Picture feudal Japan, home of the Samurai. In the latter part of the 19th century Japan was torn between the classic system of the Shogunate and the idea of a united Japan. The Shogunate that effectively ruled in place of the Emperor for centuries, handling trade and diplomacy with foreigners, allowing them to settle in some cases in the country. Peacemaker Kurogane is a manga and anime that puts you in this climate, a culture tied between the old traditions and new nationalism, on the brink of a bloody civil war.

The story follows young Ichimura Tetsunosuke, and his older brother turned parental figure Tatsunosuke in their efforts to find the xenophobic nationalists who killed their parents. Their plan is simple, they will join the Shinsengumi, a ruthless special police force of the Shogunate set up to destroy anti-Shogunate nationalists. From the outset it is obvious that joining the Shinsengumi and adhering to it's code is going to be a mentally and physically challenging task:



For those of you who have seen the series Rurouni Kenshin, Peacemaker Kurogane is a story which follows the flip-side of the Japanese civil war (Meiji Restoration). In Rurouni Kenshin the Shinsengumi are seen as "bad guys", halting Japan's progress as a united country. In Peacemaker Kurogane, they are instead seen as defenders of Japan's great traditions, Bushido, the class system and so forth.

Peacemaker Kurogane as a story in itself varies a great deal from Rurouni Kenshin, as the main character (Tetsunosuke) is driven by his need to avenge his parents death, and the story tells his journey in both doing this and growing as an individual, all on the backdrop of Japan veering into massive social change.

Unlike a lot of stories we RAW, Peacemaker Kurogane has the unusual privilege of having most of it's story characters being actual historical figures. All of the Shinsengumi's captains in the series and Tetsunosuke were real people, Hijikata Toshizō (the violent guy in the video) in particular being a very significant leader during this period of Japanese history.

If like me you don't dig guys with massive powerlevel but prefer your fighting spirit to have some reasoning, Peacemaker Kurogane is probably for you. This series is a great personally moving first look into a culturally significant event in Japan's history. Go check it out and let me know how you find it.

Comments, questions? I'm in the comments below, thanks for reading.