*Late August 2015*
(Nitsuj): Alright, looks like I have a free week coming up in September. I’ll use that to review Bakamatsu Rock.
(Isis): Hey master, Noragami is getting a second season.
(Nitsuj): Really? We better get started on that review. Another time Bakamatsu Rock.
*Mid-November 2016*
(Nitsuj): Alright, time to review Bakamatsu Rock.
(Mira): Hey Nitsuj, I just found out Konosuba and Rewrite are getting second seasons at the start of January.
(Nitsuj): Oh boy! I’ll have to review them in December. Oh wait, I’m doing Assassination Classroom. I’ll have to review them in November. Sorry Bakamatsu Rock, I’ll get you next time.
*Early May 2017*
(Nitsuj): A free week coming around the corner. I can finally use that to review Bakamatsu Rock.
*Gets a Youtube notification about The Electric Piper*
(Nitsuj): Oh my God, The Electric Piper. I haven’t seen this movie in years. I wonder if I can find video of it online?
*Early March 2018*
(Nitsuj): Okay, enough procrastinating. This time I’m going to review Bakamatsu Rock.
(Yume): Hey Nitsuj guess what? They’re making another Lupin anime.
(Nitsuj): Ohh~, I love Lupin. Now I have an excuse to review Part IV.
*Late March 2019*
(Nitsuj): Oh hey Bakamatsu Rock. Why has it taken me so long to review this anime?
*Present Day*
Hello and welcome to Project Nitsuj. When people talk about historical changes in Japan, the one period they look at the most is the Edo period and the final era in that period the Bakamatsu era. This was the era in which Japan ended its isolationist policy and open its borders to foreigners. It was also in this period that they ended the shogunate. No longer would Japan be under the feudal rule of the shogunate. Instead, it be under the rule of the Meiji government. But what most historians don’t know is that this era was also the birthplace of rock music. This is where Bakamatsu Rock comes in. Yep, in order to keep history alive in modern times, Japan created this bizarre yet entertaining series. Bakamatsu Rock is actually a rhythm video game created by Marvelous AQL in 2014 for the PSP. Don’t know this developer? Well does the Harvest Moon series and Senran Kagura series ring a bell? If not, don’t worry too much about it. Anyway, the game takes place in an alternative Bakamatsu era where rock music and boy bands are at war with each other. From what I’ve heard the game got positive reviews so positive that they made a manga of the series the following month followed by a sequel in September of that same year. During the time before the release of the second game, Studio Deen (Is this a Zombie?) made an anime to promote the series and get people excited for the second game. I’ve been wanting to take a look at this anime for some time but each time something kept coming up. Well not anymore. I’m tired of procrastinating, I’m gonna review this anime right here and now. Let’s rock out with Bakamatsu Rock.
Opening and Ending Theme
So the opening is “Jack” by Vistlip. Nothing much to say about it. It’s a decent rock song that talks about determination, will, and never giving up to follow your dreams.
The ending is “Zecchou Daybreak” by Ultra Souls. Another rock song that’s good. Surprisingly I actually found myself liking this more then the opening. It’s faster, louder, and gets your blood pumping whenever you hear it.
Episodes 1-4
We start the anime off in the Bakamatsu era where we see that government officers are now boy idols who sing songs known as Heaven’s Songs that drive the girls wild but the songs lack substance (oh great it’s an army of Justin Biebers, one is bad enough). We also find out that all music is regulated by the government and only songs that they approve are allowed to be sung, any other songs are forbidden and the people who sing these songs will be arrested on site. While at a rally promoting an upcoming concert we meet our main character Ryoma voiced by Kishô Taniyama who tries to sing his song to a crowd of girls at the rally with his guitar where they chase him away because his music just sounds like noise (http://youtu.be/jG2KMkQLZmI). He goes back to his job which is working at a pizza restaurant run by this big scary lady (I’m not gonna question it. We got guitars, boy idols, and concerts being held everywhere. As far as I’m concern history is bullshit in this anime). The next day, Ryoma tries to sing his song again but nobody wants to hear it (he’s a man way ahead of his time) except for one girlish looking boy who in all honesty I thought was a girl when I first saw him (trap characters at their finest folks) who says he likes Ryoma’s music and is a fan (alright maybe there’s hope for this society after all). After chatting with the boy, Ryoma’s friend Yataro shows up to tell him that the government is holding auditions for new Heaven’s Song singers and he tells Ryoma to try out saying that this would be a good opportunity to get his career started (all it requires you to do is sell your soul to the government and become their puppet). He goes to the audition but gets thrown out because he doesn’t have an invitation from a Heaven’s Song master or lord (are you kidding me? I gotta have written permission from a noble or teacher just to sing in this era, http://youtu.be/OVqIIIYEpng). After getting thrown out, Ryoma and Yataro go out looking for the man named Shoin a shaggy man who gave Ryoma his guitar and acknowledged his passion for music. While out searching, Ryoma runs into two girls who spent all their money trying to get tickets to a government concert but failed (http://youtu.be/hvW33wqBZZk?t=5s). Ryoma decides to sing for them but before he can two guys who we’ll come to know as Shinsaku (the rough and tough guy) voiced by Tatsuhisa Suzuki and Katsura (the smart and calm guy) voiced by Showtaro Morikubo (Shikamaru from Naruto) stop him and drag him off to the side where they call him a thief who stole that guitar from their master Shoin. Ryoma denies these claims but Shinsaku doesn’t believe him and just as the two are about to fight Katsura stops them where he wants to hear Ryoma’s side of the story (nice to see there’s one person sensible in this anime). So Ryoma tells them how he met Shoin and how he got his guitar from him because Shoin recognized his burning passion for rock. After their talk, Ryoma tries once again to sing to the girls (wow they actually stuck around) but before he can sing The Man shows up to confiscate his guitar and arrest him (you sheep of the government pig). It gets revealed that the government is using Heaven’s Songs to control the country by using concerts to tax the common everyday man (those bastards, how dare they use something great to ruin our lives). Ryoma however refuses to surrender and give up his music to the government (screw the rules we have rock) and plays his song (finally) where we see his burning passion in a weird and bizarre music sequence where Shinsaku and Katsura join in and have their shirts ripped off (AI girls: WOOAAAAHH~! (Nitsuj): Shut up). After the song they somehow escaped the government forces and become friends deciding to join forces and oppose the government with rock.
In episode 2 we take a walk down exposition lane and learn about the plot of this show (besides rock being born in an era where it shouldn’t exist). We find out that Ryoma has what’s known as a Peace soul which is a part of the Noble soul a soul that is said to have the power to influence an era (well this explains how Nintendo came to be so popular). The shogun of the land wants to find the Noble soul and create an era where the world is completely ruled by the government and nobody can fight back against them (sounds a little like China if you ask me). From what I can understand the Noble soul was broken into 5 pieces. One belongs to Ryoma, Shinsaku, and Katsura and the other two are unknown however we do know one of them is in the Shinsengumi. Ryoma has awaken his Peace soul but everyone else hasn’t done it yet especially Shinsaku who’s pretty upset with this. We find out that Shinsaku lost his parents at a young age and was adopted by another noble however Shinsaku got into a fight with a member of the Shinsengumi which is a serious crime (what, did he say their music sucked?). In order to repent for the crime and spare Shinsaku from punishment the noble paid the price with his life. Because of this Shinsaku developed a huge hatred for the Shinsengumi and Heaven’s Songs. As the episode goes on we see that Ryoma and Shinsaku are kind of the opposite of each other. Ryoma has bad technique but puts a lot of soul and passion into his rock while Shinsaku has good technique but doesn’t play with a lot of soul and passion (it’s like comparing the warrior class to a mage class in an RPG. Both classes are the complete opposite of each other and whatever the other one lacks the other one makes up for it). We also see that the group is somewhat out of sync with each other, yeah they play good music but at the same time the group is just doing their own thing and not playing together. After performing a concert in an underground bar in front of two fans, Isami the commander of the Shinsengumi recognizes the faults of the group and invites Ryoma to check out one of their concerts (in order to defeat one’s enemies one must first understand the enemy. However, there are some enemies out there you just can’t understand no matter how much you try. I’m talking about you Shyamalan). The group goes to the Shinsengumi concert where the group recognizes their skills and teamwork (hell even Ryoma cheers for them) but Ryoma as well as Isami recognizes that the group has no passion or soul in their songs (and without that why hold a concert in the first place. In fact, why even bother singing in the first place?). No longer able to stand by and watch this soulless performance (it’s like being at a Justin Bieber concert) Ryoma jumps the guard rail and shows them what it means to have passion and soul. So we get a battle of the bands (or genres if you will) between Ryoma and the Shinsengumi singers Okita and Hijikata where Katsura joins in as does Shinsaku where he begins to play with passion and soul awakening his Peace soul having his shirt torn off along with Ryoma’s shirt (AI girls: WOAHHHH~! (Nitsuj): Don’t make me throw you guys out). They rock the place hard (and I do mean that literally and figuratively) and after their performance Isami comes on stage and tells them to leave out back to avoid getting captured by officials.
Episode 3 is all the about the Shinsengumi. Ryoma and the guys take up volunteer work at a Shinsengumi concert to earn some extra money. While at the concert we see what the daily life is like for Shinsengumi officers. They work hard all day having voice and dance lessons in the morning, sword practicing and patrolling in the afternoon with the occasional fan interaction, free time in the evening where they spend most of their time practicing, and then the next day they do it all over again (and the amazing part, this is actually how a lot of idol groups in Japan spend their days. Like I said before they take their idol work very seriously). We also learn a little more about Isami, we find out that he was one of the original officers who sang Heaven’s Song before the Shinsengumi was formed. In fact, his popularity and skills are probably the main reason why the Shinsengumi is so popular today (it’s like the WWE, the reason why it got so popular in the first place was because of the Attitude Era and them not being afraid to promote all of their wrestlers and pander to kids). We’re told that he retired from the Shinsengumi last year and took on the job of becoming Producer, training the next generation of young superstars and spreading the joy and happiness of Heaven’s Song (and in the process brainwashing the minds of girls everywhere). At the concert, the show confirms to us once again that the Shinsengumi is a very popular group all across the land and the group take their jobs seriously always giving it 100% at their concerts getting the crowd excited and performing excellently on stage (except for last episode, for some reason they decided to be slackers and half-ass their performance like a majority of American singers who do live concerts). Even Ryoma and the guys are amazed by the performance and even start to respect the Shinsengumi and their way of singing (their ideas of music might be different but both sides have a love, respect, and passion for music. They just each play it in a different light). We end the episode with Ryoma and the gang walking home from the concert determined to get to the same level as the Shinsengumi someday.
In episode 4 the guys are stuck in a runt. Thanks to new Shinsengumi laws Rock is forbidden to be played in Kyoto and anyone endorsing it will be punished by the law (this is abuse of government power. This shouldn’t be starting until the 21st century). Because of this nobody will let Ryoma and the guys put on a rock concert. Even when the group tries to hold a concert in the streets The Man chases them away. Everything seems to be going bad for them until Ryoma and Shinsaku get the idea to hold a concert in the bath house (of course. Who’s going to arrest a naked man playing rock? Nobody, that’s who). At first the owner of the bath house is against this but thanks to Yataro’s marketing skills and the promise of money the owner agrees to let them hold their concert. While that’s going on Katsura seems to fall into a slight depression over a complex he’s having (okay strange and random). To make it even more confusing the anime is very vague on why he’s having this complex in the first place. They hint that the complex is coming from him feeling that his level of rock isn’t on par with Ryoma and Shinsaku or that he feels that he’s losing his way in the style of rock. The anime is really vague on this, so I really have no idea what’s troubling him. Ryoma and Shinsaku notice Katsura acting strange and get the idea that he’s afraid to be seen naked in the bath because he comes up short down below (http://youtu.be/6nSKkwzwdW4?t=3s). When the day of the concert arrives Katsura and Shinsaku think they should cancel the concert because their out of sync but after receiving a few harsh words from the Shinsengumi and Ryoma and Shinsaku seeing that Katsura has a serious weapon down below (Mira: Hmm~, now I see why they call him Sensei. (Seras): There’s something that makes you wanna take a few after class lessons) the group is able to get over their worries and doubts (whatever they may be) and begin rocking in the bath house (Shizuku: They were jammin’ to the bath house rock, http://youtu.be/1MqTUZ_MKJY) and ending with the concert being a huge success.
Episodes 5-8
The guys are on a road trip in episode 5 where they arrive at a town that has been brainwashed by Heaven’s Songs (the plot has begun to thicken). These people are so brainwashed that even when the guys play in the streets everyone just ignores them (oh man that’s worse than getting booed. At least when they boo at you, they’re acknowledging your existence). We find out that Okita is here as well to give a live concert and when he gives the guys a preview of his new song Shinsaku faints from it (too hot for him). After doing a bit of research, Katsura discovers that Okita’s dance routine is the Phoenix Dance, a dance that when executed correctly allows the dancer to hypnotize and brainwash whoever they want (this must be what strippers use all the time). The guys say they have to do something, so they go to the concert and try to crash it but Okita attacks them hurting Katsura a little bit. As Katsura lays on the ground in pain we finally figure out what was bothering him last episode. Katsura is worried because he hasn’t awakened his Peace soul yet and wonders if he can be useful to Ryoma and Shinsaku anymore (dude, you are the brains of the operation, without you these two wouldn’t last a day). After receiving an epiphany from Shoin (man he must of hit his head hard) reminding him that rock is about passion and heart he’s able to make it to the drums (which for some reason were on the stage) and begins rocking where Ryoma and Shinsaku join him and he awakens his Peace soul snapping everyone out of it and forcing Okita to retreat. The group decides that they have to stop the Shinsengumi before they completely brainwash the country and destroy music forever.
In episode 6 we see that thanks to the group’s road trip the government has been spying on them for days waiting for them to slip up so that they can take them down (why are you spying on them? You know they’re playing so take them down. You’re the government, as long as they’re living in your country you own them). While that’s going on, we shift our focus towards Okita and learn a little bit about his past. He was an orphan born on the streets forced to commit robbery and arson with no one caring for them. One night when an arson went wrong the bandits left him in the house to die and he was saved by Isami who took him in and taught him the songs of serenity. We also learn about Hijikata’s past later on in the episode. We find out that he was a rogue samurai going around killing in the hopes of finding the people who killed his parents (oh Hijikata you got it all wrong man. You don’t go around killing people, you dress up like a bat at night and just go around stopping crime and scary the ever-loving hell out of them) until Isami found him and lead him down the right path. Li, second-in-command after the shogun wants to eliminate Ryoma and his friends so he invites them to the castle to perform as part of a big concert happening. He also has mystic powers as he puts a curse on Okita who has a Peace Soul which stops it from activating and puts a huge strain on Okita’s body destroying him from the inside and turns him into a lifeless puppet who does whatever he’s told (almost sounds like the music industry). Hijikata and Isami find out about this and Li throws them in the dungeon (https://youtu.be/EzT6NGUs7Js?t=18). The day of the concert comes around where Ryoma and the gang perform a song but are interrupted by the lifeless Okita who uses the Phoenix Dance to brainwash the audience and attack Ryoma. Isami and Hijikata escape the dungeon (why they didn’t do this sooner is beyond me) and fight their way on stage where Isami goes to snap Okita out of it and we discover that he has a Peace Soul as well (alright, he deserves one). Isami removes the curse on Okita and transfers it to his body where Li tries to control him but Isami fights back and the battle proves too much for him to handle. As a result, Isami dies (no! I liked him) and he passes his Peace Soul over to Hijikata. Okita sings his own song snapping everyone out of it and we end with a moment of silence at an interesting character unfortunately dying.
We start episode 7 with Hijikata and Okita going to pay their respects to Isami (I’ll join you guys, he was a good character) and finding out that Li has pacified the rest of the Shinsengumi to his will and has spread the rumor that Hijikata, Okita, Ryoma and the others are responsible for Isami’s death (http://youtu.be/iHR39cWO7mM). Hijikata and Okita leave the Shinsengumi after paying their respects promising to carry on the will of Isami and Ryoma tries to recruit them to the band since they all have the same enemy but they kindly decline saying they want to do things their way (well your way failed. So now everybody suffers). Later on, Yataro shows up and gives them tickets to a concert being performed by Shoin the shaggy master of Shinsaku and Katsura (and he really is a shaggy guy. He makes shaggy dogs look normal). Katsura is hesitant to go on account of it’s an obvious trap (nooo~, ya think?) but Shinsaku bows his head and begs Katsura to let him go to the concert and Katsura says okay (doesn’t take a whole lot to get this guy to cave does it?). They go to the concert where in the audience they meet an old crow by the name of Kai, a friend of Shoin who used to rock with him in the past. The concert begins and the group discovers that the Shoin in front of them isn’t the real Shoin so to speak. Kai tells them the real Shoin is dead (uh how, where, and when did this happen?) and that his soul was put into a lifeless puppet to sing Heaven Songs and brainwash the masses (I ask again. How, where, and when did this happen?). The only way to save him is to rock out and allow his soul to rest in peace. The bodyguards at the concert attack the gang but they get saved by Hijikata who takes out the guards and Okita who comes in riding a horse through the air and singing (*laughs* okay no, go back to the drawing board that is way too silly even for this anime). The five guys unite and begin to rock destroying their shirts (*AI girls begin to scream* scream one more time and I’m gonna throw you guys out the window) and freeing Shoin’s soul allowing him to pass away peacefully knowing that his students have become true rockers (may the rock be with you).
We get introduced to some one-shot characters in episode 8 named Oryo (the hard-headed leader), Ikumatsu (the sadistic pervert), and Ouno (the innocent one). Together these three make up the idol group known as the Dark Cherries who are the lowest ranking idol group in the government (sucks to be them). Li gives them orders to go and assassinate Ryoma and the others promising them a live performance at the New Year’s Red vs White music festival (get it, Japan’s colors) if they succeed. They become waitresses at the pizza shop Ryoma works at and try to assassinate the guys but keep failing because the girls are idiots (that’s the nicest way I can put it). Through the course of the episode Oryo falls for Ryoma seeing that he shares the same dreams and ambitions as her and the other two get the crazy idea in their head that the rest of the guys like them (the sad mind of groupies). Their manager shows up telling them the government has given up on them and is planning to kill them (they’re gonna kill them just because they couldn’t kill a bunch of rockers? The government of Japan was harsh back then). They get discovered by Ryoma and the others and they decide to hear the girls sing to decide on what to do with them. The girls sing and we find out that their songs suck and they can’t hit high notes which results in giving the audience headaches and nearly killing them (http://youtu.be/jG2KMkQLZmI, had to be used again). After their bad concert the gang helps the girls and their manager escape to America (no! We already got enough crappy artists over here send them to Europe) where they’ll develop their musical talents and become huge stars (just keep sailing west and if you hit a giant clock tower that means you haven’t gone far enough).
Episodes 9-12
In episode 9 the guys are feeling down because they haven’t been able to perform all that much what with being wanted and everything. Yatoro comes in and helps them out telling them to wear mask to hide their identities and perform rock concerts without having to worry about the government (hey it works for Daft Punk so why not them). Yatoro’s plan works as the guys are able to perform their rock concerts without any worries until they finally get the attention of the government who wants to hire them as a government sponsored rock band (are these guys blind, how do they not recognize Ryoma and the others? They’re all wearing the same clothes, have the same hair style, and play the same instruments as well as play the same song. Even the mask aren’t that good at hiding their identities to begin with). Once they become figures for the government, they get their own mansion, recording studio, and everything but deep down they all feel that something isn’t right (yes, does the word sellout mean anything to you guys because that’s pretty much what you guys are doing in this episode?). They finally figure out what’s wrong at a big concert where the government wants them to start singing Heaven’s songs. They haven’t been playing their rock. Oh, they’ve been playing rock songs but in the end it’s not the rock that they’ve been striving for (again, does the word sellout ring a bell with you guys?). They decide to ditch the masks and show off their true faces shocking the government (yeah because their disguises were totally fool proof). They begin to play their rock once again becoming a hit with the people and take their leave before the government arrests them. At the end of the episode the group finally decides on a band name. Ultra Souls.
We see that in episode 10 their rock revolution has gone to an all-time high, the people are starting to accept it more and other rockers are joining in their cause (viva la rock). But the government begins to crack down on rockers both in and around the capital as they arrest rockers and burn their instruments right in front of them (oh you asses). Li sets in motion a plan that will eliminate rock once in for all. He purchases giant speakers from England (he went to England and not us? That actually hurts a little bit) and plans to use those giant speakers to make Heaven’s Songs heard all across the country. While Li is working on that plan Ryoma walks the town and starts to notice that while his rock is being liked by the masses it’s also hurting people in the process such as a young boy seeing his father get arrested because he went to the rock concert in the bath house, a girl’s engagement being broken off because she supports rock while her family doesn’t and another girl being ostracized by others because she still loves Heaven’s Songs (hey, joy and pain are like sunshine and rain my friend. Two sides of the same coin, you can’t imagine one without the other). Because of this, Ryoma begins to wonder if what he and the others are doing is right, having rock take over the world and leave Heaven’s Songs in the past. Now I have to admit this inner-conflict is good as it shows and verifies that Ryoma’s goal wasn’t to destroy Heaven’s Songs but instead provide an alternative to them, and to show the people that rock deserves to be heard just as much as Heaven’s Songs which in my opinion is what rock was trying to accomplish in our world. When rock was first introduced it wasn’t saying that the music before it was wrong it was instead trying to be an alternate style of music for people to listen to. It representative a generation who felt that their opinions and views were being overlooked and ignored which is why rock music is so loud to get people’s attention. It showed the world that music doesn’t have to confine to just one genre it can have multiple genres and be interpreted differently by everyone. Anyway, while Ryoma is struggling with this the group decides to upstage a bunch of preteen government idols called Justice at their concert (wow, so even back then 1-D existed). They go to the concert, sneak on stage in the middle of Justice’s performance (okay, that was kind of a dick move on their part. If it was grown men performing I probably be okay with that, but these are preteens whose balls haven’t even fallen off yet. Judging by their looks, I say their balls won’t be falling off for a while). As Ultra Soul begins to rock Ryoma sees the sad faces of Justice and realizes that this isn’t the rock he wanted to play (he’s come to the realization that he’s become the Boston Red Sox). He’s stops playing and the government officers come in to arrest them where they escape and avoid getting captured. Shinsaku hears Ryoma’s struggles and decides he can no longer rock with Ryoma and leaves with a pistol in his hand ready to kill Li and end his corruption once and for all (just please keep your pants on).
In episode 11 the anime officially jumps the shark (oh it did it a couple episodes back but this is where it really jumps the shark). At the start of the episode Shinsaku goes to Li and tries to trick him into letting him join up with him but Li and the shogun who reveals himself to be that girly looking boy who likes Ryoma and rock (so you like rock but you’re trying to get rid of it? Whose side are you on?) sees through Shinsaku’s plan and captures him. While that’s going on Kai tells Katsura, Hijikata, and Okita that Li is holding a big Heaven Song’s concert at Edo where he plans to enact his master plan to pacify all of Japan (and make them mindless zombies). Kai sneaks the group in as an upcoming Heaven’s song band allowing them entrance (does the government seriously not know what these guys look like? I mean it’s not hard to miss these guys just at look what they wear. They’re not Waldo). Back on Ryoma’s part of the story he re-discovers his passion for rock quickly (making episode 10 pretty pointless if you ask me) and returns back to the pizza shop where he flies to Edo in a rocket that Katsura made (and there it is folks. Houston, the shark has been jumped). Katsura and the others are getting their butts defeated by Heaven’s songs and Shinsaku who has become a mindless puppet of Li (he’s going solo on us) but luckily Ryoma shows up and with his passion he re-invigorates the group and snaps Shinsaku out of it (the band is back together). With the band back together they all begin to rock snapping everyone out of it but Li refuses to give up and uses all of his power to make people feel pain which summons the real monster trying to destroy rock and keep Heaven’s Song going. A six-headed purple demonic snake who comes out from under the castle of Edo and eats Li (Houston, we’re coming back again for another jump. Houston, the shark has been jumped I repeat the shark has been jumped again).
In the final episode the demonic snake fuses with the shogun, Yoshinobu. Yoshinobu comes out and says that he was never interested in rock from the very beginning he just wanted to see the Ultra Soul to kill his boredom because Li never let him do anything (spoiled brat). He blames Ultra Soul for the death of Li (uh no that’s you remember? You. Demonic. Snakes. Crazy man. You did all that). He then uses the speakers to play Heaven’s Songs throughout Japan pacifying everyone and locks himself into the castle feeling lonely. So the anime goes shonen on us and has each character besides Ryoma sacrifice themselves to get inside the castle and reach Yoshinobu where we finally meet the spirit of the Tokogawa who has possessed Yoshinobu and tells Ryoma that Yoshinobu and his family have been using Heaven’s Songs to control the people of Japan for years (somewhere in Japan the souls of shoguns of the Tokogawa era are rolling in their graves). He challenges Ryoma to defeat Heaven’s Songs with his rock and in the process gets his guitar strings broken but that doesn’t stop Ryoma from unleashing his soul and singing which somehow sends him and Yoshinobu up to Heaven where the others are at completely naked and singing (what in God’s holy name am I watching!?) and Li shows up (interesting, I would have been sure the guy would have gone to Hell) and tells Yoshinobu that it’s okay and everything’s fine now. This allows Yoshinobu to move on and we finally see what the Ultra Soul is. . .the people of Japan singing and waving their lights in the air (http://youtu.be/mylN7ZltUc8, 12 episodes all leading up to this folks). Wanna make this episode more cliché, the others are fine despite the fact that two of them exploded and the other got stabbed through the chest they’re okay. And that’s pretty much the end, rock wins and begins spreading throughout the country accepted by all and the black ships arrive to also spread the joy of rock.
Final Thoughts
So that was Bakamatsu Rock and as you can see it’s not really all that good and I’m okay with that. It was never meant to be good or a hit, it was meant to promote the games and I don’t see anything wrong with that. It’s a silly anime that knows what it is and doesn’t try to be anything else. It falls into the same category as Senran Kagura, it knows what is, has fun, and doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s kind of pointless for me to get mad at it as it really doesn’t do anything to make me angry or disappoint me. We get a few funny moments here and there, some of the music is alright, the anime clearly knows who their audience is. The animation is decent. While the animation is colorful and the character designs look good, there’s really nothing eye-popping. If I did have to give one complaint it would be I wanted to hear more songs from the game as the characters keep singing the same song over and over again but other than that this is a silly anime that’s on the low spectra of bad.
Final Score
The final score for Bakamatsu Rock is a 4/10. If you’re looking for a silly anime not to take seriously than this anime is for you. Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time on Project Nitsuj.
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