*Nitsuj is sitting at his desk while fidgeting in his seat*
(Nitsuj): *Sigh* Where are they? They should have been back by now.
*All of sudden, Mira, Shizuku, and Seras come through a portal and fall on the floor*
(Nitsuj): There you guys are. How’d it go?
(Mira): We got it. It took us hours of site searching and hacking but got it.
*Shizuku and Seras show Nitsuj a box. He takes it and opens it up*
(Nitsuj): It’s as beautiful as the day I first saw it.
*Nitsuj pulls out a DVD copy of the anime Drifters*
(Nitsuj): You guys ready to do this?
(Mira, Shizuku, and Seras): Yes.
(Nitsuj): Let’s go. The year is 2016. On paper, it’s another normal year for everyone but the anime industry it was an important year. It was a year where a lot of animes that we still talk about today made an impact and set a course for the industry. It was a year where we got the debut of Konosuba and Re:Zero. The first season of My Hero Academia as well as Mob Psycho and Bungou Stray Dogs. The second season of Food Wars, Arslan Senki, and Assassination Classroom. And great original animes such as Yuri on Ice and 91 Days. In my opinion, this was the year where a lot of people finally stopped hiding their love of anime and wore it proudly on their sleeves for everyone to see. The culture was finally being embraced by people in the west and becoming a part of our normal lives. While Yuri on Ice was considered the most popular anime that year by the masses, I argue there was one anime that really was a masterpiece that tragically got lost to time. That anime is called, Drifters.
(Seras): Written by the creator of Hellsing, Kouta Hirano, in 2009. Drifters was definitely an underground series that only the hardest of hardcore fans knew about.
(Shizuku): Even when the anime was announced in 2016 very few heard about it and didn’t know what it was about, but by the end of 2016 they knew all about it.
(Mira): The anime was done by Hoods Drifters Studio. Originally thought to be a studio formed to make this anime, but in truth, it’s been around since 2011 going by its original name, Hoods Entertainment (The Qwaser of Stigmata and Mysterious Girlfriend X).
(Nitsuj): It’s been 8 years since anime debuted and I can think of no better anime to review for the 600th project than this one. Let’s celebrate like it’s 2016. This is Drifters.
Opening and Ending Theme
(Shizuku): So the opening is “Gospel Of The Throttle 狂奔REMIX ver.” by Minutes Til Midnight. First off, the song is sung in English so right from the get go this is awesome. Second, this song kicks ass. It is so addicting to listen to and the visuals are amazing. Shockingly, they only played this song 3 or 4 times throughout the anime’s run. Why would you not play this at the start of every episode? It’s fucking amazing. But I guess that’s what made the song all the more special. Because it was used only a few times it came special whenever we heard it. On top of all this the animation was awesome here. It blends hand-drawn and CGI artwork throughout the opening matching up perfectly with the song, showing off the characters, and giving us some good action as well.
(Seras): For the ending, we have “Vermillion” by Maon Kurosaki. A very powerful and passionate song that fills your mind of a warrior on the battlefield fighting hard to survive. When we first heard this song we thought this was the opening but nope, they decided to use it as the ending and still works.
Episodes 1-4
(Nitsuj): So the anime opens up in the year 1600 in feudal Japan where we’re right in the Battle of Sekigahara (Mira, I believe this is your area of expertise. Please tell us about this battle. (Mira): Prior to this battle, Oda Nobunaga had slowly taken control of Japan as well as the shogun until he was betrayed by his retainer Akechi Mitsuhide. While under attack in Kyoto, Nobunaga committed suicide thus his apprentice, Toyotomi Hideyoshi avenged his master and soon gained control over Japan. Through Hideyoshi Japan became unified but his failure to stop invasions from Korea caused his clan to lose power as well as support from government officials. In the second invasion, Hideyoshi was killed and his brother’s death soon followed after him. With Hideyoshi and his brother dead, the two factions of Japan led by Ishida Mitsunari and Tokugawa Ieyasu grew hostile with each other and since there was no shogun to lead the army this left a power vacuum in Japan and soon led to an all-out war between the two factions where it came to an end at the Battle of Seikgahara where Tokugawa’s side won and led to the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate the last shogunate to control Japan allowing Japan a long period of peace. (Shizuku): Boring~. Can we get to the part of people slicing each other up?). During the battle we focus on a young samurai named Shimazu Toyohisa voiced by Yūichi Nakamura (Basara from Shinmai Maou no Testament) who was in fact a real warrior who died in battle that day and his family was serving Tokugawa. We see him display great skills on the battlefield killing many soldiers with ease (Seras: Yes! Let the battlefield run red with the blood of your slain enemies). As he and his troops retreat Toyohisa stays behind to defend their escape route with a bunch of other soldiers where his men die and he gets impaled by spears. Despite getting impaled the guy somehow managed to survive, pulls out a gun and injures the commander of his enemy forcing them to retreat (scene here: https://youtu.be/hU_a9aLwmjE?si=VwthSjpIuhWzV5bM). As he makes his way through the forest he somehow winds up in this strange hallway of doors with a man there waiting for him (Shizuku: Man, Japan sure loves making Hell look like a corporation). This man is named Murasaki and he sends Toyohisa through a door where he winds up in a world of elves (if you see any hot female elves let me know. (Mira): Or hot male elves for that matter) where two elf children find him and call him a Drifter (Mira: Title drop. So when does the universe implode?). Not knowing how to deal with his injures they take him to a forest where the other Drifters are and they manage to save his life. Once Toyohisa wakes up he’s greeted by none other than the great Oda Nobunaga voiced by Naoya Uchida (Shizuku: And I have to admit I do like the character design they went with here. Instead of giving Oda this royal and clean look they instead give him this rough and tough look like he’s some sort of pirate or something which I think suits his personality. (Mira): Agreed, I feel that this look matches his personality well. While it’s true Nobunaga came from a prestigious family he was quite the odd fellow. History said he had a very bizarre personality, would often run around with other youths not caring about his title and was quite brazen with his actions especially with the introduction of firearms. So giving him this wild look that goes against the norm of feudal Japan seems fitting). We also meet Nasa no Yoichi voiced by Mitsuki Saiga (Jing from Jing: King of Bandits) a powerful archer who was said to have served Minamoto no Yoshitsune in the Genpei War. Despite his historical death dating somewhere in the late 1100s and early 1200s he’s the youngest one there at age 19 (and when I first saw him I wasn’t sure if he was a man or woman. Scene here: https://youtu.be/iuUqbXh1dXM?si=PI2U-2yZ8ZGgW_oy). As you would imagine Toyohisa is confused as to what is going on here but Oda explains that just like him they too somehow wound up in the mysterious hallway of Hell (Seras: That’s what we’re calling it now?) and ended up in this world where time seems to move slower than their world. For example, Oda says he’s been in this world for 6 months but Toyohisa explains that about 50 years have gone by since his death and tells him all the events that have happened in the world (Mira: Everything he worked hard to achieve in his lifetime blown to bits by the selfish antics of those around him. (Nitsuj): Yep, that sounds accurate). As they sit around and talk little do they know that someone is spying on them from afar.
In episode 2 the elf village belonging to the two boys who helped Toyohisa last episode has come under attack by the Octobrist Organization, some kind of magical order serving some powerful kingdom and the guys who are watching the Drifters wondering who they are and where they come from. We quickly see that in this world demihumans are oppressed by humans (just like what would happen in real life). They pretty much can’t do anything without the consent of the Octobrist and are forced to supply a portion of their food to Octobrist. Also, they took their women (Seras: Assholes). Anyway, Octobrist is attacking the elves because they know about them helping Toyohisa and entering the forest which is forbidden (Shizuku: Geez, why don’t you just say they can’t take a piss without your consent?). They begin killing off the elves but Toyohisa and the others catch wind of the battle and they rush in to help. Toyohisa because he wants to repay his debt and Oda because he wants to conquer the land (Mira: Even in a new world that man seeks to gain power). Toyohisa tears through all the soldiers like nothing until he finally comes face to face with their commander where he takes the guy down and begins bashing his face in with the sheath of his sword (that is so badass). He doesn’t kill him but instead gives his sword to one of the elves and instructs him to kill the commander in order to avenge their fallen people (Shizuku: Savage). Even though the elves don’t understand a word he’s saying (Mira: This world needs subtitles) they know what he’s telling them to do and they all slowly pick up weapons, surround the commander and kill him themselves (Seras: Good~. Take back what is yours. Avenge your fallen comrades. Scene here: https://youtu.be/C6x6oRKF1xA?si=pNj2lXi9VF1YPREU). After that scene, the village falls under the control of Toyohisa and the others (it was either that or die by his blade) and once a scout named Olimu reports what happened to her leader the legendary Japanese magician Abe no Seimei she wants to know what they’re next move will be to which he says nothing because they have bigger problems to worry about.
In episode 3 we go to a battle being fought between the empire and the Black King’s army who are considered the enemies of this anime. We see how Seimei wants the empire’s soldiers to follow the orders of the great Roman strategist Scipio and his adversary the famous Carthiginian military commander Hannibal Barca but they refuse to hand over command to them (Mira, if you will. (Mira): This one is very lengthy and it would take me a while to go over all of it so I’ll give you the short version. These great minds fought each other during the Second Punic War or the Hannibalic War which lasted from 218 to 201 BC. It was a war fought between the Romans and the Carthage who were looking to expand their power. During one of the three major battles in the war, Scipio and Barca met where Scipio’s army won using a tactic quite similar to Barca. At the end Roman won the war and gained complete control over the western Mediterranean). We see that Barca is an old man in the anime (who might possibly be suffering from dementia because of his age) and he and Scipio despise each other yet despite this Scipio does show a great amount of respect for Barca (Seras: Hate the guts of your enemy but respect their skills). Like in one scene where the soldiers are making fun of Barca for peeing his pants and saying he’s nothing, Scipio straight up grabs the guy and threatens to beat him up for insulting someone as great and intelligent as Barca. Anyway, the battle soon begins and the Black King’s army tries to storm the fortress (Shizuku: Man it’s like Lord of the Rings only way better and exciting). At first, the empire seems to be doing well but then the dragons attack and the Black King lets loose the Ends (Shizuku: Because they end the lives of whoever they’re fighting against). These guys are the same as Drifters except they died under unorthodox and violent circumstances (Mira: And the other Drifters didn’t?) and because of this have forsaken their own humanity developing an intense hatred for them and gaining supernatural powers. The Ends completely decimate the empire’s forces and Seimei decides it’s time to retreat. He escapes with Scipio and Barca with the help of famous outlaws Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid of the famous Wild Bunch Gang (Seras: Oh me, me! Let me do this one. (Mira): Sure, why not? (Seras): So the Wild Bunch Gang were these group of outlaws in Wyoming from 1899-1901. Their leader was Cassidy and even though the group had 19 active members the most well-known were Cassidy, Sundance, Will Carver, Kid Curry, and George Curry. They engaged in a number of thefts such as horse, cattle, banks, stagecoach, and highway robberies and would boast about how they never once killed a single man or woman in their careers which is completely bullshit. Kid Curry killed 9 lawmen and two civilians becoming the most feared member in the gang and in the anime we see Cassidy and Sundance shoot down a number of soldiers belonging to the Black King’s army so yeah the honorable thieves’ bit is a load of shit). Once they make it outside the fortress they come face to face with a dragon but get saved by Naoshi Kanno a famous pilot ace from WWII who was transported into the world with his plane (he’s also a little nuts and has quite the dirty mouth. Scene here: https://youtu.be/37f1gc0g3wY?si=9imGRSgCpNJDjdtY). At first, he does nothing during the battle but when he sees the Black King’s army continue their attack even though it’s clear they’ve won, it reminds him of the Tokyo bombing and he takes action attacking the Black King’s army. He takes down a number of dragons allowing Seimei and the others to escape. After the credits, Toyohisa and the others discover Olimu spying on them and catch her where we see she can speak Japanese (and will serve as the loveable and cute Seras for the evening. (Seras): You talking about me or the one from Hellsing? (Nitsuj): The one from Hellsing, you’re the scary and sadistic Seras. (Seras): Oh, that makes sense). She explains to them what’s going on but they have no idea what the hell she’s talking about and don’t really care.
(Mira): At the start of episode 4 Olimu explains to them what Drifters and the Ends are as well as explain how they try to use the Drifters to command the armies provided by feudal lords of the land. Nobunaga calls her an idiot saying that their plan won’t work because no lord in their right mind would cede command of their forces to an outsider (Nitsuj: He’s got a point. That’s like me putting you guys in control of some kid down the street. Not gonna happen). No matter how powerful the Ends are, a feudal lord would rather die and watch his land burn than give up his authority (Seras: It’s sad but true. You humans are a selfish and ignorant bunch). So Nobunaga presents an alternative and that is the Drifters should cease the empire (Shizuku: I’m all for that. (Nitsuj): I second that notion. (Mira): You two just want to fight something. (Seras): You make it sound like it’s a bad thing). While Olimu finds this whole thing utterly insane she admits that it has a certain appeal to it (Nitsuj: Tis one of the great joys of life. (Shizuku): Crush your enemies. (Seras): Seem them quiver before you. (Mira): And hear the lamentations of their women. (Nitsuj): Or toppling a kingdom and claiming it as your own. It’s pretty much the same thing). While that’s going on we focus on the Black King healing up the injured forces from the battle where we learn a little bit about him. In the past, he came to help out the humans but they rejected him and once he saw how the other races of the world were being treated, he decided that humans must be destroyed for the greater good (https://youtu.be/N_q2wBzT6uU. Now a lot of people have theorized that the Black King is Jesus Christ. With his backstory, his ability to heal, and the scars all over his body all signs are point to that). We then focus on Naoshi whose plane has finally crashed on him and he lands in a forest where he’s quickly surrounded by wild beasts. Back in the elf village, they have a meeting to decide what to do next. They know that more knights will be on the way and they’ll be showing up to slaughter them all so they need to decide what their next move is. As they talk amongst themselves Toyohisa and the others show up where Olimu gives them talismans that allows them to speak their language fluently (scene here: https://youtu.be/JnPoUCgXsow?si=uL6-aehCoU3ybuqy). Nobunaga tricks Toyohisa into being their commander (while he serves as the shadowy puppet master of the group. Sort of like Darth Vader and The Emperor from Star Wars) and the elves decide to follow the Drifters to freedom (Nitsuj: Those guys have no idea what they’re getting themselves into. (Seras): Sort of like me when I first joined you). On the day the knights arrive they’re shocked to see that the whole village has been deserted and we see all the elves hiding in the trees with Toyohisa where he vows to kill them all.
Episodes 5-8
In episode 5 the rise of the elves continues as Toyohisa and Nobunaga lead the elves to victory. They attack at night where they turned the whole village into a trap by destroying the water supply (Nitsuj: With shit), create a wall of fire to trap them in the village with Toyohisa (Shizuku: Welcome to Hell, bitch) and create a tower where the elves fire arrows at the humans who have oppressed them for years as well as took their women (also, I should mention elves can only reproduce once a year so . . . yeah. (Seras): Those poor bastards). The plan is a success as Toyohisa deals the finishing blow by taking the head of their commander (Nitsuj: Gimme your head) and the remaining troops scatter only to get hunted down by Yoichi and a few more elves. They then move on to the next matters which is taking down the lord of the land and reclaiming their women which Toyohisa has no idea how he’s going to do this (Seras: Go in chopping off heads until they all surrender?). Luckily, Nobunaga has a plan. Using the armor of the dead knights they dress up looking like knights and get inside the lord’s fortress where at first Toyohisa decides to show mercy to the soldiers in the fortress seeing how they were prepared to surrender but when he sees how the females were brutally raped and abused he changes his mind (scene here: https://youtu.be/8ed4XRKuico?si=6g29-iR9StZC_xOl. (Nitsuj): Would have done the exact same thing).
Picking up where episode 6 left off, Toyohisa gathers all the trash in the courtyard but just before he can give the elves the order to kill them all Nobunaga knocks him out because he doesn’t want him to be tainted (it’s a little too late for that) and gives them the order to kill them all (scene here: https://youtu.be/oprFuMNbwBQ?si=_IWgx_el3VLTumKU, (Seras): Justice was served). After that the episode kind of goes slow as we see Nobunaga spread the word of their victory to all the other elf villages after returning their women and telling them to rise up with them which they all agree to do (Nitsuj: Yes! Ignite the flames of revolution and watch as the fire changes the world). Back in the capital of Orte (the name of the kingdom oppressing the elves) word spreads about the rebellion going on and they also have problems out at sea as their trade routes are being ambushed by a mercenary guild of griffon riders (Shizuku: My kind of guys) and leading this group is none other than Tamon Yamaguchi an admiral of the Japanese Navy during WWII. He commended a number of ships during the war but the one he’s most known for is the Hiryu which is the ship that was bought with him into the new world. Also, as long as we’re dishing out information (Seras: Which seems to be your bread and butter) you want to know who the founder of the Orte Empire is? It was Hitler (Nitsuj: This explains the whole elf-slavery thing). Hitler came to this world 50 years before the other Drifters. Giving speeches at local taverns he inspired the humans to rise up and form the Orte Empire (Seras: And in the process created discriminating laws against all non-human species. (Nitsuj): Yeah, I’m surprised that’s all he did given his track record). One day however he committed suicide for some mysterious reason but despite his death, the people of Orte still cling to his teachings and revere him as the “Father” of their country. We also get to meet Saint Germi a drag queen nobleman who was Hitler’s closest ally in the formation of the Orte Empire (Shizuku: He’s ugly! (Mira): Shizuku! Don’t be so truthful). Because of this he owns 25% of the kingdom (meaning he’s free to do whatever he wants. (Nitsuj): My prayers go out to all the men in that country) and despite his looks he’s also a Drifter. Even though he helped find the empire he’s not very loyal to it and when he sees it’s only a matter of time before the empire collapses he plans to jump ship and join Toyohisa and the others. Speaking of Toyohisa and the others we see Nobunaga try to mass produce his firearm (Shizuku: Time to bring these elves into modern warfare) but the elves and their blacksmiths can’t produce it because of its advanced technology (for them at least) however they do suggest that he get the dwarves to do it for him since this is their area of expertise (Seras: Or the Eagles from Lord of the Rings. *Shizuku and Mira nod in agreement with Seras* (Nitsuj): No. No more eagles. (Seras): But they solve everything. (Nitsuj): No! (Seras): Oh alright, we’ll get the dwarves to help us). The episode ends at night with them sensing the arrival of the Ends.
(Seras): So, in episode 7 we get our first big battle between The Drifters and the Ends. After the Ends attack the elf camp Toyohisa and the others spring into action. Toyohisa takes on Joan de Arc while Yoichi takes on Gilles de Rais (Mira: A loyal companion of Joan back in the day. After the war was over he soon retired and spent all his wealth to create a number of plays. (Nitsuj): I heard they didn’t do so well. (Mira): Hush! Around 1432 Gilles became accused/involved in child murders numbering in the hundreds. He was finally found guilty of his crimes in 1440 where he was hung. (Seras): Oh, this guy is sick. No wonder he and Joan get along. (Nitsuj): Actually, many historians have debated whether or not he really committed these crimes. Some say he was involved in a conspiracy set up by his government in order to gain his power. Others say he was deeply in love with Joan and committed these crimes in order to go to Hell and be with her). Toyohisa manages to beat Joan with the help of Olimu who uses her stone magic (don’t say anything! (Nitsuj): I wasn’t gonna say nothing. (Shizuku): You were thinking it. (Nitsuj). . . Yeah I was) to launch him through the air. He tackles Joan and they go flying into a well where Toyohisa is about to kill her but once he discovers that Joan is a girl he stands down saying there’s no honor in killing women and just knocks her out (Shizuku: I did not think of him as a man of chivalry). Back with Yoichi he has his problems with Gilles. Despite hitting him in all his vitals as well as in the eyes he refuses to go down. Thanks to Yoichi’s speed and agility, he manages to dodge all of Gilles’s attacks but he finally gets caught in some chains (Nitsuj: Oh hey, I didn’t know this anime had bondage. (Mira): Given this scene and the last scene of episode 5 I’m starting to think the author is telling us what his fetish is). He gets saved by the Wild Bunch and Seimei who come riding in and take down Gilles with the Gatling gun destroying his whole body yet despite this he still lives and tries to fight (Shizuku: Damn. That’s the original terminator right there). He finally accepts his death when he sees Joan gets away safely thanks to some goblins who fly her out and he turns into salt (Mira: Great. I’ll get the popcorn).
Episode 8 opens up where episode 7 left off. We see Yoichi still feeling anxious about almost dying when all of sudden he hears the voice of Yoshitune Minamoto said to be one of if not the most popular samurai in Japanese history and one of the best (Nitsuj: And the dude’s so handsome all the bitches wanna pants him). In the past, he was Yoichi’s master but they had some disagreement because Yoshitune implored dirty tactics to win which Yoichi didn’t like and refuses to follow his orders. At this point in the story we’re not sure if he’s a Drifter or with the Ends. On another part of the battlefield Nobunaga is blown away that he’s come face to face with Seimei (Mira: Now if you want to talk about historical figures in Japan you can’t get much more historical than Abe no Seimei. This guy was like the Merlin of Japan. He was a magician during the Heian period of Japan where he worked as an advisor for emperors and various other issues. He lived for quite some time devoid of any illness which was a big deal back in those days making many people believe that he was the son of a god or had celestial powers. Because of this belief, he’s involved in a number of Japanese folklore as well as films and stories). Seimei explains to Nobunaga that he’s the leader of Octobrist which gathers up Drifters to help fight the Dark King and his army and just like the others he too was sent to this world. After this explanation, we see that Scipio is missing and it’s left Barca in a very bad state mentally. During their escape they got pursued by the Dark King’s army where Scipio fell off the wagon and they couldn’t go back for him so now they don’t know where he is or even if he’s alive. We cut to Scipio where he comes across Naoshi who took over the beast man tribe and is now their leader (Shizuku: Wild beasts following an even wilder beast. (Mira): The craziest shall lead the crazy and the wildest shall lead the wild. (Nitsuj): Sums up humanity in a nutshell). Because they don’t understand each other and because of the whole WWII thing with Italy betraying the Axis and joining the Allies, Naoshi sees him as the enemy and they wind up fighting each other (scene here: https://youtu.be/vMcG2jeMCuU?si=EkU9wzsMU6lYBzg2). Back with the other Drifters, Octobrist delivers sulfur to Nobunaga for his gun powder. Now all they need is the dwarves and they’ll finally have guns. Seimei begins to worry about their situation because he’s unsure of what the Drifters will do next. Unlike the Ends who all share a common goal the Drifters don’t really have anything in common. They act according to their principles (like an animal acts according to its instincts) so there’s no telling what they’ll do next (Nitsuj: Yeah that makes sense. I mean look at Hitler, when he came to this world he wanted to rebuild the dignity of the people and succeeded but following his prejudice principles he began enslaving other races, passed these principles onto his followers, and now the kingdom is in an endless war). Once Seimei hears about Nobunaga’s plan to liberate the dwarves, take down the empire, and make Toyohisa king he wants to know why Nobunaga doesn’t take over seeing as how he would be more well suited (Nitsuj: You want this one Mira or should I? (Mira): Be my guest. You’ve earned it. (Nitsuj): It’s because his ways won’t work and he knows this. Nobunaga ruled on money and fear but as we all know the hearts of men aren’t that simple to control and manipulate. When that fear reaches its boiling point it’s only a matter of time before people turn against you and take you down. Toyohisa doesn’t work like that because he doesn’t want to be a king. He has the mindset of a warrior who fights for what he believes is right. Even if it’s a stupid idea and there’s no profit or benefit in it for him he’ll do it because he believes that’s what right. He’s a fool and that’s what makes him the perfect candidate to be a king and like all fools they really have no destination. That’s where Oda comes in, he can get Toyohisa to his destination while also helping him avoid going down the same path he did). While they talk, Toyohisa goes to check on Barca to see if he’s really out of it. He tries to kill him but Barca actually manages to stop him in his tracks which allows Toyohisa to see that even though he’s rambling like a madman there’s still sanity in his eyes. After this Toyohisa tells the elves he’s going to free the dwarves and the elves want no part in it (don’t become your enemies). Toyohisa says okay and decides he’ll do it alone but the elves come around and decide to help him. Seimei and the Wild Bunch decide to go search for Scipio and as a parting gift Butch gives Nobunaga a handgun and they leave behind the Gatling gun since they have no more rounds.
Episodes 9-12
Episode 9 is the liberation of the dwarves. Using the sulfur they create black powder and using that black powder they create bombs and drop those bombs on the knights of Orte (they never knew what hit them). Orte tries to fight back with their heavy armored soldiers but Olimu uses her charms to trap them in stone walls and take them all out with bombs (Mira: Nice strategy). If you like that strategy, they also use the charms to form a stairway up the wall to get pass the gate after the knights raise it (and the idea came from the senile old man. (Shizuku): And they said the crazy don’t contribute nothing to the team). They take out a majority of the soldiers and the remaining retreat behind the second gate for safety. Toyohisa and the elves free the dwarves and since they’re hungry and we can’t have them fighting on an empty stomach (Nitsuj: And the knights aren’t going anywhere) they decide to take a break from seizing the castle and eat (I’m all for this. (Nitsuj): Yeah me too. Let’s go to Longhorn Steakhouse. (Seras, Shizuku, and Mira): Yeah! *Everyone gets up and Nitsuj drives them to Longhorn Steakhouse where they eat and have a good time. About an hour passes and they return home* (Shizuku): *Chuckles* Man that was good. So what happens next? (Seras): Now, let’s go take a castle). While the dwarves and elves eat Toyohisa goes to negotiate with the remaining soldiers and tells them to surrender before the dwarves finish eating and kill them all. He promises not to kill them all if they agree to surrender peacefully and they agree to his terms however the captain of the knights must commit seppuku for losing the castle (Shizuku: It’s the law of the samurai). The captain refuses so Toyohisa decapitates him and allows everyone else to run away (scene here: https://youtu.be/ba9-bygFYFA?si=RK5Iili4G5QHyBZf). While that’s going on we see members of the Octobist spy on the Black King’s army where he has taught them farming techniques.
(Shizuku): Nothing much to say about episode 10. After freeing the dwarves and feeding them a lot of food (and I mean a lot) they return back to their regular bearded selves full of energy and vigor. Oda manages to give them his musket and they manage to produce a fully functional musket saying that they can make up to 10 a day (https://youtu.be/Kp56UB8g3vU). Germi and his twinkies (their word not ours) show up where he says he wants to join them and take down Orte but they have to do it the right way where the empire still has their power otherwise the surrounding kingdoms will swoop in and take them out (Mira: He’s right. If they don’t take down the empire correctly they will just be welcoming another war). While Germi is talking to Oda (Nitsuj: Those two are gonna have an odd friendship down the road) Germi’s twinkies try to fight Toyohisa to see if he’s worth following but they get easily defeated because Yoichi and Barca are their type (scene here: https://youtu.be/K2nGfeuCn5w?si=hvj5ski139Ygo89t (Seras): I can understand Yoichi but why Barca?). There’s also a few scenes with the Black King torturing a dragon but other than that and the stuff with Germi nothing really happens in this episode.
Things get quite exciting in episode 11. Teaming up with Germi, Toyohisa, Oda, Yoichi, the elves and dwarves manage to infiltrate the capital of the Orte Empire, Verlina. Germi calls for a meeting of the aristocrats where he announces that the Orte Empire is dead (and Shizuku City has been born). As he talks one of the aristocrats has been taken over by Rasputin (Nitsuj: Holy crap that bastard is in this anime? That guy almost took over Russia). He’s working with the Black King and have sent his troops into Verlina in order to take control of the empire. This however doesn’t faze the Drifters as this works to their advantage. The Black King has pretty much become an enemy of the empire so if the Drifters can defeat his army the people will follow them no problem and Oda pretty much tells Rasputin this to his ghostly face (Seras: He made you look like a damn fool). So now we’ve got a war on our hands (Mira: Luckily, they have three people who are very familiar and skilled in the art of war) and they prepare fast. Oda takes control of Germi’s army of 500 shirtless men (Mira: If they weren’t muscular twinkies this would be one of the greatest moments of my life), Yoichi takes control of the elves (the snipers), and Toyohisa takes control of the dwarves (the shocktroopers). As the episode enters its final moments we get to see the Drifters take the early lead and catch the Black King’s army off guard.
In the final episode of the season the Drifters continue their fight against the Ends where the leader of the troops takes to the field. Their leader is Hijikata a vice-commander of the Shinsengumi who holds a deep grudge against Toyohisa’s clan (Mira: Ah~ yes the Shinsengumi, one of history’s most well-known special forces. Although popular media paints them as brave and determined heroes during the Bakumatsu era, historians have called them nothing more than a death squad of ruthless murderers. The group was formed when Japan was forced to open up its borders for trade to different countries and was solely made to protect the shogunate. The group was primarily composed of young samurais and while it’s true they did protect their country, there was a lot of infighting, struggles for powers, and a few questionable rules they had to follow). The two fight where we see Hijikata has the power to summon the spirits of his fellow Shinsengumi brethren and while that’s going on the Black King’s army begins spreading fire randomly throughout the city and Oda is unsure of what to do until crazy Hannibal demonstrates it for him. Gather up the enemy in one spot and take them all out. After seeing this Oda realizes that the Black King’s army is still sticking to their original plan and trying to make the city theirs. The random fire is just a means to distract them and draw them out while the army makes their way to the capital building. Once the army enter the capital building hoping to attack Oda and the others from behind, Yoichi lights the place on fire killing all of them (Seras: You may be handsome Hijikata but strategy is not your strength). Speaking of Hijikata his fight with Toyohisa gets quite heated up as the two begin throwing punches at each other until the Black King orders him to retreat since his army is long dead (Nitsuj: Go on boy. You heard your daddy). So in the end the capital of Orte may have been damaged but it still stands and we get a shot of all the Drifters and the newest member of the Ends, Akechi Mitsuhide (boy I can’t wait to see him and Oda meet up with each other).
(Mira): There are three OVAs that came out a year after the anime ended but we couldn’t find them on any reliable sites.
Final Thoughts
(Nitsuj): And that was Drifters. An amazing anime from beginning to end.
(Seras): Not only does the anime have extreme violence and gore, but is also quite educational with it’s historical figures.
(Mira): It’s like what would happen if Fate/stay night was fused with Hellsing Ultimate.
(Shizuku): Why this anime hasn’t gotten a second season yet is beyond me. The fights are great. The animation is great. The characters are great. The music is great And there’s a lot of mystery and intrigue into what’s going on in this world and how these characters will impact it for better or worse. I’m curious to see what characters came before them like Hitler and impacted this world.
(Nitsuj): I really can’t think of a bad thing in this anime that I find fault with. It knows when to have a good laugh, get out exposition without feeling forced or lazy, the characters all have defining characteristics and personality that make them entertaining and not once does it feel boring. Every episode left me wanting more and I want more. What are waiting for Japan? Make a second season now.
Final Score
(Mira): Well I think this is a unanimous decision. Drifters gets a final score of 10/10 with a must watch stamp of approval.
(Seras): It really is a great series worth checking out. I like this more than Hellsing Ultimate and I love Hellsing Ultimate.
(Shizuku): While there’s no word of a second season, we still hold on to the hope that a second season will get made one day and continue the story of this series.
(Nitsuj): The manga has also been slow with the updates so many are saying this series has fizzled which makes this anime all the more important to check out this once in a generation great anime. Thanks for reading and thank you all for 600 projects. We’ll see you next time.