Overview
This anime opens with a scene of Sekigahara battle. Then our attention is shifted to a heated duel between Mibu Kyoshiro and Oni Me No Kyo. However, their duel was stalled when a shooting star slammed into the plain and inadvertently overwhelmed the battle as well as the duel...
4 years after the scene, Kyoshiro is, obviously, saved from the tragedy. Nevertheless, he has an amnesia. Maybe it is because of the immense impact of the shooting star. He is now a gentle and harmless traveling physician.
Then, enters a so-called bounty hunter Shiina Yuya. She thought Mibu Kyoshiro is Oni Me No Kyo. But she is mistaken and Kyoshiro is just a weakling.
What happened to Oni Me No Kyo?
In my opinion, aesthetic-wise, SAMURAI DEEPER KYO is brilliant. It integrates Japanese history (The Battle of Sekigahara and Tokugawa Era) without forsaking the element of surprise, comic and excitement of an anime. The fighting sequences are awesome and very remarkable. I really love the portrayal of Sanada Yukimura. His exterior doesn't indicate any signs of a great swordsman. But that is all stripped off during one of the fighting scenes. Same goes with Benitora a.k.a. Tokugawa Hidetada. Through his attire and the Kansai accent when he speaks, he certainly manages to obscure his real identity. I also love the idea that the protagonist (which one? You gotta watch this anime first) is an anti-thesis of a traditional hero. Somwhow, the protagonist reminds me Kenshin Himura a.k.a Hitokori Battosai. Although he has a samurai katana in his hand, he tries his best not to resort to violence.
Now here comes the not-so-good part. Plot-wise I think that this anime is a bit let-down. I understand most of the storyline up until episode 11. After that, this anime is is quite confusing! There are way too many conflicts and too many characters for a short anime (26 episodes). Maybe because, I am not really well-versed in Japanese history.
Another problem I would like to point out is, I don't really relish the idea that some of the villains turn into monsters known as Kenyou. I find it a tad ludicrous... And, why the title is Samurai Deeper Kyo, is beyond me!
All in all, I would love to recommend this anime to all. However, please equip yourselves a bit on Japanese history... Download HERE for the full episodes.
[Notes]
- Sanada Yukimura, Tokugawa Iyesu, Tokugawa Hidetada, Hattori Hanzo, Okuni and some other characters are actually based on real people back during Tukugawa Era.
- Does Hattori Hanzo ring a bell to you? If you ever watched Kill Bill, the blacksmith who forged The Bride's katana is also named Hattori Hanzo...
