The Peacemaker (1997)

What Samurai Anime Should Be
The series starts off with a bang, an obvious glimpse into the future of the young man who happens to be the protagonist. Then before you know the end of the story you are whisked back to the present...
The series is full of fast paced action, great characters and that humor we look for from a good cartoon. Many people compare it to Kenshin, and rightly so. Kenshin is a very good samurai series that came out years before this one, so it is a compliment, and of course it should be compared to things that are similar. The time period and a few of the characters are the same. When I first saw Peace Maker I though it was the same as Kenshin, only Yahiko was the main character, and he had a little bit of Shippo (Inuyasha) in him. It is a more fleshed out character than either, but Tetsunosuke is a more complete human being than both. He never forgets his goals, and his past has shaped who he is to the core. In fact all of the people in this series are well rounded personalities with consistent ideals and personality. It is a more adult series as well. There is more graphic violence, sexual situations, and adult humor in the first disc than there is in the three seasons and movies that make up the Kenshin series. The animation is gorgeous. The color and attention to detail is as good as any I have seen. Even the voice actors are terrific. Among them are Luci Christian (Full Metal Panic!, Gunslinger Girl), Vic Mignogna (Full Metal Alchemist, Full Metal Panic!), and David Born (Mezzo DSA, Chrono Crusade). The story is a tried and true story about dealing with tragedy. It is not a real revenge story as Tetsu has such a gentle heart. Fate, however, draws our hero into conflict repeatedly, and not just with ghosts from his past.
The reason I only gave this volume and box set four stars is because of the extras. The fact that the box comes with manga and not a soundtrack cd is kind of a let down. The music really grows on you, and it is pretty unusual for a first volume box set to be without. There are good trailers, but there is none of the actor commentary we get later in the series, nor is there any of the character profiles that are on later discs.
I highly recommend this series; it is some of the best anime I have seen. There is great action, a good story, lots of likeable characters, good music, and its' lighter moments are funny as hell.

Peacemaker Vol. 1
Peacemaker is a strange series at first glance. As some commentaries point out, it is odd to see the Shinsengumi as the protagonists in a series. Unlike Rurouni Kenshin, (where it, in a sense, glorifies the Choshu and the Shinsengumi) the Shinsengumi are the heroes in Peacemaker.

Tetsunosuke Ichimura, the main character, is a 15 year-old who, though a bit obnoxious, has a kind personality. His heart is in the right place, but is torn between his desire to seek revenge and at the same time, not cause bloodshed. He is determined, but sometimes (or rather often), he gets in too deep. He is immature in many ways and has much to learn, but he grows on you as the series progresses.

The show itself follows Tetsunosuke and his quest to join the Wolves of Mibu. It does, however, in good taste, veer off to explore other characters. It can be over dramatic, and the digital effects can be annoying, but it is still fun to watch. The plot has some strange stories, though. I disliked it when it ventured into the parts involving some strange man who looks like a clown and a summoner who controls the dead.

The other characters, Susumu and Okita being the most intriguing, are likeable. I mistook Okita for a woman at first (his mien caught me off guard). Though I don't mean to compare two series, I preferred the Saito Hajime from Rurouni Kenshin.

Overall, even if it has flaws, Peacemaker is a likeable series. The best episode on this disc is the third (I especially enjoyed the part where it shows what happened in the alley, when there was no talking and only music; very well executed). The animation is somewhat lackluster, but the characters are fun to look at. The extras on the fold-out in the case were a nice bonus, too. Give the series a chance, it's likely you'll get hooked like me. (note: I watched it in Japanese with subtitles)

It stands upon its own
Evidently, the reviews for this series have turned into a debate over the relative merits of this series and of the Kenshin saga. To tell you the truth, I bought this series because this (and the Mutsu saga, which I adore) got me interested in the period around the Meiji Restoration, and this was just more food to fuel my like of the characters and the period. It really didn't occur to me that our hero Tetsu is the future Kenshin--jeez, I'm confused enough that I thought Kenshin fought on the other side--but that's mostly immaterial. This has good humor, good character interpretation, and a nice mix of violence and thoughtfulness. I reccommend it on its own. Please note that I'm a simple guy who doesn't notice if a show has too much CGI or if an English dub is any worse or better than trying to parse it in my (weak, but extant) Japanese. Have fun and watch it.