I haven't seen the anime, but I've read about 6-7 books from the original novel series. The original is a shoujo novel series that gets progressively dark and complicated. There are some gay elements, but the characters are supposed to be reincarnated warriors from Sengoku period, and in those days homosexuality were not taboo, but even expected during battle.
I gave up on the novel after a while because the story and the relationships between characters became too depressing and complicated for my taste.
I don't know how much the anime follows the original, but it should be dark, with a complex storyline.
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I haven't read the original novels, but the anime is quite dark, indeed, and it's also quite complex - the problem is, it's only 13 episodes, and it's painfully obvious that it's not enough for the story.
The story, by the way, revolves around reincarnated warriors and warlords who continue the fights of the Sengoku period, but on a spiritual level. The main character is Takaya, who's the reincarnation of one of these warriors, but for a reason supposedly revealed later, he can't remember his past. The 13 episodes are basically about how Takaya gets to know his real identity, and how he deals with it. The story also includes a taste of the fights the characters have to face in the future.
However, the 13 episodes are not nearly enough. Most characters don't get development, and remain mysteries (including Naoe, who's one of the most important characters in the novels), with their true intentions unknown. There are many plot elements that are introduced, but don't get resolved - in fact, the anime ends with the sentence "The real war is only beginning" (if I remember correctly). It's as if they were planning to make a second season, but for some reason, decided against it.
Also, if you're looking for some 'yaoi' interaction: those moments are few and far between. Mirage of Blaze doesn't indulge in fanservice, so the homosexual elements remain quite rare (as in the beginning of the novels, I guess), and they're definitely not in the focus of the story (quite far from it, actually).
All in all, I think you'd be better off renting this. It's definitely worth a look, but I wouldn't recommend buying it, unless you don't mind half-developed characters and unfinished plots. I expected much more from this series.
(Note: I watched most of the series in Japanese, and I didn't understand all of it - so feel free to correct me if I got the wrong impression about something.)
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