Bakumatsu Gijinden Roman - Episode 3 (Dropped)

He might be an arch thief, but Ishikawa Gojuemon's weakness towards women proves to be his undoing, as an encounter at a brothel leads to his demise when she takes control of Gojuemon by showing him the Boards of Canada album cover within her eyes.

Meanwhile, Roman and his group of helpers are investigating the case of a missing map - not just any old map either, but Japan's most detailed geographical record, a map which would be invaluable in the hands of an opponent looking to go to war with Japan...  Needless to say, recovering the map is a high priority (not least because it commands a handsome reward), and so off sets Roman on a train that leads him to... Ishikawa Gojuemon, of course.

Luckily this isn't where the trail runs entirely cold, as Roman's sister (and more importantly her dog) tracks down the map, allowing them to follow it to its new destination and a shocking truth - that it's about to fall into the hands of a foreign military force.  To try and prevent this, it's time for Roman to don his special armour and snatch the map back - the trouble is, he's reckoned without that aforementioned Boards of Canada album cover, a guest appearance from Catwoman, and a bunch of shit blowing up.

I really shouldn't so surprised at having to say this about a series born from a pachinko machine, but Bakumatsu Gijinden Roman is dumb with a capital 'M' - this week's episode sees it completely incapable of finding a good way of introducing a character other than having a policeman shout his name, alias and who he is to the audience, the action scenes are pretty ropey (and never mind the fact that Roman's armour is unexplained, this show has zombies in it so don't expect logical consistency here), and the shocking twists that should punctuate the climax of all that action is laughably stupid and contrived.  Having said I'd give this series more of a chance last week I've now come to my senses... watching clips on Bakumatsu Gijinden Roman might pass off as a "so bad it's good endeavour", but I don't have the patience nor the masochistic streak to sit through any more of the bullshit that it makes up as it goes along.  Did I mention how dumb this show is yet, by the way?

Bakumatsu Gijinden Roman - Episode 2

Has Roman (or the reincarnation of Nezumi Kozo, as his night-time alter-ego seems to have become known as) met his match already?  It seems that way as he almost comes a cropper against a new addition to the law enforcement forces looking to put a stop to his activities.

The individual in question also proves to be rather a mysterious one - Suzuki Magoichi, who shuns the offers of his superior to go out drinking or for a meal, and keeps himself to himself with his emotions never showing.  He also happens to be the man who dropped by looking for Roman with a job in last week's episode, and this time around he gets to meet him properly (not knowing of his alter-ego of course) to offer a well-paid job tracking down a member of a performing troupe for reasons that he refuses to explain.

Without any knowledge of why Magoichi wants to find this man, Roman naturally refuses, only to find himself caught up in the whole incident as the man at the centre of this search, Yohei of the Ukigumo troupe, effectively lands on Roman's doorstep in a badly injured state.  It seems that Magoichi isn't the only one with an interest in this man, and ultimately Roman and his rival end up joining forces on this occasion to protect Yohei from some less scrupulous pursuers, although it seems that Suzuki's real goal isn't exactly a scrupulous one either...

Having produced the single most mediocre piece of anime I've seen so far this year (although 2013 is still young, dear reader), this second episode of Bakumatsu Gijinden Roman was a definite improvement - it wasn't great by any stretch of the imagination, as it still struggles to keep its story-telling focused and coherent and with finding ways to make its characters interesting (Roman sure is a dull hero), but the full introduction of Magoichi and his role in proceedings feels refreshing in comparison and the series is at least aiming towards some wider plot points which seem more promising.  I'm still reticent in assuming that this series is going to be anything other than average after its weak start, but an improvement is still an improvement so I'll be keeping my eye on this series for a little longer yet.

Bakumatsu Gijinden Roman - Episode 1

Monkey Punch's stock seems to be on the rise of late, which brings us to this new addition for the winter 2013 season, Bakumatsu Gijinden Roman.  The bad news?  It's also based on a pachinko machine.

The star of the series is, of course, a fellow named Roman - by day a kind of "odd job man" in our Edo-era Japan setting who wanders the town helping anyone who requests his assistance for some coin; coin which he invariably gambles away, much to the chagrin of his decorative chopstick shop-owning sister.  By night however, Roman is something else entirely - with the help of his friends, he's somewhat akin to Robin Hood meets Lupin III, a master thief who steals the ill gotten gains from those who have earned them in immoral ways before restoring justice and fairness however he can.

This first episode of the series dips us into this setting not only by watching Roman going about his everyday life, but also by seeing a successful mission to part a wealthy and powerful crook named Yanagisawa from his ill-gotten money backfire thanks to the appearance of a couple of ne'er-do-wells who take to assaulting the townsfolk with weapons, to which Yanagisawa can then offer a protection racket from.  Needless to say, it's up to Roman to right this wrong too, which he does with gusto, unaware that it is only a small part in a far bigger conspiracy.

Despite its origins, I was rather drawn to the concept of Bakumatsu Gijinden Roman - admittedly, it's "Robin Hood" angle is nothing new, but it seemed like a concept with some promise.  What a shame then that this opener was so hopelessly ordinary - although it tries to have fun with its setting by throwing elements of the ridiculous into it, the episode seemed to have absolutely no idea about pacing or good story-telling, and instead let its tale spew forth almost uncontrollably, and without anything to make its developments or ultimate resolution feel satisfying.  In fairness, this first instalment had a lot to fit in to set the scene, so maybe it'll find more time to build its world and the things going on with it in future, but I have a horrible feeling that this might just be the opening gambit in a shoddy, cheaply made show that is little more than a pachinko game advert without any other merit.