Shinsengumi! (2004 NHK Taiga)

bmwracer wrote:
I'll have to e-mail him right now just to check up on the guy. :sweat:

Let me know how he's doing.

Wynter wrote:Let me know how he's doing.

Sure thing...

The e-mail's away... Let's see how long it takes for him to reply. :sweat:

bmwracer wrote:
There's also something called a history book, y'know. :P

Ah, true. And it's something I do plan on doing someday when I have more time. But watching it on TV really brings history to life.

bmwracer wrote:
Sure thing...

The e-mail's away... Let's see how long it takes for him to reply. :sweat:

:fingerscrossed:

Anime Dad wrote:

Ah, true. And it's something I do plan on doing someday when I have more time. But watching it on TV really brings history to life.

Especially if you're a visual learner, like me. :mrgreen:

95.9% done the movie. :woot:

Anime Dad wrote:But watching it on TV really brings history to life.

True that.

But unless you're watching a documentary, a drama/movie typically takes poetic license, so the history is somewhat stilted.

bmwracer wrote:
True that.

But unless you're watching a documentary, a drama/movie typically takes poetic license, so the history is somewhat stilted.

Given the period we're talking about, there's not a lot of actual footage of the events, so i'm happy to watch a dramatic recreation :) It's better than nothing. I haven't seen a lot of documentaries about, either, unfortunately :(

Finally finished! My Reivew: 8/10

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.

Remember the scene where Sawa Suzuki as Akesato is talking to Masato Sakai as Yamanami thru the window before Yamanami commits seppuku? I'm reading this book about the Shinsengumi and according to the author it really happened! The taiga was so poorly written it was hard to believe what was real and what wasn't, but according to this guy (Tatuya Yamamura) it did happen!

gaijinmark wrote:Remember the scene where Sawa Suzuki as Akesato is talking to Masato Sakai as Yamanami thru the window before Yamanami commits seppuku? I'm reading this book about the Shinsengumi and according to the author it really happened! The taiga was so poorly written it was hard to believe what was real and what wasn't, but according to this guy (Tatuya Yamamura) it did happen!

Thats interesting.

I was a bit disappointed in this drama.

I gave up on it after about 6 eps. Really dragged for me.

Eve wrote:I gave up on it after about 6 eps. Really dragged for me.

It's been a while, but I remember folding up the tents around that time as well.

Remember those little 'travelogue' bits they used to show at the end of taigas? They stopped showing them here after 'Yoshitsune' because I think the local channel realized they could add a couple commercials instead. :beatyou:

Anyway, I found this YouTube channel where this guy has most if not all of them from 'Shinsengumi'. I always thought they were interesting. Sometimes they were better than the episode that had preceded them: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkIgIHsGf8wW1sjT0ACjoTw/videos

I requested to have a couple added to the "Shinsengumi" drama page but the moderator that takes care of those things apparently doesn't think they apply. :headscratch:

gaijinmark wrote:Sometimes they were better than the episode that had preceded them

LOL. :hehe:

I always thought the shinsengumi character and his little dog that came out at the end were cool. This is now my new desktop:

[image]