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Year: 2019
Genre: Action, Drama
Episodes: 12
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
If you know anything about Japanese history, you probably have come across Oda Nobunaga. Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese daimyo and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period. He is known as the first “Great Unifier” of Japan. He was a vast military warrior who overthrew the Ashikaga shogunate (1338–1573) and ended a long period of feudal wars by unifying half of the provinces in Japan under his rule. The dude was a badass. He restored stable government and established rules that kept the country unified during his reign. Nobunaga was at the height of his power in 1582. Yet, during the Honnō-ji Incident, Oda Nobunaga committed seppuku at the Honnō-ji temple. He was betrayed by his general Akechi Mitsuhide during his campaign to consolidate centralized power in Japan under his authority.
Overview
Kochoki revolves around the life and times of the legendary Oda Nobunaga. Kochoki starts off in the young adolescent years of the young lord. In the beginning, Oda is a noble boy who protects his friends and crew. After showing his courage to his father, he is proclaimed heir. Oda grows from a courageous young lord to a powerful warlord as the story progresses. Despite his rise, there is much family drama that could keep him from unifying Japan.
Review:
The story/plot of this anime is meh. It’s not great, but it’s not awful. It goes through the life of Oda. Actually, it goes through the life of Oda from a teenager up until his major battle before uniting Japan. Many of the episodes revolve around some adventure that Oda goes on. For example, episode one deals with when Oda was a kid. He saved his group of thieves from his father by sticking a finger in the barrel of a gun. This is how each episode is designed. The one with the alligator was pretty interesting.
Yet, most of the episodes show the drama within and around Oda’s life. His mother absolutely hates him and adores her young son. When that son dies, his mother blames it on him. Episode two dealt with Oda coming of age and getting married. He is set up to marry the Viper’s daughter Kicho. Dude goes to her village to catch a glimpse of the most beautiful woman. Later, he takes out some thugs with the help of a ninja who turns out to be Kicho. At their wedding, he is surprised it’s her and tries to convince everyone that she will kill him, but no one believes him. That night, Oda and Kicho talk by the Niverna tree, and he states he wants to be with her. This is one of the many background stories. Another episode is when Oda’s brother goes crazy as his younger brother was accidentally shot by an arrow. Nobutksa’s gay lover convinces him to go to war against his brother. Oda is outnumbered two to one. Thinking that he won, Oda’s men love him so much that they would die for him even when the other side thinks of him as a scatterbrain.
Where this anime goes wrong is with the pacing. It is so very long and boring and to be honest, nothing exciting happens. You are better off watching a documentary about Oda Nobunaga from PBS, BBC, or some other special. It’s just not that exciting to watch. When something does happen, it’s more meh than excitement. Now thinking about it, it is better to watch other anime series with Oda in it because you might see more of a personality that will draw you in.
One of the best parts of this anime is the animation. For one, every three episodes, the appearance of Oda changes to signify a different stage in his life. They are pretty significant changes in the beginning, but towards the end, they are subtle. This anime uses every color in the book, rainbow, and spectrum. You wanted someone with light purple hair; this anime had it. You wanted someone with orangish hair and orange eyes; this anime had it. The colors are crisp and so well done. Hell, even Oda had red eyes. The animators seemed to shrug their shoulders and decided to put every color they could. It made the anime very appealing to watch.
Overall, Kochoki is one of those anime series that is visually appealing but most likely can be skipped. It will give you minor information on the legendary Japanese daimyo. You will be better off served to watch some special on the famous daimyo. This anime can be a way to dip your toe into a history lesson on Japanese history.
