Ah, feudal Japan. My favorite anime/manga series, Rurouni Kenshin, is based off of this period in Japanese history. There is something about the mix of history and fiction that makes me have a geek attack. So you can imagine the glee I experienced when I stumbled upon Sengoku Basara. Although it is historical fiction, the anime is actually based off of a game series of the same name by Capcom.
For some reason, Capcom decided that Japanese history wouldn’t go over well with American fans, so they decided to redesign the game in America and release it as Devil Kings. They basically changed everything that I found interesting about this series, removing all of the references to the Sengoku period. To make a long story short, it sold like poo-poo, so we didn’t get the sequels.
During the Sengoku (or warring states) period, Japan was basically up for grabs. There were many different factions and warlords vying to take over control of the country. The most prominent of these warlords was Oda Nobunaga. The period ended with the Battle of Sekigahara and the establishment of the Tokugawa regime which resulted in the unification of Japan.
If you remember (in Rurouni Kenshin), Kenshin Himura (which unlike the characters of this anime, does not bear the name of his real-life counterpart) and his Ishin-shishi revolutionist comrades brought an end to the Tokugawa regime and established the Meji era (which is the begining of modern-day Japan).
But, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Sengoku Basara revolves around some of the most prominent warriors of the Sengoku Period, such as Date Masamune, Sanada Yukimura, Takeda Shingen, Uesugi Kenshin, Maeda Keiji, and of course Oda Nobunaga.
Like most of his depictions in popular culture, Nobunaga is an evil warlord who is a threat to all that is good. He will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Nobunaga is definitely deserving of his nickname ‘Demon King’ in this depiction. He carries a shotgun in one hand and a sword in the other.
The action in Sengoku Barsara is over the top. I’m talking Marvel vs. Capcom over the top. These warlords are basically superheroes and toss around regular infantry like rag dolls. They also have special attacks (such as Date Masamune’s which involves him wielding no less than SIX katana at once). The fights between the main characters are highly stylized and they are a joy to behold. Thank you, Production I.G.
You can definitely feel the Capcom influence too. Date Masamune (one of the series’ main characters) definitely emits a Dante/Devil May Cry vibe. He has a bunch of catch phrases that he says in English when he is fighting or riding out to battle. He also rides his horse like a motorcycle (his horse actually has harley-style motorcycle handlebars strapped to the sides of its head!).
Sanada Yukimura, the other main character and Masamune’s rival, actually serves under Takeda Shingen. He has a sort of love/hate relationship with Shingen which basically means that Shingen pounds his face whenever he says something stupid. Surprisingly, Yukimura loves every minute of it.
The two rivals basically go back and forth until Nobunaga appears in all his glory. Think Raditz appearing before Piccolo and Goku. I don’t know for sure but it looks like at this point the ‘smaller’ warlords will be teaming up to fight Nobunaga.
If you have a fetish for Japanese history and good fighting scenes, you should definitely check this show out. Sengoku Basara is cool, has lots of action, and doesn’t take itself too seriously. Honestly…you can’t lose.
