Uber popular 
Girls’ game (Otome game adapted for PS2, PSP and NDS) Hakuoki Shinsengumi Kitan 薄桜鬼 series by games maker Idea Factory has been animated.
Title: Hakuouki 薄桜鬼 (Season 1, 2010)
Title: Hakuoki Hekketsuroku 薄桜鬼 碧血録 (Season 2 / Sequel, 2011)
Title: Hakuoki Sekkaroku 薄桜鬼 雪華録 (OVA with character focus, 2011)
Update 27 February 2012: New Hakuouki TV anime and OVA announced for 2012 and 2013 respectively!
Also do support the English version PSP game (with original voices): Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom (localised by Aksys) too.
Title: Hakuouki Reimeiroku 薄桜鬼 黎明録 (Prequel, 2012)
Date: Summer 2012
Summary: Set in historical Japan, Yukimura Chizuru has come to Kyoto in search of her missing father. While running away from her pursuers, she witnesses a fight between her pursuers and some demonic humans. Rescued in time by the Shinsengumi before she was attacked, she is taken into custody by them. While the Shinsengumi debate on what to do with Chizuru, they discover that she is the daughter of the doctor they are also looking for.
Rating: Recommended
Comments: The first episode has already been aired and it sure looks beautiful. Animated by Studio DEEN, you can see that they definitely have quite a good budget ^^ The beautifully animated characters look almost exactly like the gorgeous illustrations that original game graphics illustrator, Yone Kazuki has drawn. I’ve not played the game yet but I’m a fan of her artwork. I believe fans of the game shouldn’t have a big reason to complain because the quality looks pretty awesome in the first episode. Let’s see if they can keep that up :)
As someone who really hates whiny heroines, I’m pleasantly surprised by the protaganist so far, well, granted this is only the first episode… it is a good start for me.
Anyway, like with all otome games (and anme), a stellar male voice cast is a must. In this anime, you’ll find the likes of Miki Shinichirou, Morikubo Shoutaro, Toriumi Kousuke, Yoshino Hiroyuki, Yusa Kouji as the leads.
In the game, you as the protagonist, meets these guys who are part of an organisation named Shinsengumi. The objective of the game is to be paired up with any one of the game while solving the mystery of your missing father who the guys at the Shinsengumi are also searching for. Correct me if I’m wrong but the anime seems to be sticking quite close to the original game plot.
Other information
Staff:
Director: Yamasaki Osamu
Music: Ootani Kou
Character Design: Nakajima Atsuko
Sound Director: Iwanami Yoshikazu
Main cast:
桑島法子 Kuwashima Houko as Yukimura Chizuru 雪村千鶴
三木眞一郎 Miki Shinichirou as Hijikata Toshizou
森久保祥太郎 Morikubo Shoutaro as Okita Souji 沖田総司
鳥海浩輔 Toriumi Kousuke as Saitou Hajime 斎藤一
吉野裕行 Yoshino Hiroyuki as Toudou Heisuke 藤堂平助
遊佐浩二 Yusa Kouji as Harada Sanosuke 原田左之助
Other cast:
大川 透 Ookawa Tooru, as Kondou Isami 近藤勇
飛田展男 Tobita Nobuo as (Sannan-san) Yamanami Keisuke 山南敬助
Official website: http://www.geneonuniversal.jp/rondorobe/anime/hakuoki/
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omygod, lol at ponytale and razberry’s comments about Miaka and her “harem”. hahaha! totally hated her too.
@viviennerosethorn: Thanks for commenting! lol~ so far I haven’t met or talked to anybody who liked her ^^;;; anyway Hakuouki anime is such eye candy. I’m loving it so far!
I WISH someone would wise up one day and make a purely yaoi Shinsengumi or samurai anime. That would be like a dream come true! But in the mean time, I guess we’ll just have be happy with shows like Hakuouki. :-)
And no, you are in no way being too mean about Miaka. She deserves all our ire. She pretty much ruined what could’ve been a pretty good series. It’s a shame Yui wasn’t any better either. [sigh]
The closest we have to that right now would be Fuyu no Semi ^^ a heartbreaking piece but imagine having a whole season of that like Hakuouki! Woo~ too awesome!
Yeah, Yui was another disappointing one…
@ponytale : yes i’ve check the first episode of it and i like it~ XDDDDD i’ve write the impression of the first episode in that day… XDDDDDDD
OMG, I just read your comments on Fushigi Yuugi. You are too awesome for words!! I TOTALLY agree with you!! I wasn’t even that into yaoi back then either but I was totally pairing up the guys with the other guys. As far as I’m concerned, that series was about the star-crossed love between Tamahome and Nakago. Now that I think about it, Fushigi Yuugi might’ve even started me on the road to yaoidom. I hated Miaka so much I wanted every single guy to be gay in there. Gods, I really hated Miaka. Just thinking about her name is making all the bad memories come flooding back. I just about went apeshit nuts when they made even Nuriko–dear, sweet, cross-dressing, FREAKING GAY FOR HOTOHORI-SAMA Nuriko–fall in love with that stupid piece of crap. And then when Tatsuki was dragged into that nightmare as well, I completely lost it. What the hell. She is really one of the worst, if not THE worst, female characters ever created in anime/manga.
I was still debating whether or not to give this anime a try. I usually love anything that has to do with the Shinsengumi, but my hesitation stems from the fact that with stories which involve a girl dressed up as a guy surrounded by a bunch of bishies (what do they call it, a reverse harem situation?), I tend to lament at how much more wonderful it would’ve been if the heroine was indeed a guy. It’s just a bit of a letdown when you realize at the end of the day, there’s really no yaoi involved. Lol. I mean, take Ouran High School Host Club. As much as I loved the series and even Haruhi as a character, there was still a part of me that was constantly bummed out that she wasn’t a boy.
Anyway, I’m glad to hear that at least the heroine in Haruouki isn’t some whiny brat or useless doormat. That would really be the worst. Thank you for your review; you’ve definitely made the anime seem more appealing! i will give it a watch now.
@Razberry: Yeah it feels disappointing :) but if the story and characters are good, I’ll overlook that fact and enjoy it as a shoujo work. However, sometimes the story just feels more right when the character is a girl cos she brings certain qualities into the relationships (harem lol) that the boys don’t have and balances things out ^^ I’m actually quite happy that Haruhi is a girl XD I would really adore and dote on her if I was her sister or even a boy lol~
I think the disappointment is even worse when we have a trap situation when the boy turns out to be a girl later in the series! *_*
So far, Hakuouki feels kinda right to have the lead as a girl ^^ (a non-whiny one that is) I’ve watched episode two and I find her rather likable and believable. But if they do come up with an all-male version, I’ll definitely want to watch it even more since male x male is a given in samurai relationships lol~
ah~ NakagoxTamahome… ^^ Lol~ at Miaka-HATE XD yeah it made it seem like she was the representative of the lowest-common denominator of female standards. It’s like if someone like her can have the love of every guy that comes her way, then all of us will have a chance. *sweat* Hmm hope I’m not being too mean about this x_x
@Mito: ^^ enjoy the anime!
@Mito: Hakuouki anime is promising and the animation is really gorgeous. Uraboku is quite good too… I just watched the first episode and quite enjoyed it ^^
I’ve planned to watch this anime but i think i’ll think it twice… and betrayal manga??? =.= you mean uragiri wa boku no namae wa shitteiru? *too long just uraboku* XDDDDDDD
omg you own some treasures wolfs rain was a real treat an trinity blood is eye candy. I don’t really recommend the tsubasa chronicles unless its the ova the tv series was disappointing.;;;
i searched the company name i didnt know they made the EF tales series no wonder some elements reminded me of there works. I’m impatiently waiting for epi 2. of arakawa.
Betrayal Knows My Name is another strange series it’s got the mirage of blaze vibe!(are atleast from what im getting) *v*;;
i saw abit of the live drama for pecemaker its….i cant get into it at all. XD
http://www.ns-movie.jp/ is the website i haven’t seen it on Internets yet i don’t think its out.
I never knew that ripping DVDs can be such a headache-inducing affair if you don’t have paid software x_x;;; I spent one whole day trying to do that with those opensource programs like DVD decrypter and AutoGK and those darn subtitles and audio I ripped just refused to match the video. I’ll give up for now. I’ll probably go download the files instead since they’re already ripped and ready for ipod conversion *MEGA-sweat*
Icic… I’ll leave Tsubasa Chronicles to the last then. All those DVDs are sitting in the closet untouched for a long time already.
Arakawa is strange lol~ I’m looking forward to ep2 to see what other interesting characters they’re going to introduce.
I’ve not read the Betrayal manga either but it has reincarnation themes, let’s see how it goes heh
As for Almost Human, I think I may give it a try when it’s available :D
lol *nods* poor tamahome i have a hate/love thing for this character, it definitly has to do with the heroins! XD
( i think i liked Tamahome x Nuriko )
never seen Seirei no Moribito looks good though.
you mean the little girl chihiro? She was adorable i love that movie~
lol Fuu! hmm yea i like heroines with purpose an determination.
i havn’t watched Saiunkoku Monogatari’s yet. (dvd is collecting dust on shelf.;;) it definitely looks harem to me.
I can’t think of any good portrayals but a few that pops up randomly would be Gurren Laganns Yoko/and skip beats Kyoko/It Started With A Kiss’s Kotoko/ The Book of Bantorra Hamutz/ Black Lagoon revy. not harem related…i think the only ones for that would be ouran’s main lead and La Corda d’oro lead.
~”There are definitely other good portrayals of female characters in other anime which I’ve not watched yet tho but harem anime for girls just doesn’t cut it too well.”
i think maybe there aren’t any good portrayal of harem related animes related to otome games because the female lead is left up to us to decide in the game. don’t know;; Makes me a little scared to see starry sky anime wondering how the heroin will be.XD
~”How many guys needs to fall for the heroine before we can classify it as harem? LOL~”
omg i dont know! ive been wondering that too! i guess more then three?;;;
(off topic but have you seen Arakawa under the Bridge yet? Its so funny an our favorite seiyuu plays the lead voice! Definitely one of those weird animes, i love it.XD
I also saw that “Almost human” became a movie. I think one of the actors from hanakimi is in there an there is now a historical related drama based on peacemaker manga! i have yet to watch it nor seen any screenshots i wonder if it is going to be good.*_*)
So, let’s take a cue from Tamahome… we should choose our partners carefully x_x;;;
Yep, even if the heroines don’t have a clear purpose or goal from the start, it’s more satisfying to watch when they find it and grow along the way. Like La Corda d’oro’s lead tries her best and doesn’t jut sit there,whine and hope somebody come save her all the time. I’ll take note of the rest you suggested XD Starry Sky setting is that the girl is the only female in the all male school, right? Hmm… makes me wonder too…
The DVDs I buy also end up on the shelf and I don’t get round to watching them, that list includes Trinity Blood, Wolf’s Rain, Tsubasa Chronicles etc, etc. Silly right. Watching subs are much more convenient. Or I’m just plain lazy. I should find a day to convert them and load onto my ipod.
Hehehe… yeah probably 3 and up to qualify as harem :P
~Arakawa under the Bridge
AH~ Thanks for reminding! Must go search for it XD SHAFT is always producing weird stuff. Darn, they’re real slow with BakeMonogatari… or has it ended? DX
Any link to the Almost Human movie? :O Hmm the peacemaker drama is supposed to be released in January 2010? Probably there should be raws floating around now.
I think if this one does well, other similar works will get attention too… they’re by the same company right?
O~ the spoiler bit… I forgot most of the plot already, since I watched it years ago. It only left me with a deep impression that she kept doing stupid things x_x;;; Yeah I remember liking Nuriko and Tasuki (the red haired guy) too. Honestly I forgot their names already (googled/wiki-ed) but I remember how they looked Btw, I thought Tamahome (the green haired main guy) is another annoying one too probably cos of the heroine. LOL.
Mmm the first one that come to mind is Balsa from Seirei no Moribito… but she’s a grown woman. Hmm… gotta wreck my brains for a younger female protagonist. Ah the girl from Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away. Fuu from Samurai Chamloo lol~ Kinda ditzy-cute but she has a purpose. Hmm a bit off topic maybe? I have a good impression of Saiunkoku Monogatari’s heroine too but I was too busy to finish the series (erm is it harem?). Which reminds me I probably should try again. These are not perfect portrayals but they feel much more robust and developed as characters as the stories progressed. And Haruhi from Ouran definitely ^^ There are definitely other good portrayals of female characters in other anime which I’ve not watched yet tho but harem anime for girls just doesn’t cut it too well.
Hanakimi is probably harem? :D How many guys needs to fall for the heroine before we can classify it as harem? LOL~
Wah its looks so awesome i only watched the first few mins i’m very happy~! When i get a chance id like to see the rest of the episodes. (i want to see a otome game Real rode be made into anime next XD)
more a fan of hiiro no kakera hopefully it gets noticed too.;w;
Aww i liked Harukanaru it was decent despite the heroine (the movie was love manyly for suefumi!)and Fushigi i thought was cute i had fun pairing up the boy characters too. yea the lead females i wanted to punch some sense into them so hard. **spoiler***
(manly that one part were she goes to have sex with the enemy esgiyw8ioegs!) It’s a nice story though. The anime as a whole i think only one are two characters grabbed my attention an made me want to watch the series. That being nuriko an the one with orange hair. The ovas to this series is really super bad/waste of time i didn’t even give it a chance after one episode i felt brain cells dieing.XD;
“As as a female. I HATE IT LIKE HELL that we are portrayed this way x_x;;;”
XDD! yea me too. what herion you think portrays best in anime?
The best harem anime to me is still ouran host club too.
(if hanakimi was a anime omg thats would be win harem. if its considered a harem)
Oh my god, you have no idea how relevant to my interests this is~!
Looks good at this point.XD However, I’d truly hate this if it became one shoujo anime like Fushigi or Harukanaru with ALL the boys falling in love with the same girl.O_O Boooooo!!
@banoni: LOL~ agrees! I forgot about that important fact!!! GAAAH. Let’s hope they do it well. At the very least, this heroine seems to be ok. One of the reasons I still enjoy Ouran (who had everybody falling for Haruhi too), besides the humour, is that she doesn’t go whiny and annoying like all those other harem animes like Harukanaru and Fushigi.
So, I couldn’t complete both Harukanaru and Fushigi properly ^^;;; after a while it really is just annoying and you keep wishing for someone to slap some sense into the girl throughout the WHOLE DARN ANIME. As as a female. I HATE IT LIKE HELL that we are portrayed this way x_x;;;
For Fushigi, I began pairing the boys together instead of with the heroine halfway through the story cos she was… incredibly irritating x_x and that was when I wasn’t THAT crazy about Yaoi yet. I think I fast-forwarded quite a number of episodes just to get it over with x_x And Harukanaru… I could barely get past the first episode in the first season. The 1 episode OVA with Sakurai Takahiro was ok tho’.
@Caddy C: You like historical anime too? Or have you played the game? :D