Forum - View topicThe List - 7 Eras of Japanese History as Told Through Anime
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18526 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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Another excellent option for the Taisho era is Taisho Baseball Girls, which deals with an effort to make a girls' baseball team during the era. It gets into expectations of gender roles at the time a lot, as well as the whole Japanese/Western dress issue.
Two other series which are set in the same time period are Doomed Megalopolis and Steel Angel Kurumi. |
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WingKing
Posts: 617 |
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I'm getting an error message with the poll that says "survey has not started yet"
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killjoy_the
 Posts: 2496 |
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^ The link is wrong for some reason. Use this one animenewsnetwork.com/survey/720/
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Top Gun
 Posts: 4835 |
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Samurai Champloo is another obvious choice for the Edo period, although its anachronistic nature means that it sometimes plays fast and loose with its historical elements. (Ninja baseball!)
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st_owly
 Posts: 5234 Location: Edinburgh, Scotland |
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Taisho Baseball Girls is great. I wish there was more anime or the novels were released in the West. |
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yuna49
 Posts: 3804 |
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So glad to see Hyouge Mono get the credit it deserves. I'll mention that nearly everyone in the story is an historical figure or based on one, not just the famous warlords but the protagonist Furuta Sasuke and the Tea Master Sen no Rikyu. The story does deviate sharply from historical canon at one critical point though, spoiler[showing Toyotomi Hideyoshi assassinating Oda Nobunaga at Honnouji].
I was surprised to see the equally obscure Showa Monogatari represent its period. (I'm the author of the description here.) One thing I especially enjoyed about this show was the little "travelogues" in each episode that compared locations depicted in the story with how those same places look today. I'll add Nijuu Mensou no Musume and Mouryou no Hako to the Showa period. Both include characters whose wartime experiences color their thoughts and behavior. Nijuu Mensou is based on a manga that is itself derived from the works of Edogawa Rampo. In the novels Nijuu Mensou is more like the Moriarty character in the Holmes stories. Here he is recast as a more noble thief trying to make amends for his actions during the War. I think Hirano Aya's work as the lead character Chizuko is one of her best, and least-known performances. Mouryou no Hako is dialogue-heavy so watch it when you're fully alert. Also I didn't realize at first that some of the sequences like the opening to episode one are based on the fictional stories written by some of the characters. You'll see a little billboard to that effect before the OP begins; you need to pay attention to those to know what is "real" and what is fictional. For the Edo period, I'd add Oh! Edo Rocket, an hilarious anachronistic romp set during the Tenpou Reforms. It's based on a stage play by Nakashima Kazuki, the screenwriter for Kill la Kill and Gurren Lagann. This show also includes historical events and personages like representatives of the fireworks-making Tamaya and Kagiya clans. Okada Mari reprises the ban on popular entertainments imposed by the Reforms in her script for the futuristic idol show AKB0048. I'll also recommend the "Medicine Seller" stories by Nakamura Kenji that began with the three-episode closing arc of Ayakashi Samurai Horror Tales called "Bake Neko" and continued on in the series Mononoke. These are set in late Edo and depict a world haunted by demons that result from the evil deeds of humans. The last arc in Mononoke retells the "Bake Neko" story but relocates it to the early Taisho period. Oh! Edo Rocket is available for free on YouTube as is the fansubbed version of Mouryou no Hako. Mononoke streams at Crunchyroll; the prequel "Bake Neko" is available only on DVD. None of the other shows is available legally in North America as far as I know. |
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trunkschan90
 Posts: 594 Location: California |
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The Karate Master takes place during the Post-WWII era. Pretty cool anime and is released by Discotek.
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MarshalBanana
 Posts: 5527 |
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I thought Monogatari would of been NO1
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Touma
 Posts: 2651 Location: Colorado, USA |
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I think that Sakura Wars is also set in the Taisho Era. Like the show on the list it uses an alternate timeline to allow for spirits. For the new poll I chose bad endings, mostly because I am curious about what they will be, and bad moms because I want to see if my two favorite (meaning I love to hate them) bad mothers will be on the list. Edited to fix some typos. Last edited by Touma on Sat Apr 29, 2017 3:20 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Joe Mello
 Posts: 2321 Location: Online Terminal |
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I thought Eden of the East was a very good Heisei milieu although I guess it's technically set in the future?
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AiddonValentine
 Posts: 2360 |
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Hyouge Mono also gets bonus points for remembering Yasuke, the earliest known foreign retainer to a daimyo. Who just so happened to be African.
Speaking of Nobunaga, I do feel we've really yet to have the quintessential anime for the demon king despite the fact that he's one of the most important figures in all of Japanese history. |
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Eigengrau
 Posts: 107 Location: Belgium |
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Just asking out of curiosity: any Jomon era anime?
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11637 |
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Since the article was first written, I guess we can now add Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu and Joker Game to the Showa era list.
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Kyjin
 Posts: 126 Location: Los Angeles |
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I'm a Japanese historian of the Heian and Kamakura periods, and let me tell you, it kills me that there isn't more anime about these periods of history. I'd love to be able to use them when I teach. (Luckily I can usually use some of the NHK period dramas for teaching...)
That said, I'd have to highlight Genji Monogatari Sennenki for Heian period as well. I think it's the best of the Tale of Genji anime adaptations, and really gives you a taste of elite life in the Heian period. |
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yuna49
Posts: 3804 |
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It's also exquisitely illustrated with a strong cast, but I lost interest about two-thirds of the way through. I keep intending to rewatch it. This Genji has one of the least-appropriate OPs of any show I've seen, a jarring rock number by PUFFY. Genji ran in the noitaminA slot where such unlikely combinations were more common like the rap OP for Ayakashi. Speaking of OP/ED's the closing song of Hyouge Mono, the Samba-flavored "Kizuna" by Saito Yuki, is one of my all-time favorites.
I really enjoyed his portrayal in Hyouge Mono. I knew little about Nobunaga before watching that show and learned a lot about his fascination with Portuguese fashion, European armament, and iron-hulled ships. |
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