Sidooh vol.15 review & summary!
Today I bought the 15 volume of Sidooh by Tsutomu Takahashi :3
From today on I'll start accurate reviews of this series, 'cause I fel like pimping it out appropriately :/ !
I hoped that the releases would go a little faster now that it's finished in Japan, but this last volume still sported the undefined "coming soon!" regarding the next installment =_=
Also, such delayed releases made me lost the sense of what I'm reading, so after this I had to re-check vol.14, 13 and 12 again to get what the hell was happening, LOL XD I also decided to finally do some "homework" about the Bakumatsu period, so the reading wouldn't keep being so nebulous >_>;; Of course I share all of this right here!
So, the previous volume ended with the incident of Ikedaya (when Shinsengumi slayed some "politicians" who were planning a series of attacks in Kyoto to undermine the bakufu), and in this one we're shown the rebellion of Hamaguri (that showed what I'll call "Emperor Party" vs the "Bakufu Party").
...Since probably you don't know:
Emperor Party -> (wants the Emperor alone to rule the nation) - composed by: Choshu Domain + Sonnojoi.
Bakufu Party -> (wants the Bakufu -aka the Shogun- rule the nation under the Emperor's blessing) - composed by: Aizu Domain + Satsuma Domain + Shinsengumi.
Of course the protagonists of this story, the brothers Shotaro and Gentaro, if it's not clear yet, are part of the Bakufu Party, since their wish to become samurai and their training in Aizu.
So, the volume opens with the Choshu guys getting ready to make some mess in Kyoto.
We're also shown that pretty-pretty Shinsaku is not dead!
--And I'm a bit shocked, 'cause he looked as if he was about to do harakiri on volume 13 after Shotaro defeated him in a duel ò_o ..Oh, well.
--I'm somehow happy that the shamisen rocker is still around XD
So, as the Choshu guys got all fired up, we're shown Saigo Takamori (I took a picture of his statue at Ueno park when I was in Tokyo, fufu!) joining the Aizu people.
He manages to meet Shotaro there, and of course he got kinda gay over him, LOL.
--After all Shotaro is SO PRETTY ;_; <3
So, Shotaro is there to meet the Aizu leaders to discuss some stuff.
Here the boss tells him that Iemochi-chan decided to promote his "White Army" to the rank of an "official" troop in Aizu domain. Shotaro is of course overjoyed, but he's even more when he got to meet his new commander--
IT'S KANBEI-SAN, the guy who trained both Sho and Gen back in Aizu ;o; !!!
Kanbei brings also a picture for Gen showing an extremely dolled-up Kikuno-chan ;3;
Aaah, she's so cute ;3; <3 --Of course this makes Gentaro all nostalgic and stuff, but he nice mood is disrupted by Kanbei coming up with the fact that Sho and Mozu should make some babies =_= I still got goosebumps at the idea =_=
So... uhm, yeah, we're shown that meanwhile Rugi is plotting in the dark.
I really dislike Rugi, but I must admit that he has quite a nice overview on political issues. I really liked how he pointed out the differences between Eastern and Western politics with the example of medicine :D
Then, as the Choshu guys are gathering at Tenryuji temple, the Bakufu Party is getting all fired up at Nijo castle.
Here we're introduced to another pretty dark boy, Yoshinobu Hitotsubashi.
Seriously, this is the first manga EVER where the members of the Tokugawa family are not portrayed like ugly, useless chubbies. I'm somehow amused, yanno.
--Also, Takahashi-sensei decided to portray Yoshinobu as a fan of photography. He's getting pictures of himself taken during the whole volume, LOL.
Then, there's some dramatic action.
While the Bakufu Party is getting ready to face the Emperor Party, the "White Army" of Shotaro and Kanbei is sent to a special mission to get rid of the Choshu guys at Tenryuji.
Unfortunately they are spotted by the enemy, and they are forced to hide into an abandoned house, Shotaro severely injuried ;_; !!
Trapped like this, Kanbei suggest to fake a surrender, so to surprise-attack the guys when they'll be distracted and less tense.
Shotaro offers for the task, since he's wounded and can't fight as he wishes... Gentaro freaks out, he's not going to allow that D': !!!
So, cute brotherly moments ensue:
AWWW at Gentaro telling Shotaro that he can't even imagine to live in a world without his bro ;3; <3
So, yeah, Shotaro and Same face this guy, Katsura, that apparently betrayed them at a certain point. I can't remember him at all, so I assume that he was from a volume earlier than the 12th, LOL-- But he's indeed a smartass. He refuses the surrending and tells Sho and Same to take it like samurai and do seppuku instead. --S-SO PERFECTLY EVIL x'D
And at this point Shotaro decides to give up on Kanbei's plan and, since he has to take out his sword anyway, he could use it for a fight instead XD --Please, note the Tokugawa crest on Shotaro's robe :DDDDD !
Well, and at this point Kanbei decided to let go of Gen who was just dying to help his bro XD
Fight ensues.
Here Kanbei killing some of the Emperor Party.
I'll always be amazed by the elegance of Takahashi-sensei's inking skills :D° So dynamic, elegant and yet intense ;_; ...
So, Gentaro managed to take a hold of this Katsura evil guy and he's up for some nice execution...
..But he hesitates and he's shooted by an extra instead D': !!!!
OH GOD, I FELT KINDA SICK AT THIS POINT.
I didn't care for Shotaro getting wounded, but if Gentaro was about to die it's as if this manga would have lost the 40% of awesomeness in one go ;___; !!!
BUT, he wasn't dead, 'cause the head-protector did the trick and he just got a superficial wound ;3;
...More adorable brotherly moments for my joy.
So, while Shotaro and Gentaro are contemplating each other, the other guys of the Bakufu Party are partying hard.
There Yoshinobu and Saigo have somehow of a bitterweet meeting--
--BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, YAY RIYANKINA!!!!
Aaah, I adore this cute boy <3 Must be because he reminds me of Sohma from Kuroshitsuji XDD --But Riyankina is defintely more badass. Aaaah∼ I hope to see him in action soon <3 !
Once back, Gentaro is up for some training with Kanbei to get stronger, so that Katsura won't be given a second chance to escape.
And Shotaro and Mozu decide to have kids.
Seriously, the least thing that I wanted to see was Mozu's boobs and stupid metaphores for orgasm. Instead, I got ONE WHOLE CHAPTER ABOUT THIS CRAP.
Sorry Sho, but really hope to see this bitch dead.
--Of course no pictures of smexy Mozu, 'cause I'm childish like that XD
--And the volumes finishes with Sakamoto Ryoma and Nakaoka Shintaro approaching Rugi's hideout to get ready for some revolutionary action.
I don't know what hystorical moment the next volume will feature... According to chronology, the appearance of Ryoma & Shin on the last page (dated December 1864), comes after a lots of intriguing battles and conflicts, so I don't know.
--So I hope that volume 16 will be out soon XD
This entry was originally posted at http://daeva-neesan.dreamwidth.org/451722.html ∼
From today on I'll start accurate reviews of this series, 'cause I fel like pimping it out appropriately :/ !
I hoped that the releases would go a little faster now that it's finished in Japan, but this last volume still sported the undefined "coming soon!" regarding the next installment =_=
Also, such delayed releases made me lost the sense of what I'm reading, so after this I had to re-check vol.14, 13 and 12 again to get what the hell was happening, LOL XD I also decided to finally do some "homework" about the Bakumatsu period, so the reading wouldn't keep being so nebulous >_>;; Of course I share all of this right here!
So, the previous volume ended with the incident of Ikedaya (when Shinsengumi slayed some "politicians" who were planning a series of attacks in Kyoto to undermine the bakufu), and in this one we're shown the rebellion of Hamaguri (that showed what I'll call "Emperor Party" vs the "Bakufu Party").
...Since probably you don't know:
Emperor Party -> (wants the Emperor alone to rule the nation) - composed by: Choshu Domain + Sonnojoi.
Bakufu Party -> (wants the Bakufu -aka the Shogun- rule the nation under the Emperor's blessing) - composed by: Aizu Domain + Satsuma Domain + Shinsengumi.
Of course the protagonists of this story, the brothers Shotaro and Gentaro, if it's not clear yet, are part of the Bakufu Party, since their wish to become samurai and their training in Aizu.
So, the volume opens with the Choshu guys getting ready to make some mess in Kyoto.
We're also shown that pretty-pretty Shinsaku is not dead!
--And I'm a bit shocked, 'cause he looked as if he was about to do harakiri on volume 13 after Shotaro defeated him in a duel ò_o ..Oh, well.
--I'm somehow happy that the shamisen rocker is still around XD
So, as the Choshu guys got all fired up, we're shown Saigo Takamori (I took a picture of his statue at Ueno park when I was in Tokyo, fufu!) joining the Aizu people.
He manages to meet Shotaro there, and of course he got kinda gay over him, LOL.
--After all Shotaro is SO PRETTY ;_; <3
So, Shotaro is there to meet the Aizu leaders to discuss some stuff.
Here the boss tells him that Iemochi-chan decided to promote his "White Army" to the rank of an "official" troop in Aizu domain. Shotaro is of course overjoyed, but he's even more when he got to meet his new commander--
IT'S KANBEI-SAN, the guy who trained both Sho and Gen back in Aizu ;o; !!!
Kanbei brings also a picture for Gen showing an extremely dolled-up Kikuno-chan ;3;
Aaah, she's so cute ;3; <3 --Of course this makes Gentaro all nostalgic and stuff, but he nice mood is disrupted by Kanbei coming up with the fact that Sho and Mozu should make some babies =_= I still got goosebumps at the idea =_=
So... uhm, yeah, we're shown that meanwhile Rugi is plotting in the dark.
I really dislike Rugi, but I must admit that he has quite a nice overview on political issues. I really liked how he pointed out the differences between Eastern and Western politics with the example of medicine :D
Then, as the Choshu guys are gathering at Tenryuji temple, the Bakufu Party is getting all fired up at Nijo castle.
Here we're introduced to another pretty dark boy, Yoshinobu Hitotsubashi.
Seriously, this is the first manga EVER where the members of the Tokugawa family are not portrayed like ugly, useless chubbies. I'm somehow amused, yanno.
--Also, Takahashi-sensei decided to portray Yoshinobu as a fan of photography. He's getting pictures of himself taken during the whole volume, LOL.
Then, there's some dramatic action.
While the Bakufu Party is getting ready to face the Emperor Party, the "White Army" of Shotaro and Kanbei is sent to a special mission to get rid of the Choshu guys at Tenryuji.
Unfortunately they are spotted by the enemy, and they are forced to hide into an abandoned house, Shotaro severely injuried ;_; !!
Trapped like this, Kanbei suggest to fake a surrender, so to surprise-attack the guys when they'll be distracted and less tense.
Shotaro offers for the task, since he's wounded and can't fight as he wishes... Gentaro freaks out, he's not going to allow that D': !!!
So, cute brotherly moments ensue:
AWWW at Gentaro telling Shotaro that he can't even imagine to live in a world without his bro ;3; <3
So, yeah, Shotaro and Same face this guy, Katsura, that apparently betrayed them at a certain point. I can't remember him at all, so I assume that he was from a volume earlier than the 12th, LOL-- But he's indeed a smartass. He refuses the surrending and tells Sho and Same to take it like samurai and do seppuku instead. --S-SO PERFECTLY EVIL x'D
And at this point Shotaro decides to give up on Kanbei's plan and, since he has to take out his sword anyway, he could use it for a fight instead XD --Please, note the Tokugawa crest on Shotaro's robe :DDDDD !
Well, and at this point Kanbei decided to let go of Gen who was just dying to help his bro XD
Fight ensues.
Here Kanbei killing some of the Emperor Party.
I'll always be amazed by the elegance of Takahashi-sensei's inking skills :D° So dynamic, elegant and yet intense ;_; ...
So, Gentaro managed to take a hold of this Katsura evil guy and he's up for some nice execution...
..But he hesitates and he's shooted by an extra instead D': !!!!
OH GOD, I FELT KINDA SICK AT THIS POINT.
I didn't care for Shotaro getting wounded, but if Gentaro was about to die it's as if this manga would have lost the 40% of awesomeness in one go ;___; !!!
BUT, he wasn't dead, 'cause the head-protector did the trick and he just got a superficial wound ;3;
...More adorable brotherly moments for my joy.
So, while Shotaro and Gentaro are contemplating each other, the other guys of the Bakufu Party are partying hard.
There Yoshinobu and Saigo have somehow of a bitterweet meeting--
--BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, YAY RIYANKINA!!!!
Aaah, I adore this cute boy <3 Must be because he reminds me of Sohma from Kuroshitsuji XDD --But Riyankina is defintely more badass. Aaaah∼ I hope to see him in action soon <3 !
Once back, Gentaro is up for some training with Kanbei to get stronger, so that Katsura won't be given a second chance to escape.
And Shotaro and Mozu decide to have kids.
Seriously, the least thing that I wanted to see was Mozu's boobs and stupid metaphores for orgasm. Instead, I got ONE WHOLE CHAPTER ABOUT THIS CRAP.
Sorry Sho, but really hope to see this bitch dead.
--Of course no pictures of smexy Mozu, 'cause I'm childish like that XD
--And the volumes finishes with Sakamoto Ryoma and Nakaoka Shintaro approaching Rugi's hideout to get ready for some revolutionary action.
I don't know what hystorical moment the next volume will feature... According to chronology, the appearance of Ryoma & Shin on the last page (dated December 1864), comes after a lots of intriguing battles and conflicts, so I don't know.
--So I hope that volume 16 will be out soon XD
This entry was originally posted at http://daeva-neesan.dreamwidth.org/451722.html ∼