Summary:
We get a quick montage of various heroes from various warring states, but the initial focus is on the motorcycle-horse gang under Date Masamune; the trio of hotblooded Sanada Yukimura, cool Sarutobi Sasuke, and their master Takeda Shingen; and feminine Bishamonten monk Uesugi Kenshin. Basically, Masamune is planning a surprise attack on Kenshin. Kenshin’s rival, Shingen, sends simpleton Yukimura out to either intercept Masamune or (if Masamune doesn’t attack) draw Kenshin out. As Shingen expected, Kenshin discovers the plot to attack from the rear via his scantily clad fangirl, Kasuga, and dodges Masamune to face off against Shingen.
Although Shingen and Kenshin spend the whole night mean mugging instead of fighting, Masamune and Yukimura end up having a surprisingly fierce battle. Before Masamune can gain the upper hand, Sasuke intercedes to inform Masamune that the One-eyed Dragon’s forces are nearly surrounded by two armies, and Masamune’s retainer, Katakura Kojuro, convinces Masamune to retreat for now. Kojuro later helps Masamune repay Shingen by stealing Shingen’s Woodpecker Strategy in order to train Imagawa Yoshimoto’s defenders onto Shingen’s unprepared troops, allowing Masamune to surge ahead to tag Yoshimoto before anyone else.
Reaction:
I thought that Sengoku Basara would be stupid and it is; however, it is stupid in a beautifully animated and calculated hilarious way. The action is very nicely choreographed and yet the show does not take itself too seriously. I mean, check out Masamune’s men riding a horse dressed as a Tiger (of Kai) while throwing up the horns (and bask in the lush background scenery, too). Even annoyingly shounen Yukimura is the butt of many jokes and it eases my heart to see him repeatedly punched in the face.
So far I like Kenshin’s group the best, because I like watching Kasuga helplessly watch as Kenshin and Shingen make bedroom eyes at each other. The initial tactics were kinda convoluted, but I got the sense that Shingen did not want Masamune killing or weakening Kenshin because Shingen wanted to have a fair and epic battle against his rival/lover. I think that once an enemy is tagged, non-party players cannot loot or gain experience from the enemy, which explains the mad rush to be first into each battle.
This post was written by...
Kabitzin – who has written 1971 posts on Sea Slugs! Anime Blog.
One of the founders of Sea Slugs, I handle most of the blog admin tasks while wearing my I AM BOSS shirt. I like my action series well choreographed, and my romance series extra trashy. I also have a soft spot for puns.
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Ig you like Kenshin’s group best, the start of episode 2 will be right up your alley, haha. Already one of my favorite shows ever
Interesting; it sounds action-packed!
When you say “train” Yoshimoto’s defenders onto Shingen’s troops, do you mean in the MMORPG sense of the word? Wait, you also write, “once an enemy is tagged, non-party players cannot loot or gain experience from the enemy . . . ” So yes, you do.
Of course, the historical reason troops rush in is they want to die for glory, right?
Yes, as in train a whole slew of Crawlers to the entrance and MPK everyone in sight.
And troops want glory and phat lewts.
JUST WAIT UNTIL YOU SEE THE TWO HORSES RUNNING UP A WALL.
I’m not sure which is more awesome: the horses or the man!
I’m conflicted about this show.
On the one hand, the girls are fantastic.
On the other, I don’t know if I can deal with this much testosterone simply for some tits.
I can get 100% testosterone free tits just by watching Queen’s Blade instead.
On the other hand, you can watch Sengoku Basara with a friend and not feel awkward.
So?
There are a dozen other shows that fit that definition airing right now. That doesn’t really mean anything.
You have a point…
Acid-boob cannons with slime hands vs. motorcycle horses… hmmm.