Hakuouki Hekketsu-Roku 13 – return of the Shinsengumi
October 15, 2010
The Shinsengumi are back - with new uniforms.
Season two of Hakuouki (Hakuouki Hekketsu-Roku) has begun. I’ll follow the convention of numbering the episodes as continuous to season 1, hence this first episode is episode 13. Being the first episode of the new season, this was mostly a setting things up episode.
Is Chizuru finally going to kick some ass?
Jen at Anime Instrumentality has a post up about the new OP, which is pretty decent J-pop. The one part that excited me musically is the fast part (as Jen describes it, “fast, repetitive notes between 0:55 and 1:01”). I have to say I let out a cheer when Chizuru was revealed in her Western-style uniform (see image directly above). The one complaint that Hakuouki season 1 kept facing (besides “LOL bishies”) was that Chizuru was too passive and was always being saved. Maybe Chizuru can break out of that role this season?
Hijikata struggles with blood lust.
As we begin, the Shinsengumi are in Edo, still recovering from the disastrous events that ended last season.
As a reminder, Souji Okita is extremely sickly. Not only does he have TB, he also was shot with silver bullets, causing a wound that won’t heal. At this point he is confined to bed.
Pleasant interlude.
The artwork was pretty decent in this episode. Studio DEEN did a good job of keeping the quality up in season 1, so I’m hoping for more of the same. In particular the following sequence, in which Sannan asks Chizuru for a donation of blood, was very effectively planned.
Everyone now seems to be aware of the threat that Sannan poses. Actually he is such an obvious threat, that I wonder if he isn’t being developed for a surprising redemption. Either way, he is a much more interesting character than he was in the first season.
Random shot of Chizuru.
The only other thing I wanted to comment on is that the incidental music was very good. In particular I liked the percussive march as the Kouyou Chinbutai (a new name given to the Shinsengumi) head for Koufu Castle.
Abandoned Factory Anime Review 
October 17, 2010 at 12:43 am
Hee hee… love the blow-by-blow screenshot sequence of Sannan’s little visit to Chizuru’s room – the first photo with caption (“I had such a marvelous idea”) is just priceless. 😉
He also said something about how he’d been up all night thinking about this… if that doesn’t give you the willies, I don’t know what would!
October 17, 2010 at 3:01 am
I really liked that scene. Unlike the times when people went out of control and attacked her, Sannan made a pre-meditated attack. I liked the way they set it all up by showing her folding the linens before he entered the room, and I thought the close-ups were very effective.
October 17, 2010 at 9:43 am
This was a good continuation of the first season. Like I commented previously I just wish Chizuru would play a more active role in their battle this time around, after all whatever Sannan did was wrong but his one statement reverberates well, “You are powerful demon after all”.
Hijikata seems too engrossed as if paying for the deaths of his comrades, which was not entirely his fault. He better loosen up or else another depression attack? >.>
They look bishier to me in the soldier look with their hair cut, seemed like a downer in pictures but not bad animated. Need moar action nao~
October 17, 2010 at 2:22 pm
Something tells me it is going to be a while before Hijikata has an opportunity to be happy, if at all. Even when they all went out together to that geisha bar, he separated himself from the others, so he could silently brood.