Finally, I'm down to my last entry for this month's quest, and this time I decided to really find a historical one that's set in old Japan. It isn't my first time watching historical anime because I've watched some before. Like my fascination with mythologies, history also piques my interest, and after almost an hour of searching for one that would suit my preference, I finally found this one.
However, it isn't like the previous historical anime I've watched that has intense action scenes and flashy effects. Yep, it has a samurai in it, but it doesn't feature a lot of fighting scenes—just the ones needed for the plot. Also, it's kinda unusual—especially the character designs, but strangely, that's the main reason why I watched this anime. Its peculiarity sure was captivating for me, so if you wanted to know more about it, be with me as I share with you a brief peek of what it is to live in the Japan Edo period in House of Five Leaves.
About the Anime
House of Five Leaves (Sara-iya Goyou) is a seinen anime that premiered in the spring of 2010. This aired from April 16, 2010, to July 2, 2010. This anime series was licensed under NIS America, Inc. and was animated by Manglobe. Its genre is drama, and since it's set in the Japan Edo period, its themes obviously include historical, samurai, and ultimately, adult cast. All in all, it has 12 episodes, and it was based on the completed manga written by Natsume Ono.
So it started when Masanosuke Akitsu was dismissed again by his master due to his unreliability. Since he already didn't have a master, he wandered in Edo Japan as a ronin. He was a nice man, and he wasn't really a bad samurai. He was even a strong one, but his overly meek personality undermines his reputation as a respectable samurai. He often humbles himself to the point that you'll question if he's even a samurai (because samurai we're usually proud). With his resolve and capacity questioned, that soon pushed him to the brink of dejection.
However, just as he's at the lowest point of his life, a man approaches him. That man was completely the opposite of Masa because you can really sense the air of self-assurance in him. His carefree nature was also intriguing, and apparently he's in need of a bodyguard. Drawn with the man's enthralling charisma, Masa gladly accepted the job. But little did he know, it isn't just an ordinary bodyguard job. He later finds himself tangled with the shady group called Five Leaves, which was led by the charismatic man himself, Yaichi. With him drawn to muddy waters, Masa struggles between his needs and principles, but his curiosity is sure strong because he intends to unveil the mystery that shadowed the Five Leaves—especially the one that lies behind their leader, Yaichi.
I totally get the point why this one was labeled as a "hidden gem" because it sure has a nicely written plot. However, I think its theme and genre doesn't appeal that much to the mainstream viewers; that's why it kinda remained hidden. Its plot is completely character-driven because it focused more on their character development rather than having an established plot lead the progress of the story, and that perhaps is the reason why the story progressed slowly. But even though it isn't like the fast-paced anime that I usually watch, I still enjoyed it because of its well-written characters. Personally, I really like Masa, despite how flawed his character is. It was really unusual for me to like a character who's emotionally weak—but this time he had taken my liking because even though he's really an oddly timid character, I like how he didn't go back with his ideals and principles.
It's refreshing that he isn't like the usual MCs, who usually change themselves completely just to achieve character development. His character development was slow, yet it was heartwarming to see him striving to improve himself without changing himself fully. Also, I find his naivety, which complemented well with his perceptiveness, endearing. As for other characters, they're all simple yet purposely made in a way that they don't overstep on each other's roles. The characters really portrayed well what people from the Japan Edo period could have been, for they're not portrayed with quirky characteristics; rather, they're portrayed realistically—with both flaws and strengths.
As for its art style, it's really the one that lured me to watch this anime. I know you're wondering why I find it alluring despite it's apparent weirdness in facial proportion—but that's basically my reason. You see, I'm quite fond of anime with unconventional art styles. I've heard that some can't stand watching it because they find the art style weird, but for me, it somehow fits with how unconventional this anime is. Further, the color palette that it used really enhanced its mood—specifically the Edo Japan feels. Also, even though there aren't many swordfights, the animation in those ones was decent and enjoyable.
The soundtrack was as well nice, but I somehow don't get the connection of the message of the opening song to the story of anime. I mean, maybe I just misinterpreted it because it sure means something about romance—and so does the ending song. There was totally no romance in that anime—maybe a hint? But there's definitely no explicit implication that it really had. Maybe the opening and ending songs sound weird for me because I'm expecting that they'll have a more traditional-sounding one—but even though its message is quite off for the anime, I can't deny that they're both cool songs. I especially like its ending song because of its calm and heartwarming tune. Anyway, it's background music was undeniably amazing because, like the color palette, it adeptly enhanced the mood.
Overall, my personal rating for this anime is 8.9/10. It's basically refreshing to watch this anime because it may not have gripping swordfights or bloodcurdling gore, but its simplicity and how they realistically portrayed Edo Japan distinguish it from other anime. The art style may not be to everyone's liking, but it definitely portrayed interestingly the feels and looks of Edo Japan. From the small details in its visuals to the voices behind the characters, this anime indeed portrayed well the life during Edo Japan. So if you're up for a break from the usual anime tropes, then this one is especially for you!
Before I end this review, I gladly share with you a sneak peek about it, so—
Have you seen this anime before? Or is this your first time encountering it? Well, please do share your comments about it. That's all for now, minna-san! I hoped you enjoyed reading my review.
Arigatou and tanoshinde ne~
The pictures that didn't have source were screenshots from the anime while the last picture was edited in Canva.