Sakura Wars

Director
Hideyuki Morioka
Production
Madhouse, Project Sakura Wars, TBS
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Series
Running time
22 mins, 25 episodes
Year
2001

Sakura Wars

By Marq Mosier
23rd May 04

As most of you are probably aware, Sakura Wars is not originally an anime. It is based off of game company Sega's series that has been released on multiple video game platforms starting with the Sega Saturn in August of 1997. The series is known in Japan as Sakura Taisen, but was changed for western audiences to Sakura Wars for the anime releases.

The series centers on a group of young girls known as the Flower Division, known in Japanese as the Hanagumi. The group is comprised of seven members, six female and one male. They are all from different parts of the world, mostly Japan, and they all have different personalities and abilities. Each one of them pilots a battle suit known as a Koubu Spirit Armor. These armors are powered by a hybrid of steam power and Spirit Energy, which can only be emitted from females; or so we think.

Shinguji Sakura- The main character of the series. A young inexperienced girl from Sendai who is destined to fulfill her family's legacy, and drive the demons out of the Imperial Capital.

Kanzaki Sumire- The strong willed, confident, demanding member of the group. She has one hundred percent faith in herself, but not much in anyone else. Her way is always the right way in her mind. She is the daughter of the owner of Kanzaki Heavy Industries, who built the Koubu that the Flower Division do battle in.

Tachibana Maria- The former leader of the Flower Division. Maria is from Russia, and she is seemingly as cold as the land she hails from, but there is more than meets the eye to Maria. She is the spiritual leader of the Flower Division, if no longer in rank.

Chateaubriand Iris- The youngest member of the Flower Division at only nine years of age, Iris wields a great deal of untapped power. She is the last to receive her Koubu, but quickly becomes an indispensable member of the fighting force.

Kohran Ri- The genius of the Flower Division, she is responsible for all repairs and improvements made to the Koubu Spirit Armor. Her relationship and understanding of the Koubu is unmatched, and intrinsically valuable to the success of the campaigns waged against the demons the Division fights to protect the Capital from.

Karishima Kanna- The "strongwoman" of the group, Kanna comes from a long line of martial arts experts in Okinawa. She is the gung-ho member of the Flower Division that is always ready to engage in some good old fashioned hand to hand combat!

Ichirou Oogami- The newly appointed leader of the Flower Division, and the only male in the group. Oogami is the young Navy officer appointed by General Yoneda to lead the group during their most important missions. He is the successor of Maria's former role in the group. Although there is doubt about his capabilities at first, Oogami quickly proves that he is the deserving leader of the Flower Division, and that he would do anything to protect the Imperial Capital, and the other members of his unit.

As the story begins we find Sakura arriving at the Imperial Capital. She has never been to the city before, and is in awe of what she finds there. While trying to settle into the Royal Imperial Theatre, where the Flower Division all live, Sakura finds many trials and tribulations to be had. She has trouble fitting in with the other girls, which leads to her leaving the Theatre to wander around the Capital and collect her thoughts. When the first Wakiji (demon) attacks, Sakura finds herself in combat alongside Maria and Sumire. During the course of the battle, Sakura proves her mettle, and is reluctantly accepted by the other members of the Flower Divison.

Since this is not intended to be a spoiler for the show, I will digress from my summary of the episodes, and give you a briefer overview of what you can expect!

At heart, Sakura Wars is a show about the maturing of a group of people thrown together for a specific purpose, to protect the Imperial Capital. The group is held together by commanding officer Ikki Yoneda and vice commanding officer Fujieda Ayame. They originally fought in the "Demon War" five years previous to when this story takes place, which is in the year 1926. Both Yoneda and Ayame served alongside Shinguji Kazuma, Sakura's father, and General Yamazaki. After the seven core members of the Flower Division are gathered, they must train and become able to function together to protect the capital from a demon known as Satan Aoi. As the story progresses each members story is fleshed out both through group interaction, and through individual story lines. Whether those story lines are in the present, or in the form of flashbacks, they serve to enhance the already strong characters presented in this anime. The Flower Division finds themselves in many different situations throughout the 25 episodes presented in this series, from going to amusement parks, to fighting off hordes of demonic forces. As the Division must use the disguise of the Royal Imperial Opera Troupe, you can imagine that this leads to some fun and amusing episodes to break up the main purpose of the tale. The supporting cast of characters is also very well rounded and serves to further flush out the story. While the story is not the deepest I have ever seen in an anime, it serves its purpose in telling the main story, while interjecting some light hearted fun.

As far as the visual and vocal/musical aspects of the series go, you couldn't ask for anything more. The series is voiced by some of Japans most talented seiyuu (voice actors). Including but not limited to Yokoyama Chisa, Tomizawa Michie, Takano Urara, and many more exceptionally gifted seiyuu. As far as the English dubbing goes, I personally think that it is very passable for what it is. A few of the voices are questionable, but overall, it is great for fans of dubs.

The music in Sakura Wars is another astounding aspect of the whole series. Every song is appropriate for the sequence in which it is used, and the opening and closing themes are some of the most memorable in anime. The opening theme, Teikoku Kagekidan, is in fact my all time favourite song from an anime, even though it is originally from the game.

The characters in the series were originally designed by Fujishima Kosuke of Ah! My Goddess and You're Under Arrest fame. So if you like either one of those series from a character design standpoint, you are in good hands here as well! The characters is Sakura Wars are easily some of the most loveable in anime history.

Overall I can not say anything bad about this series, except for maybe some repetitive battle sequences, and a lack of animation during those scenes. The battles, however, are not the main focus of the series, they serve more as a backdrop and to keep fans of action interested. I highly recommend this series to anyone willing to try it, but more specifically to fans of the game series. My overall grade may be a bit influenced by my love for all things Sakura Taisen, and the games in particular, but I think that any anime fan can find something to enjoy here. If you are indeed a previous fan to the series, add 2 points to my overall grade!

8/10

-- Marq Mosier 23rd May 04

Sakura Wars Images