Sengoku BASARA Unreleased Version: A thorough review of anticipated new developments and fascinating characters

Detailed review and recommendation of Sengoku BASARA Unreleased Version - Sengoku Basara Mihou Eiban

■ Public Media

OVA

■ Original Media

game

■ Release date

January 6, 2010

■Release and sales

・Seller: Pony Canyon

■Frequencies

24 min

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 1

■Original Story

CAPCOM

■ Director

Itsuro Kawasaki

■ Production

・Animation production: Production IG
Produced by TEAM BASARA (Shochiku, Pony Canyon, Production IG, Movic, Dentsu, flying DOG, Mainichi Broadcasting System, Chubu Nippon Broadcasting)

■Works

©CAPCOM/TEAM BASARA

■ Story

It was the Sengoku period, an era of warring factions.

Soldiers all over the country raise their battle cries in an attempt to unify the country.
Some for their own ambition, some for lofty ideals, each with their own uncompromising beliefs, they rush through times of war.

And as a result of the fierce battles between the warlords, the balance of power in Japan was rapidly redrawn.
Among them was Oda Nobunaga, the Sixth Heavenly Demon King of Owari, who advocated "Tenka Fubu" (unifying the country through military force) and pushed forward with invasions of other countries.
As the man closest to ruling the country, he was trying to take control of Japan.
Overwhelming military force and tyranny through fear.
Nobunaga's wars brought about many destructions...

However, as dark clouds begin to gather in the sky above Hinomoto, a dragon-like thunderclap roars across the land──!!

Kitano Dairiki, the leader of Oshu's strongest army, marches south.
That person is a man clad in blue clothing and with one sharp eye; the leader of Oshu, Date Masamune!
Another warrior has set out to unify the country and fulfill his ambitions.

"The leader of Oshu, Date Masamune! I support you!"

Masamune's first destination was Kawanakajima, where the Tiger of Kai, Takeda Shingen, and the god of war, Uesugi Kenshin, were camped to decide the victorious battle.
Masamune storms onto the battlefield to take the heads of Shingen and Kenshin, but awaiting him there is an encounter with Sanada Yukimura, the man who would become Masamune's destined rival...
What will be the outcome of the fierce battle between Masamune and Yukimura?

And who will be the one to rule this extremely chaotic and turbulent world?

■Explanation

"Now, let the party begin!!"
It was the Warring States period, a time of warring states. Those who sought dominance were shouting out in battles all over the country. Takeda Shingen and Sanada Yukimura of Kai, Uesugi Kenshin of Echigo, Azai Nagamasa of Omi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu of Mikawa...

The momentum for turmoil is growing.
The wars started by these warlords quickly swept across the nation, and the balance of power in the Warring States period was rapidly redrawn.
Amidst the endless battles between famous warriors, the Sixth Heavenly Demon King of Owari, Oda Nobunaga, was trying to take control of the world.
However, from the north, a young, one-eyed warrior in blue robes announced his presence, accompanied by a countless cavalry corps.
The man was Date Masamune, also known as the One-Eyed Dragon, the leader of Oshu.
The aim is to take Nobunaga's head and unify the country!

*Quoted from Production IG official website

■Cast

・Date Masamune/Kazuya Nakai・Sanada Yukimura/Soichiro Hoshi・Katakura Kojuro/Tomoyuki Morikawa・Takeda Shingen/Tetsuaki Genda・Sarutobi Sasuke/Takehito Koyasu・Uesugi Kenshin/Romi Paku・Kasuga/Natsuko Kuwatani・Maeda Keiji/Masakazu Morita・Maeda Toshiie/Tomohiro Tsuboi・Matsu/Yuko Kaida・Tokugawa Ieyasu/Toru Okawa・Shimazu Yoshihiro/Kenichi Ogata・Hojo Ujimasa/Tadashi Miyazawa・Chosokabe Motochika/Ryuzo Ishino・Mōri Motonari/Shigeru Nakahara・Imagawa Yoshimoto/Kōzō Shioya・Matsunaga Hisahide/Keiji Fujiwara・Azai Nagamasa/Kōji Tsujitani・Oichi/Mamiko Noto・Nōhime/Yurika Hino・Ranmaru Mori/Yuki Shimowada・Akechi Mitsuhide/Sho Hayami・Oda Nobunaga/Norio Wakamoto・Naoe Kanetsugu/Atsushi Imaruoka・Narration/Hideo Watanabe

■ Main staff

・Original Work: CAPCOM ("Sengoku BASARA" series)
・Original work supervision: Hiroyuki Kobayashi (CAPCOM), Makoto Yamamoto (CAPCON)
・Planning / Toshio Iizuka, Kazuyoshi Fukuba, Hiroo Maruyama, Katsuji Morishita, Naohiro Tabu, Atsushi Higashiyama, Shiro Sasaki, Tsuneaki Hattori ・Series composition / Yasuyuki Muto ・Character concept / CAPCOM/Makoto Tsuchibayashi ・Character design / Toru Okubo ・Design works / Takaaki Chiba, Tomomi Ozaki, Keigo Sasaki, Kyoji Asano ・Art director / Shunichiro Yoshihara, Yoshito Takamine ・Art setting / Iho Narita ・Color design / Izumi Hirose ・3D director / Atsushi Sato ・Special effects / Masahiro Murakami ・Director of photography / Naoyuki Oba ・Editing / Daisuke Imai ・Assistant color designer / Mayumi Sato ・2D works / Tomoe Nishitani ・Camera management / Hiroki Takagi ・Assistant editor / Momoko Ishida ・Editing studio / J Film ・System management / Junichiro Aki ・Video editing / Sony PCL, Osamu Sasaki, Kazu Ishii ・Sound adjustment / Takayuki Yamaguchi (Jinnan Studio)
・Recording Assistant: Tomohiro Sunaoshi (Jinnan Studio)
・Sound effects/Naoto Yamatani (Soundbox)
・Sound Production: Kisuke Koizumi (Jinnan Studio)
・Recording and adjustment studio: Jinnan Studio ・Music cooperation: Keiichi Tonomura (Sony Music Entertainment)
・Programming: Toshihiro Takahashi, Ryusuke Tsujii, Makoto Ito ・Publicity: Sadakazu Kikuchi, Hiromi Inoue, Miki Takamoto, Mikio Gunji, Megumi Mashiko, Hitomi Ando, ​​Masaki Sakakibara ・Web production: Utamaru Kato, Ruriko Naoe (Frontier Works), Osamu Miyaoka, Hiroki Kagamoto, Shinobu Takeuchi, Shoichiro Iimori ・Production manager: Megumi Sato ・Setting production: So Haejin, Masahiro Kawashima ・Production: Production IG
・SPECIAL THANKS/Miyagi Prefecture, Sendai City, Shiroishi City, Miyagi/Sendai Animation Grand Prix Executive Committee ・Planning cooperation/CAPCON, Kitahara Takashi, Sawada Yohei, Hagiwara Ryosuke ・Sound Director/Iwanami Yoshikazu ・Music/Sawano Hiroyuki ・Music Production/Flying Dog
・Music Producer: Yuko Sakurai ・Producers: Fumito Teranishi, Tetsuya Kinoshita, Toshihiro Maeda, Takeshi Wada, Kozue Kanba, Yukio Yoshimura, Keiichi Nozaki, Yoshihiro Iwasa ・Animation Producer: Tetsuya Nakatake ・Animation Production: Production IG
・Director: Itsuro Kawasaki ・Produced by: TEAM BASARA (Shochiku, Pony Canyon, Production IG, Movic, Dentsu, flying DOG, Mainichi Broadcasting System, Chubu Nippon Broadcasting)

■ Main Characters

Date Masamune A young charismatic leader from Oshu who aims to rule the country. He is nicknamed "One-Eyed Dragon" due to the sharp eye that peeks out from his crescent moon helmet. He has mastered the swordsmanship known as "Rokushou-ryu", and when he encounters an opponent worthy of his full power, he wields all six of his swords to annihilate the enemy.
A young warrior who respects Takeda Shingen like a father. When he encounters a strong person, his heart is fired up and he has a fiery soul that cannot help but challenge them. Later, he clashes with Masamune on the battlefield, and they come to recognize each other's strength and become strongly aware of each other as rivals.
A military commander who serves Masamune. He is called Masamune's "right eye" because he protects his lord's back and is prepared to even risk his life in a pinch. Although he is silent and calm, he is deeply trusted because he is loyal and compassionate and does not behave cruelly.
Takeda Shingen is the head of the Takeda clan, which rules the province of Kai. He is a brave warrior and a cunning strategist, feared by enemy nations as the "Tiger of Kai." He has a master-disciple relationship with his subordinate, Sanada Yukimura, and keeps a strict but warm watch over his growth.
Sarutobi Sasuke is the leader of the Sanada Ninja Corps, serving Sanada Yukimura. He has a carefree attitude and a light-hearted tone, and often behaves in an unninja manner, such as messing with the enemy's scum. He is highly skilled as a ninja, and his reliable work ethic has earned him the trust of Yukimura and Shingen.
・Uesugi Kenshin The head of the Uesugi clan who rules Echigo, also known as the "God of War". He has a beautiful face and a graceful physique, but when he steps onto the battlefield, his fighting style is like that of Bishamonten, keeping the enemy at bay. To settle things with Shingen and bring peace to Echigo, he raises an army.
・Kasuga is a beautiful kunoichi who serves Uesugi Kenshin. She was once a ninja who was ordered to assassinate Kenshin and infiltrate Echigo, but after seeing Kenshin's beauty and rare humanity, she was convinced and swore loyalty to him. She is highly skilled as a ninja, with skills in assassination and information gathering.
A freedom-loving wanderer of the Maeda clan. He is the nephew of Maeda Toshiie and his wife Matsu. He believes that the world can only be ruled if people are happy, and travels around the country to visit warlords in order to oppose the invasions of the cruel and ruthless Oda Nobunaga, who is tormenting the people.
The head of the Maeda family, he is deeply in love with Matsu, the wife of Maeda Toshiie. His bold and straightforward personality makes him the perfect target for his mischievous nephew Keiji to tease. His body is covered in countless sword scars, proof of his many years of battle.
Matsu is a strong-willed wife who supports Toshiie Maeda. They have a good relationship and are known as a loving couple. She is the only person who can scold her nephew Keiji, and when she finds him out playing around, she scolds him and tells him to do his best for the Maeda family.
Tokugawa Ieyasu is the head of the Tokugawa clan, who rules Mikawa. He is a kind-hearted man who commands Honda Tadakatsu, known as the strongest man in the Sengoku period, and has great trust in him. He has allied with the Oda clan and is content to be under their control, but in his heart he has sworn to create a peaceful world with his own hands and is waiting for an opportunity to do so.
Imagawa Yoshimoto: Head of the Imagawa clan. He is a confident man with strong emotions, but because he puts his own preservation first, he is not trusted by his retainers. He pretends to be a refined man as he watches the turbulent times, but when he senses the momentum for unifying the country from all over, he sets out for Kyoto without giving it much thought.
Nagamasa Azai: Head of the Azai clan that governs Omi. He is married to Oichi, Nobunaga's younger sister. He believes in adhering to justice and will bring down the hammer on those he considers evil in the name of justice. However, he is so convinced of his own justice that he can be inflexible.
Oichi is Nobunaga's younger sister, married to Azai Nagamasa. She is known for her self-deprecating behavior, due to her guilt for not being able to stop her brother and her fear of having the same demon king blood in her as her brother. Her melancholy gaze and bewitching beauty bewitch and fascinate those who see her.
Nohime: A seductive woman who is the wife of Oda Nobunaga. She loves Nobunaga deeply and works hard to unify the country. To achieve this, she is willing to stain her hands with blood and become a demon. She wields firearms such as two pistols and a Gatling gun to wipe out her enemies.
Ranmaru Mori is a boy who serves Oda Nobunaga. He has a cheerful personality and is devoted to Nobunaga. When he is faced with an enemy camp, he innocently shoots them to death with his bow. On the other hand, he hates being treated like a child and can be rude to those above him.
Akechi Mitsuhide is one of Oda Nobunaga's subordinates. Although he has a polite demeanor, he hides a sinister madness behind his back. He enjoys inflicting physical and mental harm on others, and derives pleasure from watching them writhe in agony. He wields his murderous blade, aiming to bring about a world of screams and cries of hell.
A demon king of the Warring States period who calls himself the Sixth Demon King of Heaven and seeks to unify the world through fear and slaughter. He has a cold-hearted and cruel personality, and an evil spirit that overwhelms those who oppose him. He shows no mercy to anyone who gets in the way of his unification of the world, even if they are his own family.

■Subtitle

・Episode 13: Clash in the Seto Inland Sea! The fire-breathing fortress of the sea, Mt. Fuji!! (2010/01/06)

■ Related works

・Sengoku BASARA
・Sengoku BASARA Banquet EDITION
・Sengoku BASARA 2 ・Sengoku BASARA 2 Unaired Episodes ・Sengoku BASARA 2 Banquet Edition
・Sengoku BASARA Judge End
・Gakuen BASARA
・Mini Sengoku BASARA Chosokabe-kun and Mori-kun ・Sengoku BASARA Ashigaru Dance ・Mini Sengoku BASARA 2 Katakura-kun in the Moonlight ・Mini Sengoku BASARA 2 Return of Chosokabe-kun and Mori-kun ・Movie version Sengoku BASARA The Last Party
・Sengoku BASARA 4-frame Theater Another Last Party

■ Theme songs and music

・ED1
・Dear sunshine
・Lyrics: DAIGO
・Composer: DAIGO
・Arrangement: DAIGO
・Song: DAIGO☆STARDUST

Detailed review of Sengoku BASARA Unreleased Version - Sengoku Basara Mihou Eiban

Sengoku BASARA Unreleased Version is an OVA based on Capcom's popular game series "Sengoku BASARA," and was released on January 6, 2010. Set in the warring states of the Sengoku period, this work depicts the story of warlords fighting for their own ambitions and ideals. In particular, it centers on the confrontation between Date Masamune of Oshu and Sanada Yukimura of Kai, and is characterized by its plot development that draws the viewer in.

The story of this work depicts Oda Nobunaga's ambition to unify the country against the backdrop of the chaotic situation of the Sengoku period, and the battles of the various warlords who oppose him. In particular, the scene where Date Masamune interrupts the battle between Takeda Shingen and Uesugi Kenshin at Kawanakajima and meets Sanada Yukimura there is very impressive both visually and narratively. The fierce battle between Masamune and Yukimura leaves a strong impact on the viewer and is an important scene that establishes the rivalry between the two men.

The portrayal of the characters is also very appealing, with Date Masamune's charisma and Sanada Yukimura's hot-bloodedness particularly standing out. Masamune's sharp gaze, worthy of his nickname "One-Eyed Dragon," and his "Six-Sword Style" swordsmanship, in which he wields six swords, symbolize his strength and charm. Meanwhile, Yukimura's reverence for Shingen and his desire to challenge strong opponents delve deeper into his character, evoking sympathy from viewers. Additionally, supporting characters such as Katakura Kojuro and Sarutobi Sasuke are also unique, adding color to the story.

The technical capabilities of Production IG, the animation production company, are fully demonstrated in the unaired version of Sengoku BASARA. The dynamism of the battle scenes and the smoothness of the character movements bring out the maximum visual appeal. In particular, the fight between Masamune and Yukimura is a skillful combination of CG and 2D animation, creating a powerful battle scene. Additionally, the background art by art directors Yoshihara Shunichiro and Takamine Yoshito also realistically recreates the atmosphere of the Sengoku period, creating a visually beautiful experience.

The music is also an important element in enhancing the appeal of this work. Hiroyuki Sawano's music effectively expresses the tension of the Warring States period and the emotions of the characters. In particular, the intense background music during the battle scenes heightens the excitement of the viewer. Additionally, the ending theme "Dear sunshine" is impressive with DAIGO☆STARDUST's powerful singing voice, helping to leave an impression of the story.

The cast is also impressive, with voice actors perfectly suited to each character, such as Kazuya Nakai as Masamune Date and Soichiro Hoshi as Yukimura Sanada. Their performances bring out the individuality of the characters and add depth to the story. In particular, Masamune's calmness and charisma, and Yukimura's hot-bloodedness and passion are conveyed through their voices, leaving a strong impression on viewers.

Sengoku BASARA Unreleased Version is set against the backdrop of the history of the Warring States period, but draws viewers in with its unique interpretation and the appeal of its characters. In particular, the showdown between Masamune and Yukimura is a highlight not to be missed, and this work is recommended not only for fans of the Sengoku BASARA series, but also for those who like action anime and historical stories. In addition, Production IG's high-quality animation and Hiroyuki Sawano's music are not to be missed, making it a visually and aurally satisfying experience.

Recommendation

To enjoy the unaired version of Sengoku BASARA, it's a good idea to pay attention to the following points.

1. The appeal of the characters

Pay attention to the individuality and growth of characters such as Date Masamune and Sanada Yukimura. In particular, Masamune's charisma and Yukimura's hot-bloodedness play a central role in the story, and their confrontation scenes are a must-see. Also, the supporting characters such as Katakura Kojuro and Sarutobi Sasuke are also attractive, so pay attention to their exploits.

2. Action Scenes

The action scenes, which show off Production IG's technical capabilities, are visually captivating. In particular, the fight between Masamune and Yukimura is a powerful battle that skillfully combines CG and 2D animation. Pay close attention to the dynamism of the battle scenes and the smoothness of the character movements.

3. Music

Hiroyuki Sawano's music effectively conveys the tension of the Warring States period and the emotions of the characters. In particular, the intense background music during the battle scenes heightens the excitement of the viewer. The ending theme "Dear sunshine" also leaves an impression with DAIGO☆STARDUST's powerful singing voice, helping to leave an impression of the story. If you pay attention to the music while watching, you will be able to enjoy the work more deeply.

4. Cast

The stellar cast also adds to the appeal of this work. Voice actors perfectly suited to each character were chosen, such as Nakai Kazuya as Date Masamune and Hoshi Soichiro as Sanada Yukimura. Their performances bring out the individuality of the characters and add depth to the story. In particular, Masamune's calmness and charisma, and Yukimura's hot-bloodedness and passion are conveyed through their voices, leaving a strong impression on viewers.

5. Historical Background

Although the series is set against the backdrop of the history of the Warring States period, it draws viewers in with its unique interpretation and the appeal of its characters, and is recommended for people who like historical stories. It depicts Oda Nobunaga's ambition to unify the country and the battles fought by the various warlords who opposed him, realistically recreating the chaotic situation of the Warring States period. If you pay attention to the historical elements while watching, you will be able to understand the series more deeply.

As mentioned above, Sengoku BASARA Unreleased Version is a fascinating work that combines various elements such as the charm of the characters, action scenes, music, cast, historical background, etc. It is a work that can be recommended not only to fans of the Sengoku BASARA series, but also to those who like action anime and historical things, so please give it a watch.