OP: “Onigoto (鬼事)” by Kento Nakajima (中島健人)

It’s a big season for the Ashikaga Clan. Yoshitsune is a major character in World is Dancing – and indeed, was one in the life of Zeami. And Grandpa Takauji gets his turn as Nige Jouzu no Wakagimi returns to our screens. Takauji was the first of the Ashikaga shoguns, and of course this is the tale of the birth of that era in Japanese history. The 14th Century is a fascinating one for that history, and has generally been overlooked by manga to a surprising extent. It’s nice to see two of them getting adaptations in the same season, each of them centered on a bishounen protagonist as it turns out.

As we rejoin the action it’s 1334, and Tokiyuki is still safely bunkered at Suwa Jinja. We’re reintroduced to the story with a live-action recap done rakugo style, by series narrator Matsuda Satsumi. It’s a fascinating stylistic choice in a series that’s been full of them, almost all successful. CloverWorks has delivered one of the best – and best bang for buck – manga adaptations of the decade with The Elusive Samurai. I love the manga but it’s safe to say the adaptation has exceeded expectations in every way, even impressing a lot of viewers who weren’t. And it’s been done on a modest – though not inadequate – budget. Sakuga saved for the big moments, style all the time.

That’s how it should be with a Matsui Yuusei manga. To call him distinct is an understatement, and even for me he can be hit and miss. But the guy has never had a non-hit, and there aren’t many shounen mangaka that can say that. I love how his irreverent take on these historical events pinballs between absurdity and grim realism. We begin with a relatively low-key chapter from the manga, chronicling the Young Lord’s love for tai (sea bream, or snapper) sashimi. I’m with Wakagimi on this – tai is the best AFAIC. But in landlocked Shinano in the days before refrigeration, fresh sashimi was an impossibility (leaving the boy to dine on crickets).

That is, unless you have friends like The Elusive Warriors. And that’s an important element of Matsui’s story. These kids are Tokiyuki’s allies, to be sure, But they’re also his friends. They love him, because he’s a kind and determined little boy who’s been done a grave injustice. Of course it’s silly to ride through enemy territory to catch a fish and preserve it in ice. But establishing the degree of personal loyalty Tokiyuki inspired is critical to the story, because the entire premise revolves around it. It’s no surprise he’s in tears when he sees what his friends have done for him – especially as it recalls his brother, murdered by the Ashikaga on that fateful day a year earlier.

Of course, if you’re smart about it such ventures can serve multiple purposes. Scouting (spying) is a big part of what the Elusive Warriors are all about. And with Yorishige turning his thoughts to the next stage of this rebellion, knowing what’s happening in Kamakura is critical. The Ashikaga are firmly establishing control, aimed at modernizing the way the country is governed. Takauji’s brother Tadayoshi is in charge, and he’s established the “Kanto Hisashiban” – a fictional organization consisting of real historical figures (played by big-name seiyuu). What unites this group is their youth – mostly in their 20s, and as young as 13 in Magojirou Shiba (played by Murase Ayumu).

Meanwhile Big Bro Tadayoshi is cementing Ashikaga power in Kyoto, where the Emperor’s popularity is plummeting amidst mismanagement and overtaxation. Tadayoshi is shrewdly combining elements of both the Kamakura Shogunate and Imperial Kyoto into a kind of hybrid “New Japan” style of rule. A thorn in his side is Prince Moriyoshi (briefly seen in Season 1) who Tadayoshi jails under trumped-up treason charges. Moriyoshi has seen through Tadayoshi’s long-game. He’s playing the “second reformer” gambit – let the first one burn the country and take the fall, then step in and be adored by a welcoming populace (Hideyoshi was a good example). And he knows that full-on war with the Emperor will eventually come.

And with that, the stage is set for the next phase of the story to play out. Yorishige is smart enough to realize that the longer he lets the Ashikaga calcify their authority, the harder it will be to overthrow it. Loyalty to the Houjou exists but as the last Houjou waits in Shinano palms are being greased and that loyalty eroded. And the man in charge of smoking out the remaining Houjou, Ogasawara Sadamune, has turned his bug eyes on the oddly cultured lad at Suwa Jinja. The time to act is now, and both sides know it. And It’s glorious to have Nige Jouzu Wakagimi back.

ED: “Romantic ga Hoshii” nara feat. Nao Kosaka, Youko Shougenji, Kaho Fujishima (Hinatazaka46) [ロマンティックがほしいなら feat. 小坂菜緒、正源司陽子、藤嶌果歩（日向坂46)]” by Botchi Boromaru (ぼっちぼろまる)