Yosh! This is an anniversary edition! Sugee desu ne! It contains a lot of stuffs. Well, it still comes in double side format. Side A writes about Japan publisher companies and some mangakas. It also has interesting contents such as the review of Hayate no Gotoku 2nd Season, Hetalia Axis Power 2nd Season, Sora no Manimani, Umi Monogatari, Natsu no Arashi, and of course Dragon Ball Kai (as the featured anime for this edition).

While side B contains an article about Ryuu (Japanese Dragon). The 12th and 13th page tell about Sashimi and how to cook this kind of food. My favorite page is “Learn to Art” -it is a new rubric that comes since the 128th edition- coloring a sketch is the material for now. And the rest… there are still so many awesome stuffs, so you gotta check them out! ^^

Gintama X Needless

Audio : “modern strange cowboy” by GRANRODEO (Needless OP1)

5.0 out of 5 stars New Model Army

The shinsengumi are unusual heroes. Not only did they lose their battle, which can sometimes be seen as honorable as in the case of the defenders of the Alamo, but they fought for the wrong side entirely. The group supported the military Shogun government against the efforts to restore Imperial rule which eventually led to the Meiji Restoration and the modernization of Japan. No doubt they would be little more than a footnote in history if they just weren’t so darn cool. And of course the uniforms.

There are dozens of movies about the shinsengumi, but this is the only one starring Mifune Toshiro. Mifune slips easily into the role of leader Kondo Isami, a farmer-caste born warrior who rose through the ranks by his strength and skills. Recruiting amongst the ronin and non-samurai warriors, Kondo and his co-commander Hijikata Toshizo (Kobayashi Keiju, Battle of Okinawa) develop a stern code of rules that keeps the rough crowd in-line. Completely devoted to the samurai ideals, even though many of them are not samurai themselves, including leader Kondo, the shinsengumi wage a lost battle against the overwhelming forces of the Emperor. Even losing, however, they do it honor and without compromise, so that their deaths continue to ring through the ages.

This was director Sawashima Tadashi’s last film, and he played it right for the heroic machismo. Although they do dwell somewhat on the outdated morality they are defending, showing off their cool uniforms and strict code there is no mistake who the heroes are in this conflict. Other films, like Taboo and When the Last Sword Is Drawn, delve deeper into the dubious morality of the conflict and the group, but not this one. Sawashima just plays it straight, and with the charismatic Mifune in the lead that is exactly the way to go. Sometimes it is alright to cheer on in film those you are secretly glad lost in real life.

As usual, Animeigo put together a great DVD for this classic flick. One of the most difficult parts to grasp about “Shinsengumi” is that it is a famous historical story, and the director doesn’t feel the need to explain who each and every character is. It is like watching a Revolutionary war picture and having a “General Washington” appear. There is no need to explain that this is the future first president of the country; we all know that. Same thing here. Characters appear without explanation because they would be familiar to every Japanese person. Animeigo’s unique “captioned subtitles” helps deal with this by popping up historical facts and character introductions. There is also a brief introduction to the history of the shinsengumi included as an extra feature.

I was a sophomore in high school when I went on my first “real” date. A very nice boy invited me to a Homecoming dance and I happily obliged.  Before the dance, a group of us went to a fancy steakhouse for dinner, and I was so nervous, I could not eat. A sizzling plate of filet mignon was starring right at me and I could not bring myself to eat in front of my date!

Thinking back, perhaps what intimidated me the most about that dining experience was having to cut the steak with a knife and fork, and even though I knew how to use my utensils properly, the idea that I might cut the piece too big and having to chew it for 10 minutes before I get to swallow (and what if I had to cough while chewing?) scared the life out of me.  Silly, I know!

If I could relive my first date experience, I will definitely find myself in a yakotiri joint, like Shinsengumi in Monterey Park, where appetizers like fried oysters and tofu salad, as well as meats and vegetables on the skewers come in small, edible bite size. Seriously, how cute and romantic is it to share a plate of toriniku (white chicken meat), negima (chicken and green onion), tsukune (ground chicken meatballs), and perhaps some jalapeno skewers with your date? And there would be no embarrassment of  food cut too large, or pieces flying all over the place.  Sure, izakaya and yakitori restaurants may not be the first choice for your first date, and you might also risk stinking up your fancy wardrobe from the charcoal smoke from the grill but who cares when you’re having fun by actually being able to eat on the date!

In addition to the traditional yakitori selection, this location of Shinsengumi offers shabu shabu and other colorful array of delicious one-plate dishes. One of my favorite dishes here is ochazuke, flavorful dashi broth poured on top of white rice, which provides a great finish to a wonderful izakaya-style dinner.

It’s funny to think how nervous and embarrassed I was to eat in front of a guy back then, but after I left the restaurant leaving my food virtually untouched, I promised myself that I would never let my nerve get in the way of a perfectly fine piece of steak (or any food) ever again! Even after 15 years, I still think about that filet mignon and weep!  And so far, I’ve been good with the promise (except for that one time with my beau … but that’s for another time).

Shinsengumi
111 N. Atlantic Blvd., Monterey Park, CA 91754
★★★★☆

ゆうべ、「居酒屋新鮮組」へおすしを食べに行きました。

この店では、５時から７時までおすしが百円です。

焼き鳥やじゃがバターを食べて、冷たくて美味しいビールも飲んだ。

この店のおすしは新鮮で、とてもうまいです。

Gintama’s Toshiro Hijikata based on Toshizō Hijikata

Toshiro Hijikata

Hijikata has a reputation as a fearsome leader, earning the nickname of “demonic vice-commander” (鬼の副長). He is also hot-tempered and often speaks of seppuku.[16] However, despite his cold exterior, he does have a more compassionate side. He also has a tendency to cry after watching movies that aren’t particularly emotional, such as crying during “Alien Vs. Yakuza” and “My Neighbor Pedoro”.

Hijikata carries a sword that is cursed with the spirit of a hikkikomori otaku whom was murdered by his frustrated mother. The sword has caused Hijikata to act like an otaku, and made him behave in strange and cowardly ways.

Rekijo, History Fad and a New Political Trend

But some social observers also say the trend reflects a deeper yearning for potent leaders in a country fatigued by recession and uninspired by a bland political system dominated by two centrist mainstream parties.

In testing times like these, “people tend to turn to strong symbolic figures on whom they can project their ideals,” said Hideki Nakagawa, a Nihon University sociology professor and an expert on pop culture.

Samurais as ideal leaders

“The warlords were different from the cold-eyed, dispassionate Japanese men of today,” he said. “They stood out because of their strong personalities.”

In a store dedicated to samurai books and paraphernalia, a 17-year-old female fan agreed wholeheartedly, gushing that the “warlords sacrificed themselves for justice and to protect the people.“

In testing times, samurai craze sweeps Japan, AFP, Aug 28, 2009‎

See Also : Rekijo and the Ideal Males, and Ikemen Rice ~ A New Taste for History

SHINSENGUMI @ WIKIPEDIA!!

Yes I tell you! I know nothing about Japanese history, and I though Shinsengumi were something the mangaka of Gintama made up xD

Here I don’t really care about reading the ‘history’ of Shinsengumi. But the thing that catched my attention is…

THE NAME LIST HERE!!

First I did ctrl + w, but right before the page shuts down, I spotted the name “Kondo”. Then re-opening that page (using history tab), I totally laughed out loud!! xDDD

So… The Shinsengumi charas actually are like… make-over from historical person?! xD

Names that I recognizes;

[Historical person - Gintama character]
Nagakura Shinpachi – Shimura Shinpachi
Kondo Isami – Kondo Isao
Hijikata Toshizō – Hijikata Toshiro
Okita Sōji – Okita Sougo

Omg I’m so laughing!! xDD Especially Kondo, Hijikata and Okita! Their name is like SOOOOOOO close from historical persons. Hijikata and Okita xDD -Grins-

I bet Elisa knew about this already. I’m just overly surprised of what I found out xD I’m laughing!! I’m laughing!!!! xDDD

“When the Last Sword is Drawn,” also known by the original Japanese title Mibu gishiden (壬生義士伝), is now showing on Hulu.com. I don’t know if they leave things up there for only a limited time, but I would strongly recommend seeing it.

When Hulu first came out, I was terribly irked by it, primarily because it isn’t available outside the US, thus completely defeating the purpose of being a source of Daily Show, Colbert Report, LOST, etc for me in Japan; if I’d been in the US, I’d have just watched these shows on TV. It was because I was in Japan that I needed an online source, legal or otherwise, to watch them, and Hulu was failing to be that source.

But, I must say, I am extremely impressed with their choice to host a film like “When the Last Sword is Drawn.” For once, something so mainstream is helping to make available – legally, and better yet, for free – a deep, artistic, beautiful foreign film that, admittedly, appeals primarily to a niche audience.

I’m not a Shinsengumi nut; I’m not one of those people obsessed with the intrigues, skirmishes, and battles of the bakumatsu era, nor one particularly knowledgeable about them.

But this film played out beautifully. It centers on a member of the Shinsengumi, Yoshimura Kan’ichirō, and through this covers many major incidents and events as well as featuring other major Shinsengumi figures such as Kondō Isami and Saitō Hajime. Though scenes jump around in chronology, showing Yoshimura before and after he joins the Shinsengumi, without overt indications of flashback, it is quite easy to follow and, I think, is a major element in what raises this film above the average, above the typical.

The costumes, props, sets, makeup are all phenomenal, and the music by Joe Hisaishi is so perfect as a film score, you hardly notice it, which is a good thing; rather than stealing the scene, ever, the music blends in perfectly with the emotion and mood of each moment.

I hesitate to say too much, for fear of revealing spoilers, but I will say that it depicts quite convincingly the trends of this period, and really helps bring to the fore how incredibly quickly things changed, and by how much. The Shinsengumi was formed to help defend the shogunate against conspiracy and plotting by rebels; but, once the anti-shogunate forces of Satsuma and Chōshū take Kyoto, almost overnight, it is the Shinsengumi who become the rebels. The film is framed by events in 1899, when two former samurai with close connections to Yoshimura meet, perhaps for the first time. It is incredible to realize just how different life was in Japan in 1867 and 1899, and to realize that there were a great many people in 1899 Japan, people with jobs as lawyers, doctors and businessmen, wearing Western clothes and living a rather Westernized life, who had previously been samurai, and not only that, but politically prominent or historically significant samurai. It must have seemed to them at that time to have been a previous life, a totally different world; certainly it seems so to us today.

I watch very few jidaigeki (samurai films, lit. “period plays”), but when I do, more often than not, I love them. While I have yet to truly “get into” jidaigeki, so to speak, and there are a gazillion “classics” of that genre that I’ve yet to see, I can really appreciate the draw, and I hope to find time to see more soon. This film in particular was highly recommended to me, and I am glad for it. I hope that Hulu continues to make available such incredible quality of programming.

Originally published at Oshare Curry. You can comment here or there.

This is just roy­ally odd, i’ve checked out strapya.com and a few other places to find out HELLO KITTY comes in var­i­ous weird def­i­n­i­tions… SAMURAI KITTY … Whoa this is just, it’s new to me

’

Here we have pink samu­rai kitty .. it’s a won­der how japan is fem­i­niz­ing the samu­rai

Var­i­ous forms of hello kitty, includ­ing samurai-style!

Explains it all… really?

Ho boy.. teach your kids to eat sushi with a CAT ON IT! (Obvi­ously not real sushi lol)

So yes, today’s les­son in visual asian cul­ture is:  Scar your chil­dren into eat­ing sushi, while your cell­phone has a kitty sushi charm on it?  (Aka: Buy lots of cute hello kitty things for par­ents like mine, who can’t stand anime or jrock etc.. and they’re happy XD mom loves hello kitty!)

yes, monday we had a day off

そうなんです、月曜日はお休みでした

went toMarukai to have a lunch with Kana-chan. here at Shinsengumi.

マルカイに行ってカナちゃんとお昼食ってましたぁ。新撰組へ。

see those gyozas on the right? mang they were cold!! wtf mang. how come it wasnt heated? the microwaves were broken or something? shiet. they even wroted on the menu “PANFRIED DUMPLINGS”.

右の餃子が目に見えますでしょうか？スンゲー冷めてたんだけど！！どうなってるわけよ。なんで温まってなかったの？電子レンジでも壊れてたのか？ったくよぉ。メニューにも書いてあったんだよ「PANFRIED SUMPLINGS」って。

after eating that cold gyoza, i went to Signal to get my differential oils change.

あの冷めた餃子を食った後はシグナルへデフオイルの交換へ。

for all OS Giken LSD users, dont use Mobile 1 oils. they dont match and will make noises. OS does have differential oils at 80W250. let me know if you want them

ＯＳ技デユーザーの皆さん、モービル１のオイルはお勧めしません。オイル合わないし異音が出ます。ＯＳでは専用のデフオイルもあります。80Ｗ250っていう。誰か必要な人居たら連絡下さいまし

gotta call from Kana-chan to ride along to IKEA, so i did.

カナちゃんから電話があって、一緒にＩＫＥＡ行こうとの事。ってなわけで行ったよ。

we went to go get some seats for her nail salon which is the above, and was sold out we went to IKEA just for their frozen yogurt?? fail… hahahah

彼女のネイルサロンのためのイスを買いに。上のヤツなんだけど、売り切れでした 　ＩＫＥＡ何しに行ったかってフローズンヨグルト食いに行っただけ？？やっちまったなぁー…ｗｗ

that night was a meeting the Reiko and Yuki at Tea Station.

その夜はティーステでレイコちゃんとユキとミーティングでしたねん。

Reiko deciding on the pics for to use on her business card.

レイコちゃんが自分の名刺で使う写真を選んでます。

my good old buddy Yuki is working on the photo-chopp’n process.

昔っからの大親友のユキがフォトチョップで色々と作業中。

and look what i got.

見てみてこんなん頼んじゃった。

huge lol

デカッ（笑

Hơi muộn. Giờ mới nhớ ra để chuyển từ 360 về. )

Tuesday June 19, 2007 – 10:31pm

Ngày 20/6/1869, Hijikata Toshizou đã hi sinh tại Trận chiến Hakodate.

On June 20th, 1869, Hijikata Toshizou died at Battle of Hakodate.

Shinsengumi Main Theme NHK 2004:

Itoshiki tomo wa izukoni
Kono mi wa tsuyu to kietemo
Wasure wa senu atsuki omoi
Makoto no na ni tsunoishi
Tooi hi o ano hata ni takushita
Yume o…

My friend is somewhere off to an unknown place
And even if I myself disapear through the mist
I will not forget my dream
I will not forget the words “Makoto”
I will not forget the olden days
Where I wished upon that flag…

Bạn bè ta phiêu bạt những phương trời xa lạ
Thậm chí nếu cả bản thân ta cũng bị sương mù che phủ
Ta cũng sẽ không bao giờ quên đeo đuổi giấc mơ
Không bao giờ quên chữ “Thành”
Không bao giờ quên những ngày xưa
Khi ta ước nguyện dưới lá cờ…

Giải thích về Bottom của theme – Explaination of theme’s bottom:

Đây là hai chiến tuyến đối lập thời Bakumatsu – phe Phản Mạc và phe Tá Mạc. Xét từ trên xuống dưới, từ trái sang phải, ta có:

Below is two contrary fighting-lines in Bakumatsu period – anti-Shogunate and pro-Shogunate. From above to below, from left to right:

1. Nhật hoàng Iwakura Tonomi – Mikado Iwakura Tonomi

* Nhóm Phản Mạc – anti-Shogunate

2. Phái Tosa (Tosa Loyalist Party):
- Okada Izo
- Iwasaki Yataro
- Takechi Zuiza (lãnh đạo Phái Tosa – Tosa’s leader)
- Nakaoka Shintaro
- Itagaki Taisuke

Nhóm này ban đầu bao gồm cả Sakamoto Ryoma, nhưng sau đó ông rời khỏi nhóm và trở thành người trung gian kết nối Satsuma và Choushu.

At first this group included Sakamoto Ryoma, but then he left and became a middle-man connecting Satsuma and Choushu.

3. Phái Satsuma (Satsuma)
- Shimazu Hisamitsu
- Tougou Heihachirou
- Ookubo Toshimichi
- Saigou Takamori (lãnh đạo Phái Satsuma – Satsuma’s leader)

4. Phái Choushu (Choushu):
- Kusaka Touma
- Katsura Kogoro (lãnh đạo Phái Choshu – Choushu’s leader)
- Ito Hirobumi
- Takasugi Shinsaku
- Murata Seifu

* Nhóm Tá Mạc – pro-Shogunate:

5. Mạc Phủ – Tokugawa
- Tokugawa thứ 14 (the 14th Tokugawa) – Tokugawa Iemochi
- Tokugawa thứ 15 (the 15th Tokugawa) – Tokugawa Yoshinobu
- Katsu Kaishuu
- Matsudaira – trong đó Matsudaira Katamori của phiên Aizu là người trực tiếp chỉ huy nhóm Shinsengumi (mà Hijikata Toshizou là Phó cục trưởng).
Matsudaira clan – in there, Aizu branch’s Matsudaira Katamori was in direct lead Shinsengumi (Hijikata Toshizou is Vice Commander – Fukuchou)

6. Nhóm Shinsen – Shinsengumi (New Age Group)
- Hijikata Toshizou: Phó cục trưởng của Shinsengumi, người ta thường gọi ông là Phó cục trưởng Ma quỷ – Shinsengumi’s Vice Commander – Fukuchou, they usually call him “Demon Vice-Commander – Oni-Fukuchou”
- Okita Souji: Đội trưởng đội 1 – Captain of the first party
- Kondou Isami: Cục trưởng – Commander – Kyokuchou

Về hai bức tranh chìm – About two sunk pictures:

1. Bức phía trên, ở chính giữa là hình chụp Hijikata Toshizou, ông đã nhờ Ichimura Tetsunosuke mang về cho anh rể là Satou Hikogorou trước khi khởi quân tại Hakodate. Những thứ được Ichimura mang về là: một bài thơ tử, kiếm của Hijikata, một bức thư, ảnh và lọn tóc.

The upper one, in the middle is Hijikata Toshizou’s picture. Hijikata asked Ichimura Tetsunosuke to give it to his brother-in-law – Satou Hikogorou before battling in Hakodate. Things taken away by Ichimura were: a death poem, Hijikata’s katana, a letter, a photograph of Hijikata, and several strands of Hijikata’s hair.

Có người đã hỏi tôi rằng: “Tôi cứ nghĩ ông ấy chiến đấu trên lưng ngựa cơ.” Giả thiết về việc Hijikata không-chiến-đấu-trên-lưng-ngựa được giải thích trong Shinsengumi của đài NHK là: ban đầu ông đi ngựa, nhưng đã bị quân Phản Mạc bắn lén, bị ngã ngựa, nhưng sau đó đã cố gượng dậy, giết rất nhiều binh sĩ địch và làm thủ lĩnh của chúng sợ xanh mắt mèo, rồi mới chịu nhắm mắt.

Lúc đó tôi đã nghĩ: “Gọi Hijikata là Quỷ quả cũng không sai. Ông sở hữu một sức mạnh mà có lẽ chỉ Quỷ thần mới có.”

The lower one is a paint named Battle of Hakodate (1869), was painted in 1880. And, the Samurai in yellow garment at the right corner is Hijikata Toshizou.

Someone asked me: “I think that he was combatting on horseback.” The supposition about the fact that Hijikata was-not-combatting-on-horseback was explained in NHK’s Shinsengumi: at first he rode a horse, but he was shot behind his back by anti-Shogunate’s army, and fell down. But then he tried to pick himself up, killed many enemies and made their leader be white with fear, before accepting the death.

At that time, I thought: “No wonder why Hijikata’s called Demon. He owned a strength that only Demon lord has.”

Thông tin thêm về bức tranh và Trận chiến Hakodate xin xem tại đây:
More informations about the picture above and Battle of Hakodate
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Hakodate

Thông tin về Hijikata Toshizou xin xem tại đây:
More informations about Hijikata Toshizou:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toshizou_Hijikata

Sau đây tôi chỉ lược dịch một số đoạn tôi cho là cần thiết.
Below is some passages that I think they’re important.

- Tên Hán tự (Name in Kanji): 土方歳三
- Năm sinh – Năm mất (DoB – DoD): 31/5/1835 – 20/6/1869
- Nơi sinh (Birthplace): Hino – ngoại ô Tokyo, Nhật Bản
Hino – a suburb of Tokyo, Japan

“Ông biết mình sẽ thua trận, và đã nói với y sĩ Matsumoto Ryoujun rằng: “Tôi chiến đấu không phải để thắng. Chính quyền Mạc Phủ đang sụp đổ, và thật nhục nhã nếu không ai muốn theo chân họ. Đó là lý do tôi buộc phải ra đi. Tôi sẽ đánh một trận hào hùng nhất đời mình, để chết cho đất nước.”

Vào ngày 20/6/1869 (lịch âm là 11/5), ông bị giết gần Hakodate, khi đang chiến đấu trên lưng ngựa, viên đạn đã xuyên qua phần lưng dưới của ông. Không ai biết ông được chôn ở đâu, nhưng một bia tưởng niệm đã được dựng lên gần ga Itabashi ở Tokyo, bên cạnh Kondou Isami.

Bài thơ tử được giao cho Ichimura Tetsunosuke ngay trước cái chết của Hijikata viết:

Dù thân xác này có mục nát ở đảo Ezo,
Linh hồn ta vẫn sẽ bảo vệ chủ nhân nơi Đông phương.”

“He knew he was fighting a losing battle, and told the physician Matsumoto Ryōjun that “I am not going to battle to win. With the Tokugawa government about to collapse, it would be a disgrace if no one is willing to go down with it. That is why I must go. I will fight the best battle of my life to die for the country“

On June 20 (lunar calendar May 11), 1869, he was killed near Hakodate, while in combat on horseback by a bullet that shattered his lower back. It is unknown where he was buried, but a memorial gravestone stands near Itabashi Station in Tokyo, next to Kondo Isami

The death poem that was entrusted to Ichimura Tetsunosuke shortly before Hijikata’s death read:

Though my body may decay on the island of Ezo, My spirit guards my lord in the east.”

I’ve mentioned many times about Hijikata Toshizou’s biography and life, and there’re many informations in the internet, so, in this entry, I’ll only mention about some interesting informations concerning him.

Khi nói về Shinsengumi, một người bạn đã hỏi tôi rằng “Thời của Shinsengumi là giống thời trong phim The Last Samurai đúng không?”, sở dĩ cậu ta hỏi thế là vì tôi đã nói “Với sự hi sinh của Hijikata, thì thời đại của các Samurai đã kết thúc. Có thể nói ông là Samurai cuối cùng.”

Nhưng, câu trả lời là “Không”. Thời Meiji bắt đầu từ năm 1868; năm 1869 diễn ra Trận chiến Hakodate và Hijikata hi sinh, nhưng bộ phim này lại dựng về những năm 1876-1877, dựa trên Cuộc phiến loạn của Phái Satsuma do Saigou Takamori lãnh đạo. Và bản thân Saigou Takamori cũng là phiên bản đời thực của Katsumoto trong phim.

While talking about Shinsengumi, a friend of mine asked: “Shinsengumi’s period was the same period as in the film The Last Samurai, right?”. The reason why he asked this question is the fact that I said: “With Hijikata’s sacrifice, the age of Samurai came to an end. We can say that he’s the last Samurai.”

But, in order to solve the question, I’d like to say that the answer is “No”. Meiji period started from 1868; Battle of Hakodate took place in 1869 and Hijikata died the same year. But the film “The last Samurai” based on Satsuma’s Rebellion which was leaded by Saigou Takamori (1876-1877). And Saigou Takamori himself is the real-life version of Katsumoto.

Nobuhiro Watsuki – tác giả manga Rurouni Kenshin đã nhận xét về Hijikata: “Hijikata – chiến sĩ Shinsengumi, người đã giết chết những cảm xúc nông nổi của chính mình, người thể hiện như một quái vật, và khóc vào trong tim, người đã chôn tất cả sự mềm yếu của chính mình…”

Nobuhiro Watsuki – the author of the manga Rurouni Kenshin – commented on Hijikata’s personality: “Hijikata – Shinsengumi’s soldier, the man who killed his own superficial feelings, the man who showed himself as a monster, and cried into his heart, the man who buried all his weakness…”

Nhân tiện: Có một người lần đầu tiên nhìn thấy hình Hijikata đã nói với tôi: “Ông này trông giống Beethoven thế.” =)) Phải nói là, không những ngoại hình, mà tính cách của hai người này cũng khá giống nhau! Thật thú vị!!

Incidentally: at the first time seeing Hijikata’s picture, a person said to me: “This man looks a lot like Beethoven.” =)) I must say that, not only appearance, but also personality that they have the same! How interesting!!

Tài liệu tham khảo – Documents for reference:

Tiểu sử một số nhân vật có ảnh hưởng tới Sakamoto Ryoma:
Mini bios of other influential people in the Ryoma story:
http://forums.samurai-archives.com/viewtopic.php?p=20156&sid=2a0a8d7d90bcd968…

Shinsengumi Matsuri:

Tokyo Jidai Matsuri (trong đó có Shinsengumi) – Ảnh:
Tokyo Jidai Matsuri (including Shinsengumi) – Photos:
http://photoguide.jp/pix/thumbnails.php?album=160

Thông tin:
Informations:
http://www.shinsenhino.com/shinsengumi/
http://forums.samurai-archives.com/viewtopic.php?t=177

Ảnh – Photos:
http://hinojyukuhonjin-kentoukai.blog.drecom.jp/archive/398

YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgA79Nr_fzM&NR=1

[Nhạc music box Mai gửi]

Thánh thót như tiếng mưa rơi vào vũng nước trước hiên nhà.

Một mảnh vải xanh lá hành, vải Shinsen, ở tận dưới đáy túi sau của chiếc quần cộc hồi xưa hay mặc đi tập kendo. Hồi đó cắt ra để đem so, mua thêm vải. Đến giờ tự nhiên sờ vào mới biết nó vẫn còn đó. Gần 1 năm rồi còn gì?

Giờ thì nó vô dụng rồi… Nhưng mình không muốn vứt nó đi…

Xong nhiệm vụ, đi lượn đường. Mát nhưng mà bụi. Trời són được vài hạt mưa cũng chẳng đủ làm cái không khí oi bức này giảm bớt. Tự dưng nghĩ phải qua Feeling Tea mua trà cho chị. Chị mình đang ốm. Nhân tiện mua thêm một cốc nữa…

Mình đúng là rỗi hơi mà. ) Nhưng mấy khi được rỗi hơi thế này đâu, kệ đi.

[Nhạc chuông anh Hải bắn cho]

Cái lúc trời xầm xì nhất, sấm chớp đì đùng, thì nó cứ “Mờ úuuu~ Mờ ú~ mờ ú~ Tành tành tanh tanh tanh tanh I’m a cow, can’t you see that I live in the country. Mờ úuuu~ I’m a cow”. Đến hãi!! ( Tự dưng cái điện thoại phát ra tiếng kêu rõ kinh, cứ mờ ú mờ ú, nghe rên rỉ như ma í. ( Tởm! Kiểu này mà thằng nào gọi điện lúc đêm mình đang ngủ chắc bật dậy đập mặt vào tường mất. :-SS

Ôi, chúng ta để series nhạc chuông bò đi! XD

Gintama X Speed Grapher

una idol mas XD , un poco de imagenes categoria B (algun dia explicaremos que son las categorias XD ) por mientras disfruten de esta hermosa mujer XD pronto con mas doujins para ustedes n.n.

PASSWORD PARA DESCOMPRIMIR :http://japanishentai.wordpress.com/

HASTA OTRA !!

Bakumatsu zankoku monogatari / A Cruel Tale at the End of the Tokugawa Era

Time to play spot the chambara regular

Director: Kato Tai
Writers: Kunihiro Takeo
Date: 1964

Genre: Chambara
Description: Shinsengumi, honor and justice, revenge, cruelty, true purpose of the Shinsengumi, murders, death, revisionist history?

Cast: Okawa Hashizo, Nishimura Ko, Otomo Ryutaro, Uchida Ryohei, Kimura Isao, Nakamura Takeya, Kawarazaki Choichiro, Fuji Junko

Crew of note:

Runtime: 99 mins.
Color: Black and White
Trivia:

summary
This is a movie set in the ranks of the Shinsengumi, and you’d benefit more from researching about them a bit, since there are a lot of good movies based on them. In this one, a cowardly man with no skills with a sword begs his way into the Shinsengumi with raw manly balls. Taking every opportunity he can get, he soon becomes the troop’s semi-official head-chopper, executing newbies and veteran offenders alike. Some members become jealous though; they deride him for his dastardly work. Even his new girlfriend, one of the clan’s nurses/attendants, begins to doubt the kindness she saw in him in the beginning.

review
No frills here. No complex metaphors, vast political statements, heavy handed sentiments. This movie is about the Shinsengumi, the cruelty in their laws, and what happens to a man thrown into this mess. That’s it. And it’s fantastic.

The storytelling is strong, unrelenting, full of details but always with the purpose of moving the film forward while exploring its characters to reveal just about enough. It assumes you know at least a little about the history behind these events, however, and no longer wastes time in explaining everything. Though the story follows history and Shinsengumi lore for the most part, there is still room for great twists, told from a unique perspective.

What is most enjoyable about this film, however, is the chaos and bloodshed. Set pieces are meticulously planned. Each frame is full of action, and many of the best moments of action are taken in long, striding shots. Kato uses every bit of the black and white screen, and gives us some of the most brutal, bloody, and awesome scenes from 60s chambara. The most critical moments are also punctuated by a soft, subtle soundtrack, heightening the experience but never trying to steal the show. This is one of those movies that makes you wish you were born a samurai, despite all the crap these people had to deal with. Awesome.

conclusion
I’ve got no complaints about this film. Even though it doesn’t have many philosophical implications, even though it doesn’t have much to say about the human condition, even though it’s just a story about a group of men in a time of turmoil, everything works. One of the best Shinsengumi tales, and a great chambara. Not quite a classic, but you can hardly find many better.

things to take note of
I really want to know who plays Okita Soji. He looks interesting.
This isn’t exactly a very deep film, so just watch the swordplay
Fuji Junko, legendary yakuza hottie, in an early role

best moment
Everytime there’s a fight, and set pieces with fights
The last scenes, of course!

why you should watch this
I love seeing chambara regulars in small roles (Nishimura, Kimura, Uchida)
Lives up to its name as a cruel and brutal tale of the Shinsengumi
Some of the best choreographed fight scenes in chambara

rating: 8.5

scorecard
Plot: B
Cast: B
Cinematography: B+
Music: B
Entertainment: A

similar movies, maybe:
Other Shinsengumi movies:
Okita Soji, directed by Deme Masanobu
Mibu gishi den / When the Last Sword is Drawn, directed by Takita Yojiro
Shinsengumi shimatsuki / Shinsengumi Chronicles, directed by Misumi Kenji
Ansatsu / Assassination, directed by Shinoda Masahiro
Shinsengumi / Band of Assassins, directed by Sawashima Tadashi

Gohatto / Taboo

The least gay cover makes little sense, strangely

Director: Oshima Nagisa
Writers: Shiba Ryotaro, Oshima Nagisa
Date: 1999

Genre: Chambara
Description: Bushido, samurai code of laws, violence, homosexuality between samurai, whodunnit!

Cast: Kitano Takeshi, Asano Tadanobu, Matsuda Ryuhei, Takeda Shinji, Sai Yoichi, Sato Kei, Terajima Susumu

Crew of note: Music by Sakamoto Ryuichi

Runtime: 100 mins.
Color: Color
Trivia: Last film by Oshima

summary
Kano joins the Shinsengumi, a militant group during the end of the Tokugawa Era, and apparently, he’s a hot piece of ass. A couple of dudes start trying to pick him up, and soon, they start getting chopped to bits. Suspicions arise as to the identity of the killer, but nothing is certain. Except that I’d rather go for Asano than Matsuda any day of the week (that’s our little secret).

review
This film is not about homosexuality. Yes, it’s part of the movie, but it isn’t the point. Homosexuality between some samurai was not entirely uncommon during this day, and the characters in this film (Kondo and Hijikata in particular) even poke fun at it. If it is accepted and even openly talked about, how can it possibly be a taboo?

Well, it isn’t, and the English title tries to take advantage of the homosexuality to make it the drawing-factor of this film. A good marketing ploy, sure, but it distorts what the film is truly about. The original title, “Gohatto”, translates to something more akin to “laws” or “code of conduct”, which, by the way, doesn’t include anything about homosexuality. Keep that in mind while watching, and take note of the Shinsengumi’s laws (and bushido in general).

Oshima is never just about sexuality and the physical manifestations of desire. That is only the surface. He delves deeper, focusing on true motives, the source of desire, the nature of desire, and our inner animal. This film is no different; it is Oshima’s work, through and through. In Kano, we have that inner animal, desire unrestrained by inhibition or morality. We watch to understand. But can we?

The film being a tad boring at times, doesn’t help. Those squeamish about homosexual relations will find some parts off putting too. The pictures are beautiful though, especially in the dark, and Sakamoto is brilliant. Yet I was left scratching my head after this one; I knew whodunnit, but that still didn’t seem enough for me to understand everything that had just happened.

conclusion
This is a twisted, twisted movie, both in the execution of its narrative and its themes. It will keep you guessing from the start, and even when things are revealed, it will still leave you baffled. Does anyone really understand desire? What do we desire, really? Did I even understand everything about Kano at all? Hijikata seems like the only dude I’d want to have a beer with by the way.

A caveat: this film might not be as deep and complex as I’d like to think it is. But, it also isn’t just an exploitative homosexuality film.

things to take note of
The Japanese title
That wonderful score by Sakamoto
Pay attention or you won’t understand a damn thing, even when you know what happened
Shots in the dark, where things come alive

best moment
Kitano + sakura tree
Mild jokes about the homosexuality (no it isn’t insensitive)

why you should watch this
This is Oshima’s last movie
Kitano plays a wry, witty, and unique Hijikata Toshizo (usually depicted as grumpy and ruthless)
Whodunnits with samurai are uncommon
Shinsengumi movies are always interesting

rating: 8: a strong movie with a false reputation. It might have more meaning, it might have less. I’m not sure?

scorecard
Plot: B
Cast: B+
Cinematography: B
Music: A
Entertainment: C+

similar movies, maybe:
Dai-bosatsu toge / Sword of Doom (yes, really), directed by Okamoto Kihachi

Fest gần nhất chúng ta có thể tham gia có lẽ sẽ là Acctive Expo – tháng 9, do KĐ fest đã bị hủy. Lần này chủ yếu sẽ là cos tự do, vì chúng ta sẽ không có nhiều thời gian chuẩn bị kịch (mịe cha, bảo đóng kịch xem, các bạn lại chả biến nó thành thể loại kịch hài và biến thái đến mức chỉ biết đứng cười chứ không đóng nổi :-w), nhưng nếu chỉ mặc đồ đến lễ hội chơi thì nhàm quá, tớ đề nghị Shinsen nhảy Yosakoi!! XD

Vâng, mặc đồng phục Shinsen nhảy Yosakoi! Lần này chúng ta sẽ không mang kiếm. Bài múa phù hợp có lẽ là Basara, vui nhộn và hợp với cả hakama lẫn yukata.

Cuối tuần này HSY sẽ tập Basara, vì vậy đề nghị những ai đang rảnh đến tập cùng. XD Kita và Sei đang thi sẽ đào tạo sau. Thời gian từ 1h-3h thứ 7, CN tại số nhà 60 ngõ 221 Tôn Đức Thắng.

Còn đây là clip Basara:

Thay vì hô Basara, chúng ta sẽ hô Shinsengumi. =))

took out the flannel since it was soooooo hot in California past sunday.

ネルシャツはめっちゃくちゃカリフォルニアは暑かったため、脱ぎました。

where to? Long Beach Antique Flea Market to pick up some vintage boots with Kana-chan.

何処へ？カナちゃんとビンテージなブーツを探しににロングビーチのアンティーク・フリマへ。

a lot more vendors compared to last month.

ベンダーさんも先月に比べて結構来てたよ。

that night, Kana-chan and I went to Shinsengumi on Artesia Blvd with Yushi & Shiho-chan.

その夜はカナちゃんと俺と、ユーシとシホ姉とアーテジア沿いの新撰組へ。

sorry forgot to take the pics… lol who would want to see the hot pot lol

ゴメン写真撮り忘れてた…ｗ。誰がただの鍋の写真を見たいんだよ（笑

Shinsengumi Shabu Shabu/Hormon

1695 W. Artesia Blvd.

Gardena, CA 90247

310.532.728

www.shinsengumigroup.com

dude, sunday was sooo hot!! and today is sooo hot too… so California right now.

マジで、日曜は超っつかクソ暑かったってば！！今日もめっちゃ暑い…かなりのカリフォルニアなこの頃。

Харада Саносукэ (Harada Sanosuke, 原田 左之助; годы жизни: 1840 – 6-е июля 1868 гг.) был самураем, жившим в конце эпохи Эдо. Харада был 10-м командиром Синсэнгуми (Shinsengumi) и погиб во время войны Босин.

The year 2008 was pretty awesome for me. After everything was said and done, I was left standing on my favorite sanctuary. My highlights? Well, in no particular order, here they are:

• I had time to write a lot of things, enough for an anthology even.
• I got some exposure thanks to Writerscafe and deviantART, which lead to:
• Meeting awesome friends from far off cities and countries, and…
• Getting amazing writing jobs and experiences from Mel Villanueva and the Level Up! Multimedia Team
• as well as with Pepe Diokno, J Vincent Sarabia Ong and the Supreme Family, and even with Ms. Patricia Laurel and the Artinsite Magazine…. etc.
• I also entered NaNoWriMo for the first time and even though I didn’t make the cut, it was an awesome experience.
• I met a host of new friends like Nino, Xynvi, Lerry, Randall, Hannie Cherry, Marelyn, Eugene, Arvin…
• As well as cool girls/friends like Bea, Cheyenne and that one girl I keep forgetting her name.
• I had a blast with Irish, Mark, Darleen, Louis, Haz and the rest of the org members.
• Epic future superstars like Hannah De Vera, Jenkaye Alexa and Mica Anunciacion for friends were epic.
• Epic NaNoWriMo friends were epic.
• Epic Writerscafe and deviantART friends were epic.
• Epic Chinese and Korean friends (you know who you guys are. XD) were epic.
• Artinsite Magazine = Amazing 2009 to look forward to
• MYLC (Magsaysay Youth Leadership Conference) was also grand and amazing, albeit I almost died on the obstacle course.
• Grand Chase and Shinsengumi were a lot of fun.
• Revisited Rakkyo, Deathnote and watched Soul Eater
• Jayne Orlina. Need I say anything more?

Plus, I think I now know what I really want in life. I mean, I’ve known what I want since 2006/2007 but this time, I’m pretty sure it’s what I want. So enough of the hypocrisy and the masks. It’s the New Year. I’m thankful for a lot of things and I’m grateful for the Main Man for giving me all those things and more. It was deeply appreciated and I’ll gladly do all those crazy things (*cough*) again and again.

Apparently Kurozuka doesn’t care about maintaining chronological continuity absolutely perfectly, but it doesn’t mean you can hate on it for doing so.

Episode 02 - 「因縁塚」 The Tomb of Karma

So at the end of the previous episode we had Kuro dying of his injuries suffered in his attempt to protect Kuromitsu from a sneak attack team of baddies that were tipped off by the traitorous manservant monk Benkei. Instead of seeing what Kuro’s response would be to Kuromitsu’s offer of immortality via vampirism, and yeah, as if we really needed to know what his answer was (duh), we get to see some poor Tosa samurai scmuck get his butt handed to him by a rather unsavory looking swordsman (who looks pretty familiar).

If you give him a monk's robe and...

Even though the guy fights with only his sword arm (too badass to use both), he apparently doesn’t have trouble taking care of business. Judging from the remarks made over whether the capital should be called Edo or Tokyo, Kurozuka’s fast forwarded some seven centuries to the 1860s: the Bakumatsu is in full swing and the Tokugawa shogunate is on its last legs.

Looking like he doesn't care? Blood on his face? Yep, total badass.

Yeah, that's right, he spat a blood loogie into that dude's eye.

After he gets done pilfering the corpses for some coin, the swordsman notices a couple walking towards him across a nearby bridge. Both of them are taken aback at the massacre before them and recoil once they see the killer before them, blood still fresh on his clothes. Being true to his psycho killer mentality, the swordsman chases the couple down the bridge from whence they came. In no time he manages to take the head of the young man and then proceeds to hack up the young woman as well. Yet before he can so much as kneel down to rob the bodies blind, the swordsman is driven away by the presence of several Shinsengumi, shogunate police forces.

Happy days.

Party's over.

Our charming killer buddy’s made it out to the woods and finds himself ducking into an apparently abandoned house in the woods (lol, pretty familiar). Suddenly he jumps to a woman’s voice that suddenly calls out to him from behind; it’s Kuromitsu.

Here we go again.

Seeing her as just a normal woman, the swordsman introduces himself as Izou Okada and then proceeds to crassly order Kuromitsu to serve him food. A historical note of importance here is that Izou Okada was a real swordsman famous for being one of the greatest assassins in this period of Japanese history. If you’ve seen other shows based around the events of the Bakumatsu you’ve probably seen other adaptations of this guy: Jin-E Udou in Rurouni Kenshin and Nizo Okada in Gintama.

Kuromitsu plays along and complies with Izou’s demands, but her nonchalant acceptance of the situation rouses the assassin’s suspicions. However since she seems to be nothing more than just a mere woman, Izou goes ahead and silently plans to just kill her and take the goods. And it’s at this point that Kuromitsu kindly asks him not to go around peeking in her bedchamber in a manner very much like how she showed to Kuro and Benkei all those centuries ago.

Just as keikaku.

Yet for some reason Izou can’t focus on what Kuromitsu’s saying; it appears as if he’s been slipped a nighty-night drug in his stew. He wakes up in the middle of the night on the floor with the cooking fire doused and in near total darkness. Amazingly Izou finds his sword and proceeds to scout out Kuromitsu’s house, and as luck would have it he finds himself just outside her bed chamber.

Anything's better than watching blood drain from a dude hanging upside-down, right?

This time Kuromitsu doesn’t have one of her boyfriends hanging from the cieling though. Instead she’s running a blade in front of a whetstone… IN FRONT OF A TALKING SEVERED HEAD.

DAMN IT.

So yeah, Kuro’s seen better days and Izou’s quite understandably freaked the hell out. To top it all off, he overhears the couple talk plan his demise in retribution for the attack on the bridge. Then, again with impeccable dramatic timing, Kuromitsu tosses Izou the stink eye through the slit in the doorway. Game over.

Kuromitsu's that RPG story boss you can't defeat because of plot armor.

The episode then shifts to another location with the masked Onmyouji from last episode suddenly speaking to Izou… who is hanging from the cieling in what appears to be some kind of ornate hallway. The masked man questions Izou about his true identity and surprisingly the assassin comes to the realization that he’s actually Benkei! But before we can get more details, he’s willed by the Onmyouji to another area of the strange dimension, perhaps the eponymous Tomb of Karma, to reveal that… he’s also Kuro? Wait, what?

lol, it's the Tomb of Karma.

It's the Tomb of Karma, lol.

The Onmyouji then confronts Kuro about the nature of his relationship with Kuromitsu. Kuro shows little of the reserved stoicism that characterized his appearance in the first episode and a huge amount of pure fanboyism for his new vampiric mistress. With that, the Onmyouji asks Kuro if he knows who he truly is; naturally he answers that he’s Kuro, but the masked man objects. Kuro/Benkei reverts back to the first area of the dimension and under the Benkei persona once more, though this time thoroughly confused and quite uncomfortable. The Onmyouji begins to give him/them his/their true name, but Kuro/Benkei decides that screaming out his frustrations is a better use of his time than shutting up and actually listening to the answer. The Benkei persona arrives to the area in which the Kuro persona was being questioned, but this time is greeted by the Onmyouji and two other associates as their leader…

Wait, aren't you supposed to be already dead/set to die in the past/future!?

We then return to the far past, back in the forest where Kuro sits up against a tree dying of his wounds. He’s accepted Kuromitsu’s proposal and has his blood sucked; he aptly describes the experience as pure euphoria.

That's hot.

Here, Kuromitsu recounts the time when she herself was vampirized by a rather lean blonde youth on a beach. Apparently in order to complete the process of turning into a vampire in Kurozuka requires the victim to partake in the blood of the vampire who sired him/her. Freaky, but whatever.

Blonde Kuro clone sires Kuromitsu who then sires his pseudo-reincarnation... right?

Anyway, after whispering sweet nothings to each other under the tree (man that dusty old thing’s been seeing a ton of action), Kuro’s head starts to drum out migraines like no other. It certainly would’ve helped if Kuromitsu put in a “BTW, if you suck blood, your head will hurt. Badly. For an hour straight.” because as Kuro’s writhing in pain, because a Kamakura hit squad’s on their way to wipe the both of them out. Sadly for Kuro he gets diced by an incoming overhead slice (man, I feel bad for this guy) and Kuromitsu’s stuck to the tree right through her gut. In their defense, the guy who did the dicing and stabbing seemed pretty inhuman himself.

"NOT AGAIN!"

"NOT AGAIN!"

Creepy Onmyouji man reveals their intentions to use her as their vehicle to immortality and proceeds to show her why he always wears a scary mask.

What's the point of wearing the mask then?

Not too happy at seeing his sweetheart having a sword moved around in her gut by a guy whose face looks like sloppy meatloaf, Kuro gets back up with his awesome power/steam aura and blank-yet-stone-cold killer eyes. Amazed at Kuro’s revival, the troop commander confirms my suspicions that Kuro’s actually Minamoto no Yoshitsune. Unfortunately for them, Kuro’s pretty freakin’ keen on his undying RAGE powers right from the get-go.

You wouldn't like him when he's angry...

Towering behemoth dude? Shoulder rammed to death. Another masked, ninja man? Throat crushed (lol, again). Goofy headband samurai-type? Torn in half at the waist. Nifty knife tossing fox mask guy? Head turned into a dartboard. Silly troop commander? Shat his pants; also sliced and diced.

...seriously, you REALLY wouldn't.

Having Kuromitsu’s blood running in your veins is a very good thing to have if you want to be a huge badass. And it’s on that thought that the creep-faced Onmyouji decides to jump in the bodily fluid hype, literally. However, the top of his head flies clear off its lower half thanks to a well-timed stroke from Benkei’s sword. Kuro’s understandably pleasantly surprised that his subordinate’s returned in a timely fashion and is told that the delay was caused by the monk having had to take an unscheduled detour to Hiraizumi on his errands (not sure how far away that is, since we don’t know where Kuromitsu’s been living at this time).

Just in the nick of time---

Anyway Benkei suggests to Kuro that the two of them get the hell out of the area. Kuromitsu agrees to help spirit them out of the forest when she notices a strange marking on Benkei’s hand. Her warning is too late as Benkei’s already figured his cover’s blown and promptly lops off off Kuro’s head. As the light fades from his upside-down vision, Kuro’s left to ponder why Benkei betrayed him… and if he’ll ever see Kuromitsu ever again… (lol we know that he does, but that’s beside the point).

---to get in the cheap shot that establishes him as a big villain.

Anyway, Kuro mysteriously awakens in the middle of the forest (head still attached) but with no sign of either Kuromitsu or Benkei. Somehow he’s picked up a new set of threads in the time he’s been passed out, but he pays it no mind as he attempts to get his bearings at the cliffside. However, he’s shocked to see that the vast expanse of woodland’s been replaced by the ocean flooded remains of a ruined modern age city…

The writing team must've had a nice big circle-jerk after storyboarding this one.

So this week’s episode was a giant bloodfest (surprise, surprise it’s a VAMPIRE show) and even managed to toss in some nice karmic bonds that’ll shape the relationship between Kuro, Kuromitsu, and Benkei across many more years to come. To me, Kuro’s still a giant ditz that really went on to confirm that he’s got nothing but a rocket in his pocket for Kuromitsu and nothing more (at the moment, anyway). I don’t really see why he’s going to spend the rest of his undying existence looking for the woman he’s lusting for just yet; that true love connection’s still gone unnoticed from my perspective. Kuromitsu is just as wily as ever, but it seems as if she can’t just quite make up her mind whether or not to be a frail damsel-in-distress that needs to be saved by immortality-hungry goons or a several-hundred year-old vampiress badass that can twist mere mortals into balloon animals. So far, it’s weak and tender 2, awesome blood-sucking witch 1.

Lastly there’s Benkei… he apparently doesn’t have the means to stay alive for as long as a vampire and looks to be reincarnating to keep run into Kuro and Kuromitsu. Still, if he’s going to be the main bad here, I wonder how the hell the Onmyouji and his lackeys managed to reach into the future to the mid-1800s and contact Izou/Benkei when they’ve been dead since the late 1100s… The Tomb of Karma, if that is the pocket dimension’s name, warrants further exploration since it’s really the clearest-cut case of magic at work here… but I wonder if we’ll ever see it again…

TO BE CONTINUED!

Code Geass: Tales of an Alternate Shogunate

Via Neore

Code Geass: Tales of an Alternate Shogunate

Set in an alternate history in 1853 Code Geass: Tales of an Alternate Shogunate ( 幕末異聞録 コードギアス 反逆のルルーシュ, Bakumatsu Ibunroku Code Geass Hangyaku no Lelouch) is the most recent adaptation.

Britannia’s Black Ships appear in the harbor of Uraga. Some years later, Lelouch Lamperouge (琉々朱・爛縁侍) — brother to a young blind girl named Nunnally (那奈離) — is the commander of the military counterinsurgence brigade known as the Shinsengumi, formed under the orders of the Shogunate to fight the Black Revolutionaries (黒の維新団, Kuro no Ishin Dan), a rebel group led by a mysterious masked individual known as Rei (零, lit. Zero). In fact, these two organizations are one and the same, and they seek to combat in influences of Britannia. Geass is the ability to call upon and summon the armored entities referred to as Knightmares (騎士銘亜); Lancelot (蘭須露斗) is one such Knightmare.

Shinsengumi

The Shinsengumi was a special police force in Kyoto, which was organized by the Bakufu during the Bakumatsu, the late shogunate period. The Shinsengumi’s greatest enemies were the imperialist-supporting ronin samurai of the Mori clan of Chōshū. The Ikedaya Affair of 1864, in which they prevented the burning of Kyoto, made the Shinsengumi famous overnight; they had a surge of recruits.Generally, the death of Hijikata Toshizō, in Republic of Ezo, on June 20, 1869 is seen as marking the end of the Shinsengumi.

The Republic of Ezo

The Republic of Ezo (蝦夷共和国) was a short-lived state formed by former Tokugawa retainers in what is now known as Hokkaidō, the northernmost, large but sparsely populated island in modern Japan.

On December 15, 1868, the independent “Republic of Ezo” was proclaimed, with a government organization based on that of the United States, with Enomoto elected as its first president (sosai). This was the first election ever held in Japan, where a feudal structure under an emperor with military warlords was the norm

Battle of Hakodate

The Battle of Hakodate

The Battle of Hakodate (函館戦争) was fought in Japan from 1868-10-20 to 1869-05-17, between the remnants of the Tokugawa shogunate army, consolidated into the armed forces of the rebel Ezo Republic, and the armies of the newly formed Imperial government. It was the last stage of the Boshin War, and occurred around Hakodate in the northern Japanese island of Hokkaidō.

During Japan’s 1800’s the samurai became dissatisfied with the shogun for opening their isolated nation to the Western Barbarians. Many rebelled and plotted to overthrow the shogun and restore their emperor to a seat of power. The shogun arranged a band of expert swordsmen to manage the revolution. Given the name, Shinsengumi (Newly Selected Corps), the brave men were commissioned to eliminate the unruly samurai and ronin, sanctioned to kill. The men lived for the moment, for their lives could end in an instant. Under stressful circumstances some of the men turned to one another for comfort, but how far did they venture from there into the realm of taboo? – A fascinating historical, gay, yaoi, erotic fiction for the adult reader 18+.

I’d like to introduce author and artist Kikue Mugen via a brief interview…

1) What inspired you to write the book?

I have to be honest in saying that this whole fiction-writing mission is a spiritual experience for me. Yes, I know that the story is seasoned with hot, spicy, physical bits, but underneath it all I am motivated by the spirit of the historical men who I am, more or less, called to proclaim. People ask me, “What’s in it for me?” My reply would be a simple one. If just one person finds interest through the Gojou Hajime story to investigate and learn about the history of these men, then my mission would be accomplished. The main character inspiration is definitely Saitou Hajime, but then again, that is another story in itself, for I have a list of reasons to explain my spiritual bond with that man.

2) Name the best sex scene in the work and explain what about it makes it so hot.

Hmmmm… Oh heavens, the story is filled with sex, so it is rather difficult for me to pick just one scene. I’d like to answer the question in a general way and encompass most all of the sex scenes together. I do believe, and I am told, that the sex scenes I write usually extends past the physical level. Sure, I get into detailed description, but what is more important to me is what the characters are experiencing on the emotional level. That is where, I believe, what gives the sex scenes that I write its hotness.

Another thing too is the fact that I write from ‘experience’ and not from fantasy. Oh gosh, I’m a terrible fantasy writer if you ask me. However, I’m not half bad recalling explicid details of my past and jot them down as a thrilling scene. I think too, that is what makes the sex scenes sizzle… They’re not unbelieveable…They’re realistic. I was told it is why the story attracks a lot of gay male readers.

For me, they’re all history. I just jot it down from memory. I can’t tell is one scene is hotter than the other. They’re all a part of my emotions and experience. I just hope the readers find it hot enough to get hooked on it.

3) If the book was a color—which color would it be and why.

I painted the story multi-colored to start with. I say that because of all the different emotions involved that the different characters experience throughout the story. In fact, the Japanese meaning of the word Gojou refers to the five passions; anger, joy, hatred, desire and grief. If you ask me, each would be shaded with a different color. To have to choose one particular color to describe the book would only describe Gojou Hajime in part.

4) Which character do you most resemble and why?

I think it would be safe to say that I can be found in every character in Gojou. They’re all a part of me somehow, some more than others, but indeed I live through all. I think it would be easier to for me to tell you which I do not resemble. That would be Hajime, Saito. The reason I say this is because after the years of studying the man, sharing moments with him spiritually connected through meditation and other means, Saitou-san has his very own personage. It is as though he has an existance that is set apart from the rest of the men, because I have gotten to know who he is spiritually and spend a whole lot of time with him in reality.

5) Which character would you bed?

That is easy… I wouldn’t have a problem bedding down with each one of them. I know their physical likes and dislikes anyway, so why not? I’m rather liberal when it comes to sex. However, if you asked me which I would pursue a lasting relationship with, I’d have a difficult time thinking through that. I think it would probably be Mr. Yamanami *grins*. I can just see he and I now… both pondering on something interesting and exchanging thoughts over it. One thing leads to another and before we know it… we find ourselves tangled, making passionate love. Now, that to me, is very hot.

Pick up a copy here…
GOJOU HAJIME

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