Based on the world of the Sengoku Basara videogames which are [loosely] based on the infamous Sengoku Period in Japanese history, Sengoku Basara is a mish-mash of explosive action, slapstick comedy, and romance caught in a whirlwind war for supremacy. In the words of a reviewer on ANN, it's "JAPANESE HISTORY MAXIMUM". And I loved every second of it.
Story:
While the Japanese audience are very familiar with the Sengoku period and its many players, us foreigners might have a bit of a rough time recognizing the famous samurai and battles that pepper the Sengoku Basara universe. With a large cast, SB works quickly to familiarize viewers with the varied generals and their respective heavily-named territories, focusing especially on Masamune Date, the Big Boss of Oshu [an utter badass] and Lord Shingen and his (servant? protege?) Yukimura Sanada of the Takeda Clan. Main villain Oda Nobunaga (he has one HELL of a theme song) explodes onto the scene in episode 2 leaving a wake of blood, fire and lightning in his path and forcing the generals of Japan into a somewhat uneasy alliance to try and take him down. I don't want to give away too much, but essentially the series revolves around the east, west, and Nobunaga fighting eachother. While this seems like moody and heavy stuff, SB manages to balance its relatively dark material with hilarious character interaction (I never get tired of Shingen punching the hell out of Yukimura), stirring drama and a refreshingly modern sensibility. Fans of the series (or of the sengoku period) will be able to follow the series kinetic pace easily as it reflects the games' pace, however new-comers to the series may be lost in a swirling vortex: utterly confused but dazzled at the same time. While prior knowledge is not necessary to enjoy the show, it certainly helps to know who the characters are ahead of time, else you'll be confused just who that old guy bein shot on the beach is [Yoshihiro Shimazu, if anyone is wondering].
Characters:
While there are a lot of them, luckily each is easily recognizable due to interesting character design and memorable personalities. You'll definitely find a handful of characters that you just adore, and even the ones you don't like very much have some worthy quality to them that makes them intriguing. Each character has a signature style and the voice actors portray their roles exceptionally well. The generals are utterly over the top in terms of fighting strength (they blow up MOUNTAINS) but it is just so much fun to watch and seems believable within the context of the universe. There are some inside jokes about the characters that pop-up that might not be recognizable to an audience not familiar with the Sengoku Period, but a quick trip to wikipedia fixes that up in a jiffy.
Animation:
I ordered the Blu-Ray and WOW does this series look good! Almost movie-quality animation that is awe-inspiring to behold, particularly the lightning fast fight scenes that roar off the screen. Simply gorgeous!!
Music:
Epic pulse-pounding rock music and war drums is this series bread and butter, and it serves well to the overall intense atmosphere and adds a dramatic flourish to the fight scenes. The OP and the ED fit the mood of the show and, I daresay, make your spirit soar with passion!! hell yeah! PUT YA GUNS ON!!!
Final Verdict:
Great for hardcore anime vets, great for fighting game fans, fans of samurai or Japanese history, fans of giant robots (yes, there is a giant robot character), great for even non-anime fans who need a gateway drug- man, this show is awesome. A fantastic choice for a viewing in an anime club or just about anywhere. While newbies to the show may be confused story-wise, but the story is not the main focus of the show: awesomeness is. No matter who watches it, you'll find something to like about SB. And for 35$? You can't go wrong people!! BUY IT.
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Top reviews from other countries
Marcantonio
Una Gioia
Reviewed in Italy on June 4, 2018
Marcantonio
Reviewed in Italy on June 4, 2018
Vedevo a tratti molte parti di quest anime e pensavo se un giorno faranno un anime ed ecco qua dopo più 10 anni davanti alla tv a vederlo in BLUE RAY DISC addirittura(è il prezzo è davvero ottimo, amazon come sempre puntuale nelle consegne).
Alla fine prodotto ottimo per chi prima del anime sa il gioco e non solo quello su ps2 ma anche ps3, e non si metta a vedere dove ci mancano i puntini sulle "i" paragonandolo alla storia reale, è un anime è tutto il sopranaturale che ci sta lo rende tale.
Bellissimo
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