Shinsengumi

I have to say I found this to be good but not great. Though the acting was of course wonderful and the cast was talented the story was uneven and at times it dragged along. Most everyone knows of Shinsengumi and they did their best to show them in a new way I found it a little disappointing based on my expectations. If you watch it with lower expectations you may enjoy it more.

I have to admit that I knew nothing of the Shinsengumi when I first started watching this Taiga. I read bits of information online and in two particular books, and asked a bucket full of questions directed at me peers on this site (thanks for the help, boys!). Whether the drama was accurate to historical fact I donft know, so I wonft touch upon that topic.

I really enjoyed Shinsengumi. It was long. Very long. But the characters kept me captivated. I have seen most of the actors in the drama in various other shows, but after Shinsengumi I think I will always know them for the roles they played here. Particular stand-out performances for me are those of Yamamoto Taro, who really convinced me that he carried around a terrible smell, and yet warmed my heart in all the right places; Nakamura Kantaro, whofs character (Heisuke) I rooted for in his rivalry with Okita; Tabata Tomoko, whofs portrayal of Tsune was good and honest; and Eguchi Yosuke, who, with his hair pulled back out of his face, truly shined.

I canft say much for the plot, since itfs a historical drama, but I will say that I found its portrayal a little confusing. The Shinsengumi seemed a happy bunch of farmers bent on making a difference and protecting their country, but as the story progressed, a nastier side to them surfaced. The viewpoint/bias of the portrayal seemed to flip about, and so for me, coming with no knowledge of the historical time period, I found myself at times lost and confused. Was I seeing what I was supposed to be seeing? I was cheering for the right side? Was I experiencing an uncalled for hatred towards an otherwise uplifting character? I donft know.

But no matter. I enjoyed the format of a Taiga and look forward to watching more. I can also now admit that I do enjoy historical dramas and hope to encourage this preference.

The first and maybe the best taiga drama I've seen. Katori Shingo played excellently as Kondo Isami. And all other artists played their roles very well. I especially like Sakai Masato as Yamanami Keisuke.

Besides some books about, or that mentioned, the Shinsengumi, the drama is really a great source of information about them. It is sufficiently detailed and the screenplay writer made his own version of what and how the members of the Shinsengumi felt at that particular time.

All in all, funny, exciting, full of human drama and most of all, it makes history even more interesting.:P