Drink #033: The French Connection,
Historical Anime
In celebration of Nozomi answering the long held fan wish of licensing The Rose of Versailles, there was only one topic that we could talk about this month: historical anime. That means ornate costumes, majestic settings, famous people, and sometimes even some real learning. We look at some of the best anime that is set in the past. Everything from super serious works to over the top camp. This is hardly a complete overview of historical anime but it is a is a nice primer. We avoid spoilers so feel free to listen if you are a long time history buff or just curious what the genre has to offer.
P.S. If you think that Marie Antoinette dying at the end of The Rose of Versailles is a spoiler then you really need to read more.
(Listen)
And now your helpful bartenders at The Speakeasy present your drink:
The French Connection
- 1 1/2 oz Cognac
- 3/4 oz amaretto liqueur
Build the ingredients into an old-fashioned glass filled with ice. Stir and serve.
Reverse Thieves 
second punic war with the principle characters turned into little girls. foolproof.
Hannibal and his elephants are disappointed with your decision.
– Hisui
Seeing as how the current fad is “what if historical figures were cute little moe girls!” I think it’s time that the assassination of Julius Caesar was retold as a reverse-harem tale of the adorable female reincarnations of Caesar, Mark Anthony, Brutus, and Cicero all competing for the love of Rome, the cutest boy in school! Caesar is the loud, outgoing one with huge tits, Brutus is the shy one with slightly less big tits, Cicero is the one with glasses and also huge tits, and Mark Anthony’s boobs are soooooooo tsundere.
You can send me the check now, Japan.
Of course if you wanted a serious answer, I’d actually like to see a serious story that takes place in japan in the early 1900s, coming out of the Meiji restoration as a world power. Always thought that was an interesting time period. Such an anime might already exist, but I’m not aware of it.
If you’re looking for a good Romance of Three Kingdoms anime adaption, might I suggest Souten Kouro. It’s that time period told from the POV of the “villain” AKA the loser and follows his life from his childhood before we knew much about him into what we know from the novel and historical records that were probably less biased that the novel tells it. It’s historical, no magic, no one turned into moe little girls, it was based on a seinen manga so it’s ridiculously GAR. There’s some fan service, ’cause ran in a seinen magazine, but there’s also fan service for the ladies so hooray! fan service for everyone! And it was animated by Madhouse. It’s not their best work. I remember still shots and corner-cutting animation wise but I the art work was very detailed, hyper realistic, super pretty period costumes, interiors, weapons, horses, what-have-you.
I didn’t finish it myself because I think the group that was subbing it while it was airing got behind/dropped it, or something but google tells me someone did eventually sub it all but I never went back to watch the rest of it.
The only issue I had in this podcasts was the pronunciation of fujoshi. It’s not a mountain.
Spoilers: I mispronounce English words all the time and it is a language I am fluent in and got a 710 English score on my SATs (and the old harder English SATs at that).
Therefore my Japanese pronunciation is just plain garbage.
– Hisui
Hey, Stephen Hawking’s not able to talk at all and he’s smarter than us both!
My historical anime would be the founding of philosophy. So it would take place in Ancient Greece and deal with Aristotle leaving Plato and starting his own school.
I believe that is the most non-commerical anime idea, ever.
Most non-commerical anime idea, ever or smash hit just waiting to happen. All you have to do it get the series in the hands of the right fujoshi.
Then your only worry is the guilt of finding out that girls got into physical brawls over if Aristotle/Plato or Plato/Aristotle is the proper pairing.
– Hisui