throughout the anime if not for the guys. If she was smart enough to decide to parade into the battlefield, she should have been smart enough to catch on that she should steer out of trouble and there won't be some hot guy being helping you slash your enemy. Oh wait... She wasn't smart to start with. I take back my words. She is simply too dumb.

3) She is whiny and cries about how useless she is. Sure, there are some things you can and you can't do, and though it is not the intent of the creator, I think the anime shows a great deal of things that Chizuru can't do. E.g. #1: She can't fight. (We have established this earlier. I shall save you from more horror and loss in faith in female leads.) E.g. #2: I'd like to think that she has a problem sorting out her priorities. Enemy has a gun and has fired it in your direction. My priority (as well and Genzaburou's): To escape death. Chizuru's priority: Whine about how the enemy is blocking their path and (possibly) hope a miracle happens that somehow distracts the enemy so they can pass. As you can tell, Chizuru has flaws and that's fine, because everybody has flaws. The thing is, she knows damn well that these are the factors that make her so damn useless yet she never learns and never does anything about it. Yet she whines and wishes there is something she can do, something she can help the Shinsengumi with. A little advice here, girl, correct your flaws and stop being for f**king annoying.

I have read many blog posts written by people who share my views. I have also tried being rational and reasonable by reading posts written by people who defend Chizuru. However, I still believe in my stand (as you can tell). But I will say this: I understand that Hakuouki started out as an otome game. It's targeted towards girls and the female character you're supposed to play as should be someone who is quite neutral in character. In other words, she has to have the potential of being liked by possibly every type of guy in the story, and what kind of character best fits the bill? Well, a Mary-Sue to be honest. The nice and sensible ones would lean towards their nice demeanour while the ones who are not as nice will always change for the better after being exposed to her good-girl vibes. Everyone's happy and there won't be any hint of discrepancies in any relationship the player decides to pursue. But like I said, a Mary-Sue is a pitiful excuse of a well-developed character, especially if it is supposed to serve as a game's female lead. What more is there to develop a Mary-Sue? They are like the epitome of niceness (though it means they are also the epitome of fake) and since they are so nice, they won't be affected by you. People are people for a reason and if it's to exist as an awfully nice and upright character like Chizuru, there would be no meaning to life. You'd be a fake because there has to be some point in your life that you make your decisions because of your interests, not because of your morals. But Chizuru? Someone needs to tell her that her good girl act grates on many people's nerves.

I have read a blog post by 9darkangel from 9darkangel.livejournal.com/13189.html and I agree wholeheartedly with her that Chizuru has been entrsuted with the responnsibility of being a character every girl (who plays the game) can indentify with and "I would sue the gaming company, really. That thing (Chizuru) is a freaking insult to every woman out there, I swear." And yeah, you go girl. I totally agree on your post and I too, will ship Chizuru with Itou because HIJIKATA IS TOO GOOD FOR HER! No offense to Itou too, because he's just a step above Chizuru in terms of how much I like them. Nobody deserves to be paired with someone lower than themselves.

Chizuru's True Pairing...