bakumatsu yashashu go!

[insaneneko]

I wanted something to flip through right before bed, so I picked up one of the Mirage prequel books, Shishi kurau, and quickly realized I hadn't read it yet. It threw me off because it was set in the Bakumatsu period....All the others were set in their first lives as Yashashu, so everything's radically different. It was interesting to see how their loyalties have become divided--Haruie can't push himself at Kagetora anymore partly because he'd once asked to leave the group for love, everyone is allied with different factions and it *really* matters, and Kagetora has become really tired of "living." But it was a jarring change. I suppose Bakumatsu is always an interesting setting (tho a bit of a cop-out, precisely *because* it's so interesting??), but...It'd have been nice if she'd shown how they changed over time more. *sighs* I laughed at Naoe's belief in Kagetora when others were more doubtful, and at the end he insists on following Kagetora despite the fact that he'll betray his current life to do so. You see a bit of the crazy dog Naoe from the original series, but it felt a bit lacking because she jumped time so much. One other thing that was irritating--so many names! I knew some of the Shinsengumi names because they are so famous and used in lots of manga and other stories, and the names of the big movers of the Meiji Restoration, but there were tons of people I got confused about. I'll have to go back and read it at leisure, since this time I was reading more for the Yashashu characterizations and relationships.

I also really liked the interaction between Naoe and Kagetora when Naoe was still a little boy in his current life and Kagetora was an old man in his previous one. Kagetora had come to visit Naoe before he died, and it had a bittersweet tone to it. I want to see more of how Kagetora had become worn down. He's so vigorous in the other prequel novels!

I wanted to pet Nagahide when he turns out to be dressed in Western clothing and is all enthusiastic about the foreigners. How typical of him. XD;

Like one reviewer on Amazon Japan commented, I hope Kuwabara-sensei eventually writes about the thing with Minako...

Now I want to rewatch the series....Maybe reread it, as well. :P