I find the premise of Meiji Gekken 1874 interesting, as I’m a sucker for samurai tales set in the Meiji Era. But there’s just too much of- well, everything. Too many plot threads, too many characters (some historical, some strictly fictional), too many damn names. And much of it is not really joined properly, for lack of a more elegant way to phrase it. Things just sort of happen one right after the other and characters react to them. If ever there was a script in need of an editor, in my humble opinion it’s this one.
Another issue is that the production values are pretty choppy. All that no-face stuff this week is never a sign of a healthy production. That’s not a deal-breaker but if the action sequences start to really crater (so far they haven’t), that could be fatal for a swordfighting anime. All this is too bad because I do kind of like the series, parts of it anyway. I suspect I’ll keep watching for a while at least but this is probably it in terms of blogging. But as always, I’m open to having my mind changed by what happens on-screen.
Otcho_Shogun
February 7, 2024 at 8:11 amI very much enjoy the series so far. it tries to jungle many plotlines, factions and characters and we`ll have to see, if they can properly pull that off in 12 episodes. But I like its ambition and the general feel and look here, so I’m definitly going to finish it (barring it falling apart of course).
The biggest problem is the main character, who really is not deep and interesting enough to carry a show like this. It’s unfortunate, but there are at least a few good side characters with potential.
Nicc
February 8, 2024 at 8:05 amAgreed, this was a strange episode as the flow was so disjointed. It was cut up into short segments with some of them related to this episode and others for future plot threads. Then, it finally gets back to the main plot of the episode. Indeed, there are more names and faces to remember and including a dog now. I may have to start keeping a spreadsheet if I want to remember all of these people.
Just like last week, Shizuma stumbles into another case. Somebody has been murdered (Just one this time) and it seems to be related to an upcoming fencing tournament. The victim could have been taken out by a participant in that tournament and so he’s going to work undercover in that tournament. The episode eventually gets there after a bunch of little detours about other events and other people. It looks like Shuragami’s true identity isn’t so secret anymore and there could be a target on this back now. Shizuma makes into the final group of eight in the tournament, which may include the suspect in the murder. I’m not sure if the show can handle any more plot threads being piled on.