From Otomate Staff Blog on 2010/9/3.
One of the reader questions sent to Otomate was "who has the best capacity for liquor?"
This is answered by Producer Fujisawa, who is like the father of Hakuouki series.
Surprisingly he gave such detailed answers. Curious about what your favorite character would be like when having too much liquor? Check this out! :D
Please dont copy-paste this elsewhere. Linking to this page is okay. :)
Great Capacity
#1
1st place Kazama Chikage 風間千景 (outranked, for reference only.)
An Oni is different from normal human to begin with. His capacity and attitude toward liquor is unmatched. Although he's an Oni, he says things like "Liquor is the best thing human makes."
He's picky on the brand and taste, and only drinks what he likes. Usually he knows when to stop. But only when with his wife, he might get carried away and get drunk. If caught in such situation, just give up.#2
2nd place Serizawa Kamo 芹澤鴨 (outranked, for reference only.)
The title "酔仙(drunken immortal)" suits him. He's probably the only human able to match Kazama.
Although he's usually known for rowdy behavior, he's surprisingly savvy at enjoying drinking. When abiding by "Serizawa Rule", he will take care of the liquor, women, and pay the bill too. However, once breaking his rule, anything could happen. Life may be shortened, whether he's drunk or sober. In one word, steer clear of him.
The only ones who could stay safe in Serizawa's banquet would be ones as rough as him, or sexy geisha that he likes.#3
3rd place Saitou Hajime 斎藤一
Number one capacity in Shinsengumi.
Although he looks the same no matter how much he drank, actually he can't remember a thing halfway through. In a way, maybe that's the most troublesome companion in drinking.
When he talks to a direction where nobody's there, or seriously replying yet way off beam, please consider him drunk. Especially when he starts talking about swords, better not try to stop him.
Reasons like "there's no more sake", "the budget is running out", or "it's Shinsengumi's policy" are good for dissuading him from drinking more. He would listen.#4
4th place Nagakura Shinpachi 永倉新八 (#1 for normal drinkers)
Less than Saitou, but he's almost the top in Shinsengumi.
Although it's his motto to drink happily, he doesn't notice if others are happy too.
He sometimes starts complaining when getting drunk, but once he had enough, he's a jolly man.
He loves flirting with geisha, but the problem is he doesn't know when to stop.
Who drinks with him should be careful, for he's the only one that can become a Rasetsu with alcohol.#5
5th place Harada Sanosuke 原田左之助
The big brother type who only drinks in a grown-up way. Recently he learned how to drink while being a good listener.
Although he often listens to other people's worries, surprisingly there's no one he can consult. Therefore he might start complaining after drink too much with his old pals. He even dances naked when he gets carried away. He's young at heart. In that case please admonish him severely "you're not young anymore".
He can still play the role of a big brother even when drunk, and is in charge of accounting and taking the drunken ones back to the quarters.#6
6th place Inoue Genzaburou 井上源三郎
Surprisingly good. He had many chances to drink when he was young (back in Tama), that was when he expanded his capacity. Now he no longer chugs, but drinks little by little. When drinking, his usual calm smile is replaced by an expression showing how much he enjoys it.
Like Saitou, it's alright to leave him drinking alone. However, when ignored, he might fall asleep while still sitting. And since he always sits in the corner, there's a possibility for him to be forgotten when everyone leaves.
Average Capacity
#7
7th place Shiranui Kyou 不知火匡 (for reference)
Oni is born with big appetite. He's the type that enjoys drinking by himself: sitting laid back, drinking, while listening to others gossip. He's basically cheerful as usual after drinking.
He rarely gets drunk. When he does, his attitude toward men doesn't change much, but for women he may try to sleep in her lap.#7
also 7th place Nagumo Kaoru 南雲薰 (for reference)
Quite dangerous after drinking.
When drunk, he will reveal the other side of him: a maudlin drinker boasting about his sister, and bickering about the man that stole his sister.
He usually doesn't drink with others. If drinking with him, be careful not to get drunk. Only she(?) knows the whereabouts of her drunken opponent.#9
9th place Toudou Heisuke 藤堂平助
He loves the fluffy feeling after drinking.
Since he's always the one charging ahead of others, he's the party master that leads the cheer, calls chug, and liven up the atmosphere.
However, since he's not aware of his own capacity, he often falls asleep before he knows it.
He leads only the party part, so a good accountant is needed for taking care the rest.
He also drinks when depressed, but falls in the negative spiral after drinking.#10
10th place Okita Souji 沖田総司
Average capacity. His motto is "Sake is the best medicine", and he sips slowly.
When a little tipsy, it's hard to tell since it's no different from his usual behavior.
Please consider him drunk when he's getting closer to people than usual.
When he starts adding "deshu" at the end of each sentence, that's quite dangerous.
To enjoy drinking with him, change the subject to Kondou, and avoid talking about Hijikata.
A good listener about Kondou might see the side of him that he usually doesn't show.#11
11th place Ootori Keisuke 大鳥圭介
Average capacity but gets drunk quickly. He becomes more cheerful after drinking.
Because of his pride as a leader, he's open to consultations.
However, since he lacks confidence and he really isn't getting success in battles, oftentimes he's the one becoming depressed and needs to be comforted by his subordinates instead.
This non-leader-like attitude seems to make him even more loved by his subordinates.
Basically he's cheerful, although he becomes a maudlin drinker when drunk.#12
12th place Sannan Keisuke 山南敬助
He drinks to celebrate or on special occasions.
Although he can take a reasonable amount, he tends to preach after drinking, so others avoid drinking with him. Even if he's saying the right thing, no one can stop his non-stop preaching.
If listening to him nicely, it'll end smoothly... eventually. Ignoring him is adding fuel to the fire.
Needs extra attention since it doesn't take much to get him started.
BTW, although he's basically preaching for the listener's own good, the next day when he wakes and remembers everything, he thinks "I've done this again!" and regrets it.#13
13th place Yamazaki Susumu 山崎烝
He considers drinking as a social activity.
He drinks to the extent that's enjoyable without getting drunk, and is careful not to expose his drunken looks to others. When actually drunk, he tries to do things to calm himself down and respond politely. Please pretend you didn't notice the difference.
If it's someone he feels comfortable to be drunk in front of, such as someone who understands his situation and shares his thoughts, he will become sentimental and cry, with arms on each other's shoulders.
Can't Drink or Don't Drink
#14
14th place Shimada Kai 島田魁
He's often forced to drink when he's young, as a result he hates drinking. He's more like "not drinking" rather than "can't drink". Now since he's in good terms with Nagakura, he's happier to drink, and can take a decent amount.
But even after joining Shinsengumi, his financial status prevents him from drinking much.#15
15th place Kondou Isami 近藤勇
He gets drunk by the atmosphere rather than the alcohol itself.
Like Hijikata, his limit is 4 pints. After that he gets all red. Stop him now and the banquet can end in a joyful mood. But there are so many social activities in Kyoto, it's barely possible.
If he's being more courageous than usual, please consider him drunken beyond limit.#16
16th place Hijikata Toshizou 土方歳三
Although he says "it's not that I can't drink, I don't drink", his limit is about 4 pints.
Among the leaders of Shinsengumi, he's the weakest to alcohol. Yet he claims to be better than Kondou-san. Since there are numerous social occasions that he must drink, he always sips slowly. When he starts joking mildly, it's evidence that he's tipsy.
Although it's rare to see him drunk because of his strong self-control, in case he really does, he starts venting his pent-up anger. He's the type that suddenly gets angry and starts preaching. So be careful when drinking with him. Once he starts, it's best not to oppose him.#17
17th place Amagiri Kyuuju 天霧九寿 (for reference)
Oni can drink, but he doesn't like to.
He doesn't seem to know what it's like to be drunk. So maybe he can take a lot.
Once drunk, he'd probably worry about feeling sick.
Personal comments:
1) Hey! Why is the "normal" line drawn there? Isn't that leaving someone out of the normal range? XD
2) The "doesn't notice if others are happy too" comment about Shinpachi reminds me of
what Ryu says about him.
3) *wants to know who's the one Yamazaki feels comfortable drinking with*
4) This background setting is so detailed that I'm wondering if it'll be used in the future, like in more drama CD's or Reimeiroku. (Drama CD's involving drinking:
Shinsengumi Detective Files and
Drink But Don't Be Drunken.)
Note:
The one that surprises me most is Saitou. But I see why, since in history... (spoilers?)
Saitou Hajime died in 1915 at age 72, sitting in seiza, as a samurai of Mugai-ryū.
The direct cause was stomach ulcer, which was a result from stress and drinking.
Also in 1915 that Nagakura Shinpachi died at age 77, from periostitis and sepsis, which was a result of dental cavity.
In Hakuouki he has a sweet tooth. I wonder if that's why.
While we're at it... Here's the most unimaginable merchandise: sake!
720 ml of rice sake packed in cherry-blossom-colored clear bottles. 2940 yen.
Only available in 2 stores: Animate Ikebukuro Flagship & Animate Nagoya. The release date is Oct 7th. And of course, when preordering or buying, show a photo ID to prove you're above legal drinking age! ;)
I guess this also shows how important alcohol is in the world of Hakuouki. :D