House of Five Leaves | Anime Review | Pinnedupink.com

House of Five Leaves

Lighthearted, chill and funny anime are being released in doves as of late. Fans love it, after all, most of the time when one watches anime they primarily wish to relax and have a nice time watching it.

But surely this isn’t always the case, sometimes anime fans wish to watch something engaging and interesting, which will mingle with their brains and question their outlooks on life. A neat mix of Mystery, Drama and Seinen genres would really hit the spot on such an occasion.

House of Five Leaves Anime Review - Pinnedupink.com

House of Five Leaves, also known as Sarai-ya Goyou or simply Saraiya Goyou is a 12 episode TV anime series that collectively features the genres of Mystery, Historical, Drama, Samurai and Seinen. It started airing on 16th April and concluded on 2nd July, as a Spring 2010 anime series. The title was jointly produced by Dentsu, Media Factory, Movic, Fuji TV and Shogakukan, licensed by NIS America, Inc. and brought to life by Studio Manglobe.

The main staff behind the creation include Kimura Makoto (Producer), Kobayashi Shinichirou (Producer), Kouchiyama Takashi (Producer) and Mochizuki Tomomi (Director, Sound Director, Episode Director, Script, Storyboard, Series Composition). The series is rated PG-13 for teenagers or older audiences.

House of Five Leaves is based on the Manga of the same title, which is 8 Volumes long. It started publication on 25th November 2005 and concluded on 24th July 2010. The series was the work of Ono Natsume, who acted as both the Author and Artist. Ikki serialized the manga.

The Saraiya Goyou manga was later published in English by VIZ Media under the SigIkki imprint. Additionally, it had two Spin-off manga under its banner, Futagashira, and Kozure Doushin.

Saraiya Goyou follows protagonist Masanosuke Akitsu, a wandering ronin uneventfully adrift in Japan's peaceful Edo period. Masa is a skilled swordsman, but his meek personality has got him labeled as "unreliable.” Because of this, he is more often than not abruptly dismissed by his employers, and he eventually starts to question his very resolve as a samurai.

But Masa’s drab life reaches an abrupt changing point when he is approached by a man named Yaichi. Despite Masa being at his lowest point, the carefree Yaichi draped in vibrant pink attire hires him on a whim to work as his bodyguard. There is a huge catch to this job, though, which Masa is unaware of at first; this position is not as innocent as it seems, and Masa soon finds himself tangled up in the group’s illicit activities spearheaded by Yaichi himself.

As the days pass, Masa gets further and further entwined with this peculiar gang, known as the "Five Leaves.” As a result, Masa soon starts to struggle with his principles. Still, his curiosity spurs him forward within this group nonetheless, all to uncover the mysterious past and unwavering motivations of this unruly band of outlaws.

Saraiya Goyou is essentially an anime about samurai. Still, it’s not about the strongest samurai or the path to honor and glory, but about a timid samurai with slightly above average skills. He has no grandiose ambitions; he simply wants to make a living and aid his family back at home. There are no exaggerated battles or special effects, and even the fight scenes are pretty scarce.

The story of Saraiya Goyou is centered around Masa and the Five Leaves, an organization of “chivalrous robbers,” people who work with the greater good in mind. Protagonist Masa is anything but intimidating, despite being a swordsman. He desperately needs a job, as he keeps getting sacked, mostly because he just isn't that good at being a bodyguard; it doesn't suit him at all.

After Masa crosses paths with the Five Leaves, he has his fateful encounter with their leader Yaichi, a bouncer at the local brothel. One thing leads to another, and Masa joins the Five Leaves and ends up taking on illegal tasks such as smuggling, theft, kidnapping, and so on. The group consists of multiple interesting characters, including Ume, the tavern owner, Kinu, his daughter, Take, a local prostitute, and Matsu, an unfriendly swordsman. Each of these characters has their own unique stories, which will all eventually divulge.

The story may seem bland and spineless at first, but as it steadily progresses towards the end, many things become clear and start to hit hard. So bear through the series until it gets to the exciting parts.

The characters of Saraiya Goyou are works of subtle art. This is most prominent in Yaichi, the lone wolf of the group, mysterious yet cool, who gets a lot of intense character development in the latter parts of the series, so much so that he carries the anime at this point. The main characters are shown to be much different from what they seem to be like from the onset, even being polar opposites from that. Masa, too, is a very deep character. In the beginning, many complain about him being a big wimp and loser.

This is part of the beauty of this anime; people are not continually extraordinary; they are full of flaws and insecurities. Despite everything, Masa never whines or complains at all; this is a form of strength that most viewers fail to acknowledge. Masa undergoes some serious character development as well, and by the series finale, he emits an entirely different light.

All the characters are portrayed as intense and exciting, each of them unique in their own way. The series shines in, bringing to life some of the most realistic anime characters to date, who aren't anything spectacular but are human from the fiber of their being.

The Art and Animation of Saraiya Goyou require some getting used to; if not, it's difficult to enjoy this series truly. The Art style is pivotal in setting the mood and tone of the anime, and in this regard, it does a great job. The art can be described as “slightly awkward.” It can bring viewers out of their usual anime comfort zone while not being ridiculous.

The Animation is decent, but it is very scarce, as the series relies more on dialogue to present the story. This style is rarely seen in anime, but it's a nice change of pace and makes for a nice watch as well. As soon as viewers can adjust to this style, they can enjoy the artistic beauty of the series to the maximum.

The Sounds and Music of Saraiya Goyou are magnificently made. Every OST of this series can get viewers to snap or tap their fingers, each sounding original and entertaining. The music is a mix of light techno and slight jazz. They fit the anime perfectly by not attracting attention away from it but by also being very memorable.

The Opening theme is "Sign of Love" by immi, a light techno-pop song that perfectly fits the series. The Ending theme "all I need is..." by Rake is nice and fitting as well. The voice acting is top-notch, performed by well renowned and beloved voice actors. The entire voice cast, overall, does a spotless job in delivering their performance. For example, Kinu, one of the few females in the series, sounds so cute and deadly at the same time. The Sounds and Music are a treat for the ears, and it would be a shame to miss out on them.

Overall, Saraiya Goyou is not perfect; it is a mix of good and bad aspects. Some flashbacks are confusing, some materials addressed are shady, and backgrounds aren’t usually colorful. The pacing seems very off at the beginning of the series as well. The series only kicks off in the latter half, tying everything together and executing it all beautifully.

Many details of the series are easily missed, even if viewers space out for a second. This anime is not for viewers who hate heavy dialogue and minimal action. There are ways this anime could've been better, but even as it stands, it is an intelligent anime that requires some focus and is overall a great watch. If you give it a try and watch it till the end, you will not be disappointed. This unique anime is highly recommended for those eager for a change of pace and a more realistic anime.