You learn to be satisfied with good enough adaptations of manga you love, because experience tells us it could always be so much worse. But boy, when you get one like this it really reminds you of what you’re missing with those others. Read more

Does someone like Tokiyuki, facing the odds he does, have the luxury of worrying about being true to himself if he truly wishes to reclaim his clan’s claim to power? Read more

As the series’ first real visit to Kyoto (a few earlier cutaways notwithstanding) this is a significant moment. Read more

Uncle Yasuie is as Matsui Yuusei as it gets. Read more

All I can say is damn, that has to hurt like hell. Read more

Houjou Tokiyuki is a study in contradictions, as a narrative figure not least. Read more

This is a complicated battlefield, but I commend – once again – this adaptation for the extremely clever way it’s being depicted. Read more

You don’t accomplish what Suwa and Tokiyuki are trying to do without waging war. Read more

The 14th Century is definitely the sweet spot this season. Read more