nickolas.pfannerstill - 2014-01-11 03:26:19

Gifuu Doudou- Kanetsugu-To Keiji

First off, this series is based on a manga series by Tetsuo Hara of Fifth of the North Star fame. Looking at just the visuals you can see Hara's work: Almost all males have massive six packs, females are sexually drawn, and it is a testosterone fueled adventure. Supposedly based on the life of Kanetsugu Naoe a retainer of Kagekatsu Uesugi. Despite this being a battle shonen with a historical setting, it is quite enjoyable even though plot and story are all over the place.

Story 5/10

The story kicks off by having the two titular characters Keiji Maeda and Kanetsugu Naoe bust into an Uesugi party and then start reminiscing about the past. This is the main flaw in the story if it can be called that, of this show. The story goes to various historical/mythological/fictional events in the two main characters lives. Although these tales are entertaining, they are themselves suffer from weak writing and don't really connect with the other stories. The second half does this a bit better, connecting it all to the Uesugi split.
Uesugi's domains are always at threat by one of the three unifiers, Nobunaga, Hideyoshi or Ieyasu which all three are depicted as villains. Meanwhile the honorable Uesugi are considered the heroes in all of this. Tons of action with some use of the eccentricities of both Kanetsugu and Keiji as well as sometimes bizarre behavior from the other cast members. However, there isn't really a plot as much as it is just flashbacks and stories from their past.

There is somewhat of a plot hinted that Kanetsugu is the illegitimate heir of Kenshin Uesugi, the daimyo and leader of the Uesugi. For whatever reason he serves Kagekatsu Uesugi instead of taking up the banner. If this came to light it would split the Uesugi's clan into camps supporting either Kagekatsu or Kanetsugu. So to make sure this doesn't happen, Kanetsugu takes initiative to make sure that the information doesn't get out. Nobunaga tries first to get the information, but fails and a good half of the second part of the series discusses Ieyasu Tokugawa's role in getting a buddha statue that has Kanetsugu's eye patterns inside its eyes.

This plot device is pretty weak, and has terrible pacing as it tries to link multiple stories together, but unless you have historical backgorund may get lost. Although even someone with historic background like me found it hard to keep track. The rational behind this plot device is also pretty much poorly placed into the story. So what plot remains is poor and not organized. However, overall the series does a good job at showing various independent stories and telling the viewer about these events. Although the execution isn't the best, and may seem to be going on forever.

Animation 6/10
I already discussed the artstyle which is very Fist of the North Star in its execution. This works perfectly for a samurai shonen battle series, and I find many of the characters representation in this style to be a great new take on them. Studio Deen does a good job at animating the series, and it is full of color and life.

However Studio Deen's color and life that it adds to the series only goes as far as basic execution. Fight scenes, and certain action sequences look rushed, and a good half of the episodes look not polished enough. This isn't to say that the series's animation budget was suffering, but it does look choppy at some end. The editors it seemed let a rushed product be released before finishing it. After all the story telling element of this series seems to be its high point.

Sound/Music 5/10

Both the opening and endings offer an interesting experience. The sound and music in the series offer a sense of Japanese historical touch. However, there are bits of non-traditional music placed in the series that doesn't make sense at times. In fact at certain junctions it becomes down right distracting when you are in the moment of a sequence. This is why sometimes the music should have stayed in my opinion to traditional Japanese music instead of multiple genres. Multiple music genres worked for Samurai Champloo, not for this series.

Character 8/10

https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTcUw25AX7vD3rTmeNm3RNRo3vjc9JpbYFQTxmiEL1AlBfWB3CzVQ

Kanetsugu Naoe is the main character and an eccentric strategist of the Uesugi Clan. He is both a powerful warrior, and a keen tactician. His bizarre idealogies, and practices get stuff done, but he still has honor and pride. His background story of being Kenshin's illegetimate heir is a great retelling of the character, and endears the viewer to his backstory. Although I said that the execution of this was done poorly, the character is fine.

https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT7UWLZHppED4Sf4nc52avxkfcScfJnL--NQ_hCLv8MpFo5bgeLOQ

Keiji Meada is the wild swordsman who moves from place to place. He like Kanetsugu is an eccentric, and his bizarre methods with dealing with authority are quite charming. Again the execution of his plot arc, and his limited actions after make him a mysterious but charming character.

Enjoyment 8/10

Overall 6/10