It should be noted that while Peacemaker (AKA Peace Maker) Kurogane, as with all good anime, began life as a manga, this review is only for the anime adaptation which aired between 2003 and 2004 and lasted 24 episodes.

I have to confess at the offset that I have a fondness for samurai -themed anime, particularly those series that take place during the Meji/Bakumatsu (Last Shogunate) period. So anything in the vein of Sumarai X/Rurouni Kenshin would normally get my immediate approval. This however is no Kenshin remake. Whether that is a good or a bad thing in my humble opinion, read on.

Background

Peacemaker Kurogane (Peace Maker鐵?) is a historical fiction manga and anime series created by mangaka Nanae Chrono (黒乃 奈々絵 Kurono Nanae?). The story begins in 19th century Japan before the Meiji Restoration, a chain of events that led to enormous changes in Japan’s political and social structure while the seeds of the revolution are being planted. The story follows the boy protagonist, Ichimura Tetsunosuke, who joins the Shinsengumi (initially as Hijikata Toshizo’s page) while seeking strength to avenge his parents’ death at the hands of a Choshu rebel. [source]

Overview
The series quickly commences by giving you a taste of whats to come as we, quite early on, are seeing a raid take place and immediately you realise, this is no kids anime as several opposing members get cut in half and sliced to pieces and spare no one.

While the gore and blood in this one is not gratuitous, there is plenty of blood and dismembering, so if your at all queasy or sensitive to such things, you’ll want to give this one a skip. That being said, the violence is sparse and does not feature extensively throughout the series, with the exception of the beginning, a small middle section and the finale. All in all, it is quite well balanced.

Peacemaker Kurogane is largely based on the story of a little boy, Ichimura Tetsunosuke (referred to fondly as Tetsu throughout the series), who, after witnessing his parents execution at the hands of the Choshu, sets out on a path of vengeance. This begins by enlisting in the Shinsengumi — think of them as the SWAT of the Samurai era. It is here that most of the series takes place and much of the episodes seem to be arbitrary little snippets of Tetsu’s life in the Shinsengumi camp, working and living as the Vice Chiefs personal assistant, in all of its glamour – or lack thereof.

I quite quickly began to find that it was not what I expected, and in a sense was quite like Kenshin in this respect. As with Kenshin, it is so painfully slow in the beginning, but it would seem this is all to build the emotional attachment for the viewer to the characters that the storyline introduces throughout each episode. We, as the viewer begin to grow quite fond of Tetsu, his elder over-protective brother Tatsunosuke (sometimes, confusingly referred to as Tatsu) and the various unique characters of the Shinsengumi troops.

The episodes between 1 and 20, while entertaining are quite slow and nothing really seems to be happening. We continue to see Tetsu do menial jobs for the Shinsengumi Vice Chief. We do get glimpses of the plotting and scheming that goes on in the shadows by the Choshu but nothing really happens.

One of the series main oddities is Okita Sōji angry pet piglet,  Saizō. Can someone please explain what value this piglet adds? I can understand the comedic value of a piglet as he almost immediately takes a dislike to Tetsu from the very beginning and this then becomes a running gag of sorts throughout the series.

Despite the slow pace of the series, those last 2 to 3 episodes of the series make all the effort of struggling through the first 20 episodes worthwhile. They are in a word, epic. The pace of the storyline really does accelerate in the final stages and it begins to evoke some quite sincere emotions as you watch comrades fall and people close to Tetsu die at the hands of the Choshu. Tetsu’s sincerity, innocence and naivete contrast quite well with the battle hardened Shinsengumi Samurai and Shinobi who have all but lost any kind of feeling and emotion. This is where Peacemaker Kurogane differs from Kenshin, whereas Kenshin is the Manslayer/Battōsai looking for redemption, Tetsu is a little boy with a deep emotional scar,  looking for vengeance – willing to become a demon in order to avenge his parents, all the while not quite understanding what it is he is asking.

The final battle sequence is most definitely worth watching and it quite easily rivals some of the best sequences I’ve seen in anime.  The outcome, while predictable is unexpectedly brutal and this is a good thing. Far too often these anime take the easy route out and end up with a quite unsatisfactory end, which simply could be called a draw.

Concluding Remarks
The maturity of the series is evident throughout. The story is largely about relationships, particularly between siblings.  The sword fighting is not a significant feature of the series but when it does occur it is immensely enjoyable to watch and executed wonderfully. We don’t really get to see Tetsu progress in strength and skill episodically as you might expect, however the finale suggests differently. The concluding fight is one of the main reasons why I would recommend this series, for those that bare through the initial episodes there is a rewarding and satisfying conclusion that may surprise many jaded anime fans. This is definitely a series that would be worth watching if your a Kenshin fan, if at the very least, as a comparison.

Let me know what you thought of the series in the comments below.