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Guest review: My boyfriend reviews Hakuouki anime! (1st season)

I can’t believe I’m really writing this, but… this is the first post of a new series on my blog, called “My boyfriend loves otome”!

It started as a joke, a couple months ago: we were talking about anime, and he was complaining about the lack of interesting stuff to watch.

So I suggested him to try something completely different, like otome games adaptations.

At first he refused, but he changed his mind when Christmas holidays started: he had lots of free time, why not giving them a chance for real?

I chose Hakuouki, because the plot is heavy and there’s more tragedy than fluffy moments; was it a good choice? I guess it was.

He only watched the first season so far, but he’s planning to start the second very soon, so you can expect another review by the end of the month.

This is his first review ever, and it’s not meant to be serious, so don’t be offended!

If you’re looking for a serious review, run away as fast as you can…you’ve been warned.

Well, I’ll leave you with this masterpiece. Enjoy!

.

“Watch Hakuouki!” she said.

“You’ll love it! There are historical events too! There are some kind of zombies, war, blood… that kind of stuff you always watch!” she said.

“You’ll say arigato gozaimasuuu in the end! Trust me.” She said.

Ok. I’m not sure, but let’s do this.

The anime starts with a typical misunderstanding: a girl is mistaken for a boy.

Then there are random demons killed by other dudes, they take away the girl somewhere and we meet other hundred dudes… too many people in 5 minutes, whatever.

In fact, I like this setting, I can see by many little details (clothing and food in the trays) that there’s a great historical accuracy. Still, it feels surreal…

Doesn’t she ask those people who they are? Why did they kill those men? Every conversation feels weird, but hey, I’m not a writer, I’m probably wrong.

The first episode is simply too much, too many questions and zero answers, but I feel some hype. We’ll see.

The second episode is not an improvement: too many things happening without explanations. Maybe I should drop it. Ok, I won’t, let’s keep going.

That chick (I can’t with names, sorry) finds her place in the world, sticks patches, delivers messages, or at least she tries, puts some sense in their heads.

Obviously still nothing about those demons and her father, but at least some historical events are properly explained, so I can understand what’s going on (I’m just a european nerd, I don’t know that much about japanese history, sorry).

Wow, that’s it! I can feel the real atmosphere of this anime now, and also the typical samurai themes I was waiting for: loyalty, honor, the way of Bushido. I like it.

Then 3 strong dudes appear and I really want to know more.

Who are they? The Shinsengumi is hiding something. What’s the medicine Sannan is talking about?

OMG I’m a fangirl!!

Then they drop the bomb, the answer of those questions that have been left pending for too long.

And now? There are people going crazy, coming back to their normal selves and pretending to be dead, while others are sick.

Then they drop another bomb: the main chick is not a normal girl, she has secrets too! (but obviously she doesn’t know anything, as it happens in every otome game).

Everyone wants her, everyone looks for her and none of them are ugly, old or bald, of course. Their hair is perfect, long and colored. Only the nameless samurai are allowed to be ugly, in Shinsengumi.

There are serious moments and others of pure fanservice (medical examination: everyone is shirtless yahooo), but after 9 episodes this anime has a direction and I like it.

Really.

I love seeing them drinking together, I watch the details of places, clothes and historical events.

When I understand the true plot, I’m intrigued.

I was wrong.

I admit Hakuouki is not just a reverse harem: it’s much more and I’m enjoying it a lot.

With this spirit I watch the last 3 episodes of the season. They are intense.

From my long experience, I know that a character who says “if something goes wrong, I’ll trust you” does not last (you know what I mean).

That poor chick sees everything rapidly falling apart, people dying and Heisuke becoming a rasetsu to protect her. Well, she’s always in the wrong place at the wrong time. I know, she’s nice, she wants to help, but she keeps being a nuisance.

Sannan is doing something shady while on patrol and it’s only one of the problems: enemies and betrayals are everywhere.

Then Okita becomes a rasetsu, but it’s only a trap planned by the main chick’s brother. I don’t really get why he was crossdressing all the time, but I guess you have to be a trap to make your trap a success.

When he gets injured despite drinking that medicine, we know that silver bullets can hurt those vampires/furies/zombies whatever they are.

Also, their swords are useless against modern weapons.

What happens next is made to break all the ladies’ hearts; but I’m a man, you won’t see me cry.

My chests hurts and there’s a little tear in the corner of my eye, but men don’t cry… they only carry the pain inside.

The old man who went with the heroine to look for the allies’ help dies epically and in that street in the middle of nowhere happens everything possible in the spare of a few minutes (but why were they all there? Am I the only one who thinks it was weird?).

Hijikata is not a human anymore, and a shinobi friend dies to protect him.

Their deaths were not useless, weren’t they?

Hijikata carries on his shoulders that boy’s death and promises revenge.

And they called it reverse harem.

DA FUCK.

AMEN.

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2 Comments

  1. Mahlenneth

    Hahahahahaha omg!!!
    I loved it!! Your bf writing is so funny lol
    “OMG I’m a fangirl!!” lmao
    I liked Hakuouki anime better than the game to tell you the truth 😡
    Hijikata is my favorite together with Kazama.
    Great review!! Pls write more!!!

    • otomeland

      I’m glad you liked it, more will come soon!
      We’re watching the 2nd season already, I think his review will be ready in a couple weeks. I plan to make him watch Code Realize and Dance with Devils too!
      As you can see, he’s having fun and it surprises me too, since he absolutely disliked Amnesia anime when we watched it about 4 years ago… he was literally falling asleep! I guess Hakuouki is more his thing.
      My best boy is Harada, but I liked Kazama a lot too.
      I’ll be honest, I liked them all! maybe it’s because it’s so tragic, I have feelings for each one of them…

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