Peacemaker Kurogane

Original Story: Nanae Chrono
Japanese Title: Peacemaker Kurogane
Episodes: 24
Rating: 15+
Release Studio: ADV Films
Release Year: 2004
Main Voice Actors:

Tetsunosuke Ichimura ~ Luci Christian
Tatsunosuke Ichimura ~ Vic Mignogna
Soji Okita ~ Braden Hunt
Toshizo Hijikata ~ Mike MacRae
Sanosuke Harada ~ Jason Douglas
Shinpachi Nagakura ~ Greg Ayres
Heisuke Todo ~ Nomed Kaerf
Keisuke Yamanami ~ Chris Ayres
Isami Kondo ~ John Swasey
Susumu Yamazaki ~ Chris Patton
Ayumu Yamazaki ~ Christine Auten
Hajime Saito ~ Rob Mungle
Toshimaro Yoshida ~ John Gremillion
Suzu Kitamura ~ Kevin Corn
Masuya ~ Mike Vance
Akesato ~ Kira Vincent Davis
Saya ~ Monica Rial
Saizo ~ Monica Rial

Haunted by the vicious slaying of his parents, Tetsunosuke Ichimura is determined to get revenge on his parent's killers. To do that he plans to join the Shinsengumi, an elite group of swordsmen who are locked in a war between them and the Choshu rebels. The Choshu clan were the ruthless killers of Tetsunosuke's parents. An incident one night awakens Tetsunosuke to reality. The Shinsengumi are as ruthless and brutal as Tetsu's parent's killers. Tetsunosuke must decide to leave behind his humanity and become a demon of the Shinsengumi or relinquish his hatred and become a Peacemaker like his father.

The manga and anime are very different. In the manga, you start the story past DVD 6 in the anime. The manga is more brutal then the manga, I'd say. Tetsu is more innocent in the anime than the manga. Suzu is absolutely nuts and just plain creepy in the manga. In the anime, he's normal enough. I'd give both a look though. The art is also somewhat different for Tetsu. For example, the look in Tetsu's eyes is different and in the manga he has a scar which is not to be seen in the anime.

The thing that may annoy people in the anime is Tetsu's voice. Personally, I like it very much. Luci Christian does a great job. However, my friend, by the sound of it, didn't like it very much. Then again she didn't like Daisuke's voice done by Kevin Corn and now she does. I must admit Rob Mungle as Hajime Saito was weird at first but now, I've gotten used to it. They picked the perfect voice for Okita, Braden Hunt. Since Okita is so feminine (in the manga I actually thought he was a girl), Hunt's voice for Okita is so delicate. It's perfect. All the other voices are great, I can't mention them all or this will just drag on and on.

The music overall in Peacemaker is great. The opening theme fits very well. However, the ending doesn't fit the show at all. I've taken a liking to the ending, "Hey Jimmy" though. The song isn't bad at all; it's just weird. The instrumental music they play through the fight scenes is neat. The music with the bongos (they play it when Hajime's around), I find it not to my taste.

The characters in here are great. They never cease to entertain whether it's a fight scene or when they are making fun of one another. I've taken a liking to the trio, Shinpachi, Sanosuke, and Heisuke. They are always teasing Tetsu and they actually call him "Puppy Boy". I also like Suzu. In the manga, I still think he's creepy though. Maybe "creepy" isn't the word. How about "disturbing"? (If you see the end of Volume 1, you'll see what I mean.) The anime's great; I prefer it over the manga.

Note: Volume 4 of the manga was supposed to appear on shelves in August. At bookstores, there hasn't been a sign of Volume 4. An anonymous source informed me that ADV manga likes to release the first few volumes of a series and then just stop leaving you waiting for a manga never to come. Since there hasn't been any sign of any new ADV manga aside from Yotsuba! or whatever it's called, I have speculations of something happening at ADV manga. According to another source, Volume 4 is out in Japan so it doesn't have to do with Chrono-sama.