The first movie from this era I had watched, and definitely shaped my sense of aesthetic and values. From the beginning to the end, the movie is simply about love. Each and every person tries to protect one another in their own way, which unknowingly shows up as ruthless, cruel, and dirty.
In short, I absolutely love everything about this movie.
From the darkness of the set, to the iconic music “Love Ballade”, to the sound of friction of the kimono…
The undeniably cultured cast of Mifune as Kondo Isami, Mikuni as Serizawa Kamo, Kitaoji as Okita Soji, Kobayashi as Hijikata Toshizo(only mistake in the casting) already makes it worth seeing. Unlike any other Shinsengumi movies and shows, this movie focuses on the hardships and inner fights in Shinsengumi, focusing on the misunderstanding of being “makoto”. Some nice changes are done to such as how Okita dies and the absence of Nagakura Shinpachi in the Ikedaya incident, though these were done…
