The series is set in Kyoto at the close of the Edo period, and both natural and man-made disasters have left chaos in their wake. The main character of the series is Manjiro, a man who makes a living as "the helper"; he helps the people of his village with various odd jobs, and he is paid for his services. Unfortunately, Manjiro likes to gamble, but loses his money every time. Manjiro lives with his sister, who makes designer chopsticks. Unfortunately for Manjiro, she is quick to anger and has no qualms with attacking her brother with her designer chopsticks.
At night, Manjiro secretly works at taking back the money and possessions that are stolen from the villagers by those with political power and by conspiratorial menaces. Since Manjiro is in disguise and doing this secretly, his alter ego has acquired the nickname of "Get-Backer Roman."
If you're familiar with Lupin III before watching Bakumatsu Gijinden Roman, then you will immediately recognize Monkey Punch's designs. Whenever I saw Manjiro, I thought he was what Lupin would look like with spikier hair and a beard. In fact, I had to keep reminding myself as I watched the first episode that the character I was seeing wasn't Lupin.
However, once you look past the design similarities with Lupin III, there's actually a very promising series there. In the first episode, there seemed to be just the right mix of humor and drama to keep the viewer interested in what was going on. In addition, there was enough character development for Manjiro that the viewer comes to like him over the course of the first episode.
Bakumatsu Gijinden Roman is a series that I would be willing to continue watching if I can find the time to follow it. There was a minimal amount of violence that I saw in the first episode, so I would recommend Bakumatsu Gijinden Roman to anime viewers who are 13 or 14 years of age and older.
| Bakumatsu Gijinden Roman | ? | 2013 | Hirofumi Ogura | TMS Entertainment | N/A |
