What if the future becomes the past? Imagine that riots, plagues, and international war bring about the collapse of civilization. Imagine the “Japan Era” becomes a memory, and samurai like those of old battle it out among decaying skyscrapers. Aoteru Misumi, an agricultural planner, lives in such a world, the world of the Sangoku period. But he is an avid reader and a genius strategist, and his wife Saki is convinced that if he had more courage, he could reunify Japan and bring unity and peace. Living a peaceful life with her, though, is enough for him. But one fateful day, corrupt tax collectors of the Taira clan visit the village. Among them, there is Lord Denki, a kingmaker whose cruelty knows no limits: When he trips on a potato that falls from a peasant’s wooden box as he is prostrating himself, he has the peasant quartered by four horses. Aoteru wants to let them do their worst and lie low. They will be gone in a day, after all. But Saki cannot do that. She speaks up. When Aoteru wakes up in the morning, the snow is full of blood, and Lord Denki, who evidently watched Seven back when civilization was a thing, has a present for him. What will our hero do?
This show has some unique qualities that made its first episode a gripping watch. An all-too-plausible reminder that the wheel of history never stops and everything is possible. A naturalistic descent into the tribal world of The Walking Dead or The Road, but without zombies or a nuclear apocalypse. The feeling of a gritty historical anime, coupled with the sense of uncertainty of our present. A world that feels plausibly past and future at the same time. A cool sound design; a unique, somewhat feistic art style that brings to mind Ping Pong the Animation, and which works wonders to illustrate the humanity and the decadence of the inhabitants of this future Sangoku era. But even though I feel curious about the characters that appear in the opening and the glimpses of the world the creators have imagined, I’m afraid this one crosses a line for me. I’m not necessarily against the (mostly implied) horrific violence we see here, nor killing off characters after endearing us to them, but I do not like to see the hand pulling the strings. The protagonist can use his Sherlock Holmes skills without liabilities or doubts, and the horror and the shock are there to stay. But in turn, I cannot trust that the story will move organically in the future, and getting invested again won’t be easy. For me, this is a deal-breaker, and the ugliness and odd mix of tones make it all the easier to abandon this story. Perhaps you’ll feel differently, though.
NIPPON SANGOKU: The Three Nations of the Crimson Sun can be streamed at Crunchyroll.
