日本三國

Man, the presentation in this anime is something else. It's so dang creative and gorgeous that watching it is so engaging. You definitely won't get bored even if the episodes are filled mostly with exposition. It also seems that Wajima is turning out to be a populist leader. With how Seii is experiencing a period of transition from an unpopular regime, it's expected that it's bound to form a cult of personality around the new leader. But historically speaking, such leadership doesn't turn out well in the long run so it'll be interesting how the story is going to delve with what's going on with Seii. By the way, I'm a bit happy that they mentioned how the last nuclear war led to a global cooling. The environmental consequences of war is often underlooked so it's nice to see it also mentioned here.

I hope the redditor who said they'd kill everyone and themself if anything happened to Tsune-chan is still alive after that steamy bath scene. We have confirmation now that emperor Fuji I was a woman and the family tree in episode 2 also revealed to us that Tsune-chan's mother is the head of the Asama clan. Although Seii includes regions with some of the most unintelligible dialects in all of Japan, their characters mainly spoke in standard Japanese and Tokyo-dialect. Muton even uses "ssu-tai (っす体)," which is more casual than the standard polite speech and combined with slang, and mainly spoken by young men. I think it emphasizes his immaturity and nonchalant attitude toward violence. The Japanese spoken in Yamato is mainly Kansai dialect, but Aoteru uses Ehime dialect. It's partly why characters like Tsune-chan immediately clocked him as a country bumpkin. It also helps him perform as the funny-man (boke) to Tsune-chan's straight-man (tsukkomi) in their manzai act. The characters in Seii also have very unusual names compared to the people in Yamato and you can tell that the creator was having fun when he came up with them. (Yamato's names are more orthodox and archaic.) **Ouga**'s name (which is written with the characters for "sakura" 桜 and "tiger" 虎) and tattoo may come from the Sengoku-period daimyo, **Uesugi Kenshin**. Kenshin was born as "Nagao Kagetora" and until he took monk's vows, always used the character for tiger (tora 虎) in his names. He was also known as the "Dragon of Echigo" and in the OP, as the smoke from Ryūmon's cigar turns into a dragon rising "upstream" like the Tōryūmon proverb, the dragon then circles Ouga. (Sorry for so many edits: I just realized that the bird in the OP may also reference the Uesugi clan crest.) We also learned that Ouga's father was "Byakko)," which means "white tiger" and one of four guardians, guardian of the west, just as Bishamonten, who Kenshin worshiped and is also associated with tigers, and one of four heavenly kings, guardian of the north. The capital of Seii is located in Niigata prefecture where Kenshin also ruled. There is a theory that Kenshin was secretly a woman and it was the subject of the manga "Yukibana no Tora" by the author of Princess Jellyfish and Tokyo Tarareba Girls. **Aterui** is based on the Nara-Heian period **Emishi chief of the same name**, who fought Sakanoue no Tamuramaro. (The Emishi were also indigenous to northern Japan, but should not be confused with the Ainu. Ashitaka from Princess Mononoke is Emishi.) Until modern times, he was often demonized in legends about his rival and was also known as "Akuroō," which is a name you may know from Jujutsu Kaisen. The Nippon Sangoku character's face is identical to a famous wooden sculpture of Akuroō's head carved during the Edo period. The anime character's speech is also rough as you would imagine the historical figure's speech to be. The slogan Aterui shouted, "soni tōkan (尊夷討奸)" is a riff on "尊皇討奸 (sonnō tōkan)" or "Revere the Emperor, Destroy the Traitors" used in the 1936 coup attempt, except that "Emperor" has been replaced with the "i" in "Seii," which refers to Northern Japan and historically, specifically Emishi and Ainu cultures. As historical Arutei fought against the "Yamato" emperor in the 8-9th century, anime Arutei fights against Yamato under Fuji III. (Sonnō tōkan itself was inspired by Sonnō jōi (尊王攘夷) or "Revere the King, Expel the Barbarians"in which “夷” refers to the barbarians. I’m not sure the subtitles or dubs will convey how Aterui is subverting this slogan.) Despite his name, **Mūton**'s name is written with the character for rabbit (兎). The characters for **Hikabi Asahima**'s name can also be read as "Machu Pichu." "Hikabi" also sounds a bit ridiculous. **Atara** is old Japanese for a shame/waste (as in too bad) or regrettably. **Rinririn** is a mystery, but "rin-rin" is onomatopoeia for a phone or bell ringing. Most of the other Seii names also sound suspiciously like the creator was trolling although there could be some Ainu or Emishi influences.

Tsune-chan is male and based on Minamoto no Yoshitsune. I explained his Heian period-hairstyle in our episode 2 discussions. Since the 18th century, young Yoshitsune has always been depicted as a pretty boy beautiful enough to be mistaken for a girl. You can use “-chan” in a nickname for boys or men if they’re a relative or close friend, or a celebrity. Sometimes it’s chosen because it rolls off the tongue better than “-kun.” For example, the famous comedian Kinichi Hagimoto is known as “Kin-chan.” “Kin-kun” would just sound odd. It doesn’t have anything to do with whether or not the person is feminine. It’s just an affectionate nickname. But you wouldn’t add it to a guy’s first full name unlike with a girl. Tsune-chan’s mom is currently the head of the Asama clan, but before her, her father was the head according to the family tree in episode 2. I think Fuji II was depicted as male in episode 1. We don’t know what system is being used in Yamato, but it could be based on the firstborn.

Lol the subtle comedy in this is amusing, like the piling of snow on Aoteru's face and the darker kind of that old guy's severed head kissing the boot of the one that killed him.  Ryuumon's claim turned out as predicted, Wajima is going to be hard to go up against if even her father was well known as a great strategist. I do like that she was able to keep casualties to a minimum, and took action to follow up on the families. It's easy to see why she was able to gather Seii together.

I appreciate Aoteru’s dedication to upholding the law. This place needs order. He’s not being overzealous in his pursuit of justice, he’s merely upholding the laws as they were written. He’s right about a potential for a coup if he had let these things slide. Someone like Wajima would have made a good ally for Aoteru and his goal of unifying the country. It’s a shame they’re on opposing sides. The western expedition is absolutely going to end in resounding failure. Either Taira or Ryumon’s gonna take the fall. Either way, the regime’s gonna suffer.

Tsune is so hot I mean so hot I mean so hot I mean so hot I mean. The bath scene does remind me a lot of \*that\* Dungeon Meshi episode. I'm sure they're just friends fr. The animation is just gorgeous. Loved how they used the water in that bath scene. And oh man, Ohga? You just cannot hate her. As much as I want Aoteru to succeed, I can't keep rooting for him when Ohga literally exists. Another banger episode as usual of course.

From how Wajima had been described as a dictator by the narrator, I expected her to be quite the cutthroat bitch. Turned out she's quite the charismatic one, and also a compassionate one. How she ran a soup kitchen and personally fed the starving people. Perhaps she had a hidden dark side, but so far Seii's economy had been thriving under her rule. Little wonder the people worshipped her. Aoteru's got competition! Wajima had a similar philosophy regarding agriculture being the backbone of the country. However, she also revelled in being a leader. She's essentially Aoteru and Yoshitsune combined. A shame they're in opposing sides, and she harboured great hatred towards Yamato. I'm looking forward to seeing them in a face-to-face meeting if there ever would be one. Nuclear winter was especially harsh. -17 degrees in Southern Japan is mental. It's the reason the temperature was given at the start of every episode, not just this one. Interesting that Seii was a republic while Yamato's a monarchy, which resembled today's Japan. Wonder what system Buo's using.

We're headed for a collision course of epic proportions. I'm very intrigued as to how the contrast in governance--Ohga leading with compassion and respect; Denki through absolute control and fear--will clash and be presented on screen. The parallel between Aoteru and Ohga upholding their respective principles (as shown with how they handled doling out the death penalty) was such a nice touch, with Aoteru being presented as cold and firm, while Ohga was shown to be warm and flexible. Ohga is such a softy, I wonder what's the story on her tiger tattoo and nickname. Now that I think about it, it's most likely a homage to the "Tiger of Kai", Takeda Shingen. Man, Tsune is such an egomaniac I honestly feel like he's my spirit animal lmao. Taking credit for a compliment meant for someone's dead wife is just next level egotism 🤣🤣

The pre-OP segments kind of remind me of Code Geass. I think that also had a short bit of narration before JIBUN WO began. And it’s a coincidence that Lelouch also voices a main character here. Aoteru being such a stickler for the rules, but doing it for the sake of the people. He’s going to face some difficult decisions in the future, especially considering there are people like Taira among his superiors. This clash of idealism vs cruel reality can lead to very dramatic stories. They’re having a lot of fun with the way they display text this episode. Wajima… 尊い… She’s got similar attitudes to leading people as Aoteru. But I doubt they’re going to have the chance to easily talk things out.

- So this guy was a thief responsible for killing some civilians (and also one got raped? ). That makes sense to get the death penalty. - How can Aoteru just stand there while the snow builds up on his face? - Bribery won’t work here. - This episode certainly likes to have things splattering on the “camera”. Cool bit of directing. - Yes, the camera had to hold on Tsune’s bare ass for several seconds. It’s necessary for the plot. - Oh boy… - Well *damn*, that’s one way to make someone commit seppuku. - Ohga and Aoteru going head-to-head in the future should be *hella* fun, I hope. - She’s clearly the type to feel a personal responsibility for things. It also doubles as good publicity. - Same as Aoteru already did, huh.

Considering how they hyped up Aoteru as the man who is going to become the greatest military genius of their time, and his strict adherence to military law, I can't see things ending well for Ouga and her regime. The cold weather of the north is probably Seii's greatest defense, going on the offensive seems like a move they'll regret. Ouga riled up her people with hatred for Yamato, so her soldiers will most likely be ruthless during the initial invasion. This will then fan the flames on the other side, meaning that they'll probably face an even more cruel counter. Yet another amazing episode!