Customer Reviews

Peacemaker, Vol. 1: Innocence Lost

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

It would seem like Peacemaker would be retreading material that Rurouni Kenshin so admirably portrayed in that series, but Peacemaker is fresh and new in a way that draws you in and fascinates you. Both series deal with the turbulent Meji Era and the civil war tearing the country apart, but each one comes at the story from a different angle.

Tetsu is a short, fiesty 15 year old who wants desparately to be included in the Shenshingumi so he can avenge the murder of his parents. Tetsu is stubborn and loud mouthed and attracts the interest of Souji Okita, an androgynous looking and acting member of the Shenshingumi. Okita is also an incredibly deadly swordsman, despite his looks. He intercedes for Tetsu with Hijikata, the tough and unforgiving commander of the fighting force who wants to send Tetsu packing. Okita wins the arguement and Tetsu is now Hijikata's page. Tetsu is desparate to prove himself and as events start getting more violent, Tetsu has to decide what he really wants when it comes to revenge.

Tetsu is a bit of a brat, but you can't help rooting for him in his stubborn quest to be a member of the Shenshingumi. His relationship with his older brother Tatsu, is a sweet tough, as Tatsu, not a fighter at all, tries to protect his younger brother. Hijikata is commanding and unbending, but has his men's best interests at heart, even if he's harsh about it. He's also absolutely lethal to people who cross him. Okita is sweet, kind and has an adorable pet pig, but he too is a monster when fighting. Hajime Saitou (yes, based on the same character that Saitou in Kenshin was) is a genuinely admirable character here. A deadly swordsman on the one hand on a level with Okita, yet also able to communicate with spirits of the dead and in his own quiet way fond of Tetsu. There's also Yamazaki, a spy and mysterious character which doesn't keep him from being cool. The obvious set up for villain is Yoshida, on the opposite side of the civil war, and with a reputation. How do we know he's bad? Well, he's got creepy eyes, which is an automatic tip off. His apprentice is a white haired boy who seems just as bloodthirsty.

Maybe the most intruiging part of Peacemaker is the characterization of the "heroes". On the one hand, they are likable and kind, on the other hand when in combat they're demons, remorseless killers and completely merciless to the opposition. You don't know whether to like them or hate them with their split personalities which harken thoughts of the Battousai in Kenshin, only it's all of them. Tetsu doesn't even seem sure on that count. He wants revenge, but he still balks at becoming the killers his peers obviously are. Peacemaker doesn't treat violence lightly. There's a lot of blood and a lot of killing, but it's portrayed for what war is, bloody and not very glamorous.

Peacemaker is worth getting into. There are moments of humor set with moments of violence. It's a beautiful anime in a lot of ways and poignient too.

I'm writing this mainly to offset M. Henke's ridiculous review; the fact that he liked Spriggan and Vampire Hunter D makes any point he could make about anime moot in my opinion, but I digress... I feel Peacemaker Kurogane definitely deserves a look from anime fans.

One noteworthy aspect of the series (that no one else has mentioned yet) is its interesting musical score, which is heavily influenced by J-rock... a refreshing, and interesting change of pace - the score really grows on you if you're willing to approach it with an open mind. Samurai Champloo is similar, in that is uses a hip-hop soundtrack that seems rather unorthodox at first.

With that out of the way, PMK is shaping up to be quite an intriguing series. The animation is typical Gonzo stuff (very good for the most part), but I don't foresee them topping Last Exile for a while. I prefer the Japanese audio on this series - the voices just seem to fit the characters better. I'm currently collecting about 6 anime series' right now, and Peacemaker Kurogane is quite high on my list of priority. Recommended viewing.

Several reviewers have compared this to Rurouni Kenshin, but I think it should be considered as it's own work. Some people complain that it is copying Kenshin, but really now, stop being morons, both series are based on the same events in history from different perspectives.

I'm not going to summarize the series here, as there are plenty of websites that will do that for you, but I would like to praise the elements of history that have been worked into the series.

Some people complain that the Choushu are portrayed badly in this series, but that's only because we are seeing the series from the point of view of the Shinsengumi, obviously we would be led to sympathize more with them. Also, if you are clever, you can spot references to the fact that both sides aren't so different. Both the Shinsengumi and the revolutionaries did heroic things, as well as things that could be considered villainous. The first DVD only has a few of the episodes on it, don't judge a series by only these few episodes (though they are a great starting point.) Before you complain about historical perspective, check out the rest of the series and observe Suzu's character.

First of all, Peacemaker Kurogane is not really like Kenshin in any way. Though some of the characters are the same, that is purely because they were referenced from real historical figures. Other than that...Kenshin, being a wandering ronan who was once the battosai, has little to do with Tetsu, a young child who wants to join the Shinsengumi to avenge his parents deaths.

That being said, when you first begin this series, you think of Tetsu as a bratty little child. However, keep watching, he is actually a lot deeper and stronger than you will realize at first. Once again, this series is really about character development, and it excels at this. There are also some hints of boy-boy love, though not openly admitted. But for those of us with a keen eye out for it, you will notice it. There are a lot of great characters...so many, it's hard to talk about them all. I must say that my favorite character was another young boy, about the same age as Tetsu, who is much more troubled, but so darn cute...

Overall, the battle scenes are kind of few, but that's alright, when they do occur, they are fun to watch. A lot goes on in a small amount of time, so it is never boring. It also kind of ends abruptly without really explaining the "peacemaker", but oh well...we can live with that.

Hahahaha, first off let me be the first to openly laugh at the "A Kid that Hates Peacemaker" review. Last time I checked, Samurai X was a japanese anime and so was Pokemon. Nor did Warner Brothers have any part in the making of any of them.

Ahem, now that that's out of the way. Let me ask: How is Peace Maker a ripoff of Kenshin? Kenshin is based off events that actually happened, and so is Peace Maker. Historical events, I'm sorry to say, are fair game to use in peoples' own stories. We see countless movies on WWII and things like that. So wouldn't it be like saying Band of Brothers was a ripoff copy of Saving Private Ryan? Of course not. Both are masterpieces in their own right, and it is like that in this case too.

With that said, it's not fair to make such a comparisan betweek RK and PM before seeing the amount of depth and passion behind the characters of PM.

I wasn't going to write a review for peacemaker but for any of you that have seen this show know as well as I that this show deserves a lot more than 3 stars. This show does lack a few key elements that I'm sure will come into play later on in this series but still this is a great show.I mean it has to be good if it was requested to be aired on the anime network.

This series does resemble Rurounie Kenshin with a few things like the way tetsunosuke's parents were massacred but the difference that messes tetsunosukes story up is that he has no one to teach him the ways of the sword and later on in the series might be thrown into a battle with little knowledge on fighting. Still this young 15 year old boy has a big heart full of courage and determination, but still a lot of hate and revenge linger inside him.

It's a shame all he wants is to become stronger so he can get revenge for his parents deaths and no one will help him.Tetsunosuke is 15 but treated as if he were 10 when he joins the army, Because of his size he's not taken seriously and automatically made a paige a few steps below his older brother who is qualified in size to be a swordsman but doesn't because of fear and obviously doesn't have the courage his brother has.

Overall this show is good and most likely will be great I suggest any anime fans or this goes out more to the RK fans to go watch this,Don't get me wrong i don't think that this show could truely replace rurounie kenshin but it is a bit of a thirst quencher for diehard RK fans. Just because the show is around the same time period as RK and both Kenshin and Tetsunosuke have similar backgorunds not the same but similar doesn't mean it's trying to take the place of it so give it a chance and get deeper into the story before beating it down with such bad reviews the show was compared to RK nobody ever said it was better.

The series starts off with a bang, an obvious glimpse into the future of the young man who happens to be the protagonist. Then before you know the end of the story you are whisked back to the present...

The series is full of fast paced action, great characters and that humor we look for from a good cartoon. Many people compare it to Kenshin, and rightly so. Kenshin is a very good samurai series that came out years before this one, so it is a compliment, and of course it should be compared to things that are similar. The time period and a few of the characters are the same. When I first saw Peace Maker I though it was the same as Kenshin, only Yahiko was the main character, and he had a little bit of Shippo (Inuyasha) in him. It is a more fleshed out character than either, but Tetsunosuke is a more complete human being than both. He never forgets his goals, and his past has shaped who he is to the core. In fact all of the people in this series are well rounded personalities with consistent ideals and personality. It is a more adult series as well. There is more graphic violence, sexual situations, and adult humor in the first disc than there is in the three seasons and movies that make up the Kenshin series. The animation is gorgeous. The color and attention to detail is as good as any I have seen. Even the voice actors are terrific. Among them are Luci Christian (Full Metal Panic!, Gunslinger Girl), Vic Mignogna (Full Metal Alchemist, Full Metal Panic!), and David Born (Mezzo DSA, Chrono Crusade). The story is a tried and true story about dealing with tragedy. It is not a real revenge story as Tetsu has such a gentle heart. Fate, however, draws our hero into conflict repeatedly, and not just with ghosts from his past.

The reason I only gave this volume and box set four stars is because of the extras. The fact that the box comes with manga and not a soundtrack cd is kind of a let down. The music really grows on you, and it is pretty unusual for a first volume box set to be without. There are good trailers, but there is none of the actor commentary we get later in the series, nor is there any of the character profiles that are on later discs.

I highly recommend this series; it is some of the best anime I have seen. There is great action, a good story, lots of likeable characters, good music, and its' lighter moments are funny as hell.

Peacemaker is a strange series at first glance. As some commentaries point out, it is odd to see the Shinsengumi as the protagonists in a series. Unlike Rurouni Kenshin, (where it, in a sense, glorifies the Choshu and the Shinsengumi) the Shinsengumi are the heroes in Peacemaker.

Tetsunosuke Ichimura, the main character, is a 15 year-old who, though a bit obnoxious, has a kind personality. His heart is in the right place, but is torn between his desire to seek revenge and at the same time, not cause bloodshed. He is determined, but sometimes (or rather often), he gets in too deep. He is immature in many ways and has much to learn, but he grows on you as the series progresses.

The show itself follows Tetsunosuke and his quest to join the Wolves of Mibu. It does, however, in good taste, veer off to explore other characters. It can be over dramatic, and the digital effects can be annoying, but it is still fun to watch. The plot has some strange stories, though. I disliked it when it ventured into the parts involving some strange man who looks like a clown and a summoner who controls the dead.

The other characters, Susumu and Okita being the most intriguing, are likeable. I mistook Okita for a woman at first (his mien caught me off guard). Though I don't mean to compare two series, I preferred the Saito Hajime from Rurouni Kenshin.

Overall, even if it has flaws, Peacemaker is a likeable series. The best episode on this disc is the third (I especially enjoyed the part where it shows what happened in the alley, when there was no talking and only music; very well executed). The animation is somewhat lackluster, but the characters are fun to look at. The extras on the fold-out in the case were a nice bonus, too. Give the series a chance, it's likely you'll get hooked like me. (note: I watched it in Japanese with subtitles)

Wow!! I can not even explain to u how fasinatin it is!!

Its very refreshing in way. It has a great sense of style to it thats just beautiful. It has a dark tone to it looming about.The action scenes are marvlous with the heavy violence. The colors are solid which is one the great things about it. Ofcourse being a big fan of Gonzo what else would i expect? They did an amazing job here. Beautiful anime thats just so worth it.

Evidently, the reviews for this series have turned into a debate over the relative merits of this series and of the Kenshin saga. To tell you the truth, I bought this series because this (and the Mutsu saga, which I adore) got me interested in the period around the Meiji Restoration, and this was just more food to fuel my like of the characters and the period. It really didn't occur to me that our hero Tetsu is the future Kenshin--jeez, I'm confused enough that I thought Kenshin fought on the other side--but that's mostly immaterial. This has good humor, good character interpretation, and a nice mix of violence and thoughtfulness. I reccommend it on its own. Please note that I'm a simple guy who doesn't notice if a show has too much CGI or if an English dub is any worse or better than trying to parse it in my (weak, but extant) Japanese. Have fun and watch it.