March 4, 2026 - March 20, 2026

This is gonna be a looooong one, folks. Over 22 pages before pictures (35 with Grouvee-spacing and pics), 14 years of personal history with the series, and tons of tears involved. This game is emotionally exhausting in every way, and so worth it.

Completion: 100%

All CGs acquired, all endings seen, Annex stories read, all Encyclopedia terms collected – list of stuff at end of review, along with some side characters and important terms I might mention but not get into sooner.

Playtime: ~95 hours

Guide: I’ve been using Otome Labyrinth for otoge guides for several years now and highly recommend her stuff. She always does route order recs, organizes everything well, and has never done me wrong with 100%ing. I ended up creating a tabbed guide on Google Docs to make it a little more efficient for me while playing since hers is still the KW/EB guides separately. I had fun doing it, and have since made more for VNs I'm tackling soon that are a bit fancier, but basically all of the content therein is credited to her.

Premise: 1863. Yukimura Chizuru is the daughter of a doctor in Edo. He went to Kyoto on business a few months ago, and while she initially got letters from him regularly, she hasn’t heard from him in a while. She decides to head to Kyoto to find him, or possibly speak with his colleague Dr. Matsumoto. She dresses up as a boy to travel, reaches Kyoto, and on her first evening there, finds herself being attacked by ronin, who are then killed by some terrifying warriors with red eyes and white hair. It’s then that Chizuru’s life with the men of the Shinsengumi begins…

We’ve got samurai, Demons, pseudo-Demons/vampires–a bit of everything!

!!Warning!!: This is going to be super spoiler-heavy. It’s way too long and detailed for me to efficiently tag anything that’s a potential spoiler, so keep that in mind. I typically write reviews because I enjoy doing so, and to help me remember books/games later on when I look back at them. I’d never written one for this series, and because it’s so close to my heart, I put a LOT of time and effort into this. I also spent a lot of time incorporating what I know about the history and historical figures. Even if it’s just for me and no one reads it because they don’t want spoilers, that’s okay. But if you do read it and find it interesting, let me know! **All screenshots have been spoiler-tagged.

Intro/My history with the series/Breakdown of the game: After college classes one day in 2012, I went to a nearby GameStop to look around. There was this biggish box for a PSP game I’d never heard of on an endcap display right as I walked in, with an absolutely stunning cover. It was the Limited Edition of Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom. I’d never played a visual novel/otoge at that point, but I knew a bit about the Shinsengumi from all my time with Rurouni Kenshin (and fanfics and other media) as a kid, and the premise sounded really interesting. On a whim, I picked it up, and I’ve been a fan of the series (and otoge!) ever since.

I have Hakuoki Limited Editions on PSP, 3DS, and Vita (2 games), and standard PS3, Steam, and now Switch (for this playthrough). While each port from the original Japan-only PS2 game has added small things/made minor fixes, they are largely the same game with a different subtitle on different platforms. However, with the Vita/Steam releases, the game was split into two, with half of the story in Kyoto Winds and the second half in Edo Blossoms, and with the addition of 6 new LI routes (three previously-included characters now with routes of their own, and three totally new characters), for a total of TWELVE routes to play through. There are also new supporting characters within the common route and beyond, updated dialogue, and more choices to compensate for the additional routes. For Switch, the latest re-release, Kyoto Winds and Edo Blossoms were re-combined into Chronicles of Wind and Blossom. I decided to grab this version instead of continuing my Steam playthrough from a few years ago, because it’s all-in-one and has a new, cleaned up translation from Eastasiasoft. The only versions I’ve actually COMPLETED are the PSP one, and then Kyoto Winds on Vita, so I actually hadn’t seen the six new route endings until now. I also hadn’t completed more than a few routes in the other ports between those, so a lot of the content of even the old routes felt fresh after over a decade.

I had a really great time revisiting this game and finally seeing the rest of the routes. It’s still one of my absolute favorites, and I always end up comparing new VNs to it. That being said, I noticed more “flaws” with it this time around, so…here we go!

Note: I wrote a lot of this review as I played through the game. Sometimes I was just making little bullet points of info so I’d remember what I wanted to mention, and other times something was frustrating/interesting/cool enough that I ended up writing paragraphs right then. For a few of the routes, I didn’t do much writing simultaneously, and just had a bunch of quick notes. Because of that, when I went back later, I fleshed those out but maybe didn’t have as much to write more extensively about because routes were really starting to blur together in some ways by then.

Even before the addition of six new routes and extra scenes/dialogue within the common route and such, Hakuoki is a massive game. The common route is extensive, and the LI routes have no real crossover, even if the LIs are participating in the same events. This is part of why so many otoge have been incomparable to me. Maybe they have really interesting premises and great characters, but many of them fail to fully explore the various routes and characters, and instead focus on that one “True” route while slapping something together for the others. Hakuoki does still have a “True” route (Hijikata’s), but nearly everyone else gets a full story, an antagonist, and a variation of Chizuru’s backstory. All together, yes, they give you a full picture, but not in the same way as other otoge do where you learn basically nothing in any route but the True one. While it’s not as perfect as I’ve remembered it to be over the years, the presentation is still leagues above many other otoge that have come since.

The game takes place over the course of around four and a half years, with the prologue starting off in December of 1863, and the final chapters concluding in late summer 1868 for most routes. It’s the few years preceding the Meiji Restoration (Meiji Ishin), with the political backdrop of skirmishes between Shogunate supporters–like the Shinsengumi–and the Imperialists (who wanted the Emperor back in power over the Shogun), nationalists on either side wanting foreigners expelled from Japan, and the looming promise of major change in the political and social structure of the country with the shift from the Bakumatsu to Meiji Era. I’ve learned a lot about this approximate period of Japanese history because of my time spent with series like RuroKen as a kid, and other media. While playing through this game the very first time over a decade ago, I learned even more, and also did some of my own research because of it. The game is definitely heavy on the real history and politics, but even if that’s not really your bag, the way it’s presented is still very approachable and very much anime, what with the Demons and pseudo-Demons and vampiric themes and shit. My favorite manga series is Samurai Deeper Kyo, which is set in 1604, after the Battle of Sekigahara and at the start of the Edo era. There are a lot more historical liberties taken with that series, but it’s just kinda funny to me that the parts of Japanese history I’m most knowledgeable about are the start and end of that era.

One other thing to keep in mind is that, again, most of the characters in this game are based on real people, and many of the events within are also real, with video game liberties taken, of course. Because of that, depending on the route, some characters–main ones or otherwise–die as they did in real life, or escape death for plot reasons via the mysterious “serum” that we learn about gradually. You don’t even meet Sakamoto in most routes because he’s assassinated, as he was historically.

Within the common route, there are a ton of choices to be made to determine which LI route you’ll be taking. Because of this, and because so much of the game does actually portray real people and real events that the Shinsengumi were involved in, there are many branching paths and various degrees of involvement in said events when it comes to Chizuru. It’s not about just picking what will increase affection with a certain character (though that is the goal), but also a way to see different angles of a slew of situations where the main characters are split up.

If a character’s real life counterpart died, their overall EB route is more focused on other game-only antagonists, like the Demons, rather than their participation in battles that the real person would not have been alive for, or at least to a lesser extent, to then divert to their antagonist.

While playing this time around, I was much more informed when it came to the historical figures and events involved. I also found myself thinking about the…ethics? of media like this. I am super grossed out by RPF – real people (fan)fiction– and the fact that people write about Kpop stars and other celebs in relationships with one another, while said people are actively just living their real lives. I think there is absolutely a line between that and something like all of the media that has been made about the men of the Shinsengumi, though. But I DID think about it quite a few times, especially since there are living descendents of a few of the men or their extended families. Nagakura’s great-grandson is a video game dev. Is it weird for him to see something like Hakuoki, where you can romance his great gramps?

Anyway, onto the characters and routes. This is where it gets extra spoilery.

About Chizuru (protagonist): Right off the bat, Chizuru is presented as a pretty competent MC. Her father made sure that she took sword lessons, so she doesn’t seem like she’s just gonna be some useless damsel. But she unfortunately never does very much by way of fighting or defending herself. Granted, the people she ends up associated with are top tier swordsmen and literal Demons, so, her comparative skill isn’t great, and everyone agrees that she’d just be in the way, but still.

She isn’t a fan of fighting. She doesn’t want to hurt anyone, but also, for as long as she can remember, she has healed at an incredible rate, with small cuts healing as quickly as overnight. She was warned by her father not to tell anyone, and she doesn’t want to be viewed as a monster, so she hides this. (But we do learn a couple of chapters in that she is a Demon.)

She is 16 at the start of the game (December 1863), but there are many months-long timeskips in the first few chapters of the common route (including one that’s over a year between like July 1865 to September 1866), and she’s ~20 (end of 1867) before any of the even slightly romance-leaning interactions happen with the LIs (other than Sakamoto, booooo). Pretty much all of the interactions prior to that are more about the various characters becoming more accepting of her presence and whatnot, rather than falling for her.

I was definitely more frustrated this time around that she does a whole lotta nothing, overall. She’s a Demon so, physically, she’s in a lot less danger than the members of the Shinsengumi, but they’re always protecting her, and she never does anything to get any more useful. They don’t expect her to fight because she’s not a warrior, and her ability to heal quickly doesn’t mean they’re okay with her getting hurt at all, but she just settles into her role of “guest” and does domestic shit and is just in the way on rounds and in battles. She really does nothing to figure out what other powers she might have, either. (I will note that this is her own thought process most of the time as well – she wants to be useful so she does what she can to handle chores and medical treatments, but it’s not the men who ever make her feel like a burden. I still think she could have spent a bit more time learning about Demons and their abilities once she learned she was their kin, though.)

She’s also just so bland in her responses, especially in the common route. Some of the newer routes made her conversations with the LIs more dynamic, but for the most part, she’s constantly just saying, like, “Alright,” or, “Thank you…” in response to someone who just spent five minutes talking. (Examples: She meets a character, and after some scenes, they’re leaving the compound and tell her it was nice to meet her, they’re leaving now, and they hope to see her again and she’s like, “Goodbye.” In one of Sakamoto’s bad endings, Shiranui–one of the Demons–says once she’s finished up whatever she wants to do, she’s welcome to stay in his village, since they’re kin. She’s just like, “Alright,” and turns and leaves.) Compare this to times where she’s overreacting and being dramatic about something that feels really out of place–and also out of turn because it’s a major decision the Shinsengumi are making or something–and she’s just all over the place. I think this is just an unfortunate side effect of VN writing of the time, and especially earlier, being more focused on the self-insert aspect and making these faceless, boring MCs that the player can imagine themselves in place of. Glad more recent ones aren’t sticking to this so much.

All of that said, she is a good, honest person, whose courage is absolutely commendable. The fact that she sticks with the Shinsengumi through everything, even when she’s afraid, can’t be overlooked. She was raised as a human, so she is for all intents and purposes a “normal girl,” and feels more relatable with her level of ability. I don’t expect her to be some badass fighter who can stand toe-to-toe with these lifelong swordsmen by any means. But I do wish her lines weren’t so bland and uninspired more often than not, and I wish she actually voiced her thoughts and asked more questions when the opportunities arose, especially when it came to her own background. She’d just, “Huh?!” at everything.

Also, why is she allowed to be involved in human affairs when it’s a whole big thing that Demons aren’t supposed to have anything to do with these human squabbles?

**In earlier versions of the game, the LIs would say "Yukimura" but not "Chizuru" even if it was the given text/they were using her first name. This is typical older otoge style for ~immersion~ shit. But in the most recent few versions, they will voice "Chizuru" if you keep the name as-is and don't rename her.

My Route Play Order:

Toudou Heisuke → Harada Sanosuke → Saitou Hajime → Okita Souji → Hijikata Toshizo → Sanan Keisuke → Nagakura Shinpachi → Yamazaki Susumu → Sakamoto Ryouma → Souma Kazue → Iba Hachiro → Kazama Chikage

Soft rec play order (and what I went with) is the original 5 Shinsengumi member routes, the 3 Shinsengumi members who were in the game originally but had routes added later, the three totally new characters, and then Kazama. Within those groups, any order you prefer, really, but I think Hijikata is best saved for last of the OG 5.

Route Preferences, Favorite to Least Favorite:

Okita/Yamazaki/Kazama → Hijikata/Saitou/Sanan → Souma/Iba/Harada → Heisuke → Nagakura → Sakamoto

This is somewhat based on how much I like a character and how much I enjoyed the route. As I mentioned above, Okita, Yamazaki, and Kazama are my actual favorite characters, but Okita’s route isn’t necessarily the most exciting or informative. It still had some of the cutest moments, though, so? And then Kazama’s route still covers major events but in less detail. Aghhhh. Honestly, this was really difficult to rank, aside from the last three.

The way the routes/games break down is essentially:

Kyoto Winds:Prologue -> Chapters 1-4 (Common Route where all of the different branches and choices will determine your LI route) -> Chapter 5 (events are during the battle of Toba-Fushimi but the chapter is specific to your LI, so each chapter 5 is similar, but quite different in some parts) -> Final Chapter (character specific and really just a short interlude before it rolls right into…

Edo Blossoms: full route is specific to the LI route started in KW -> Prologue (recaps events of that route) -> Chapters 1-4 -> Epilogue

Kyoto Winds has the main/good ending, 1 bad ending, and a tragic love ending for each route.

Edo Blossoms has a main/good ending, an unrequited love ending, and generally 3 game overs and 1 bad ending per route. Hijikata has a few more, and Kazama doesn’t have any of the Game Overs, for reasons.

The Routes (in my play order):

Toudou Heisuke:

Captain of the Shinsengumi’s 8th Division, the baby.

Age at start: 19

I started with Heisuke to get his over with because he’s just not one of my favorites. He is injured early on, so many of the choices that you make to work toward his route mean that Chizuru stays behind from big events/battles, and the narration covers them in less detail since she’s not there. You still get an overview of (most) major things that happen over the years in which the game takes place, but it’s a different experience nearly every time you are working toward a new route. Going to one battle means at least two different perspectives of said battle because of which character you’re pursuing, for example. For this reason, I think Heisuke’s route is NOT a good place to start for someone new to the game, as Chizuru barely sees any of the major events, and the second half/Edo Blossoms part is pretty far removed from the other routes. Some might find that to be a more approachable entry point, but you learn almost nothing about Chizuru’s ancestry, never see her father (the whole reason she met and stayed with the Shinsengumi to begin with), and only see the initial two meetings with Kaoru. Just one of the routes that negates my earlier statement of all of the routes delving into everything.

Heisuke is the youngest captain in the Shinsengumi, so the relationship with Chizuru seems a bit more natural to start. He’s also the one who probably deals with the most complex internal conflict of all the LIs, what with his belief system being challenged frequently and thus straining his loyalties.

The real Heisuke died during the Aburanokōji Incident between the Shinsengumi and The Guardians of the Imperial Tomb group he’d left the Shinsengumi to join. In the game, he is mortally wounded and takes the Water of Life serum to become a Fury, in every route.

One of the things that I enjoyed a lot about the second half/Edo Blossoms part of this one is that there’s a lil team-up with Kazama to deal with the real antagonist of the route. As he is more often another antagonist, it was fun to see Chizuru and Heisuke just getting on his nerves by joking around, rather than being enemies.

Laughing at Kazama

Harada Sanosuke:

Captain of the Shinsengumi’s 10th Division. Spear user.

Age at start: 23

Sano is quite kind, and is a good balance of strong and emotionally mature. He doesn’t let Chizuru get away with trying to sacrifice herself, doing things on her own, etc., and forces her to talk through things with him and to rely on him. In Hakuoki, his dream for after the war is to settle down into a peaceful life with a wife and kids. The real Sano was married in 1865 and the couple had a son, but Sano was killed in 1868.

Sano is the original game’s version of the “player” character that always seems to have to be an LI in otoge (and are my least favorite other than the ones that are just straight-up abusive), but he doesn’t really fit that role, either. Sakamoto has that privilege in this version. Nagakura is more into going out drinking and trying to get girls, but Sano is the one who is actually popular with them. Once you’re in the Edo Blossoms part of his route, he mentions that he’s had a few chances to start a life with a woman before, but didn’t end up pursuing it. This is one of only three routes where Chizuru and an LI sleep together (but it’s like… “we spent the night together” and nothing descriptive beyond that).

Sanosuke never takes the Water of Life, so his route contains a few less bad endings/game overs than the others. Rather than Chizuru debating on whether to make a particular LI endure the bloodlust, take medicine, or drink her blood, her perspective in the route is more focused on Sanan trying to get her to provide blood for his Fury research and development of a better version of the serum.

The primary antagonist of this route is Yukimura Kodo, Chizuru’s father, who is trying to build an army of Furies in order to confront the Western countries whose influence is already a problem in Japan. This leads to a team-up with Shiranui, which is great. He's really funny and I like his dynamic with Sano.

Sano does some really sweet things for Chizuru in his route. He notices that she’s kind of lonely being surrounded by dudes all the time, so when he runs into Sen (an important supporting character and Demon) while on patrol one day, he sets up a little tea date for them to sit and chat for a while, and get Chizuru outta the compound.

I don't really have any major complaints about this route. Sano is very likable, works well with Chizuru and doesn't treat her like a burden and most of his scenes are refreshing considering the character trope he was slotted into. I just prefer several of the others over it. Hence my ranking difficulties.

Sano vs Shiranui

Chizuru and Sen

Saitou Hajime:

Captain of the Shinsengumi’s 3rd Division.

Age at start: 19

Saitou is (probably?) one of the more recognizable names in the game, because even if someone isn’t super familiar with the Shinsengumi, RuroKen’s Saitou is a massively popular depiction, amongst others.

The real Saitou was born Yamaguchi Hajime, and there’s a little nod to this in a segment of the common route/Saitou-specific branch where he’s assigned to guard someone and uses the name Yamaguchi as a cover. He was one of very few members of the Shinsengumi to survive the Bakumatsu period and Boshin War, living until the age of ~71 in 1915. He went by Fujita Goro following the war.

This route had some of the best conversations between Chizuru and an LI. Saitou in both real life and in the game was serious, introverted, and pretty mysterious. His dedication to the Shinsengumi and to Hijikata is unmatched, so much of the tension in his route comes from Chizuru worrying over him and his intention to live and die as a warrior, hoping that his life will end on the battlefield in service to the Shinsengumi. While he is stoic and hardly smiles, he is usually the first to explain a situation to Chizuru before she even has to ask in many of the events in the common route. There are even times where there’s a discussion happening with all of the leaders, and she’ll quietly find him to ask his thoughts. I liked this dynamic a lot.

Once we get into his actual route, they have some pretty deep discussions about what the Shinsengumi and being a warrior mean to him, as well as the fact that the age of samurai is clearly coming to an end. There was extra attention paid to the depth of his loyalty and willingness to do anything he was ordered to do, because it’s a reflection of what is usually recorded about his real life counterpart. Chizuru also struggles with the fact that he has been ordered to protect her, so he does with no regard for what danger that might bring him. When he becomes a Fury, she blames herself, as she does in most of the routes, but he is adamant that it was his choice to do so to uphold his duty. Eventually it’s about more than that for him, but it’s a much slower burn than some of the others who are just more emotional people in general.

Saitou is one of the captains, but he was also assigned a lot of the dirty/sneaky work by Hijikata. He joined Itou’s faction when they left, working as a spy. He does some of the aforementioned bodyguard work, as well. There are conflicting views on whether real Saitou was actually working as a spy in Itou’s faction, but he was responsible for internal intelligence with the Shinsengumi, sniffing out potential spies. He is generally one of the three considered to be the strongest warriors in the Shinsengumi, alongside Okita and Nagakura.

In the epilogue for this route, we get a more extensive overview of the fates of other members who had survived up to the final battles of the war than we do in the other routes. Real Sano died a few days after being wounded during the Battle of Ueno, but there were rumors that he survived, went to China, and became leader of a group of mounted bandits. This is referenced by Chizuru mentioning a rumor that “Harada went to Manchuria” and she pictures him on a galloping stallion, haha. It also mentions the deaths of Hijikata and Souma, and Nagakura’s life after, since he was the other member to survive to old age like Saitou.

Okita Souji:

Captain of the Shinsengumi’s 1st Division, and one of the most fascinating historical figures (to me).

Age at start: 21

Oh, dear Okita.

My first introduction to Okita as a historical figure was as the inspiration for my favorite RuroKen character, Seta Soujiro. I read into him a bit as a kid, and later did more research with my first run of Hakuoki.

He died after battling tuberculosis for several years, all of which occurs during the time period this game is set in. Because of that, Okita’s route is a bit removed from everyone else’s, as he stays behind from so many battles. Pretty much all accounts of the real Okita depict him as cheerful, always smiling and joking even in the later stages of his tuberculosis, but serious and ruthless in battle and when training soldiers. He would play with local children, and was always trying to make people laugh. He was called the Sword of the Shinsengumi and was considered one of the strongest members, having mastered Kondou’s Tennen Rishi Style in his teens after starting his training at 9.

In Hakuoki, he’s pretty sadistic, his “teasing” is often pretty cruel, and he threatens to kill Chizuru left and right (but ends up protecting her in dangerous situations instead). He deeply admires Chief Kondou, as he did in real life, and doesn’t take any harsh words or threats to him lightly. Because of his protectiveness of Kondou and the Shinsengumi itself, he’s quick to threaten Chizuru because her presence with them, and her knowledge of their secrets, are risks to the group at large. Throughout the first half/Kyoto Winds portion of his route, he has moments of kindness and gentle teasing, but he’s overall pretty rude and harsh. Honestly, I think this is just because they felt they needed someone to fill that particular trope, and to really showcase how intensely dedicated real Okita was to Kondou. Heisuke is fast friends with Chizuru, Sano is very kind and attentive, Saitou is reserved and stoic but patient, Hijikata is gruff to everyone because of his role but is kind, yet stern with Chizuru which makes her grow a spine. So Okita is left to have some of his jokester real-life personality and his scary-strong abilities and relationship with Kondou combine into some kind of pseudo-tsundere.

Reading about the real Okita Souji is devastating. I can’t imagine being such a profoundly talented swordsman, earning a nickname like Sword of the Shinsengumi, and then suffering with tuberculosis for yeaaars, unable to take part in many of the important fights after the Ikeda Inn, until the transition of power and fall of Shogunate forces. As he lay dying, apparently Okita kept asking about Kondou, who had recently been executed (beheaded, with the Imperials refusing to let him commit seppuku–wildly disrespectful), and no one who was left had the heart to tell him that Kondou was dead. UGH. I honestly can’t even describe how learning about him makes me feel. The Shinsengumi as a whole did not go quietly or peacefully, and anyone wasting away the way that Okita did is sad… but thinking about someone whose entire life and idea of self-worth was dedicated to the Shinsengumi–and even more so to Kondou–not being able to fully participate in the most important years of the group’s history, suffering from vicious coughing fits and a declining body for years, and dying so young in bed instead of on the battlefield after being such a prolific swordsman… I just can’t, man. It wrecks me.

This thought process is obviously not unique to me, as much of Okita’s route focuses on him feeling useless because of his illness, wondering if he’s any use to Kondou anymore, if he’s still wanted, and if anyone will even care when he dies. He is often very antagonistic toward Hijikata, especially where Kondou is concerned. If something bad happens after Hijikata follows orders FROM Kondou, Okita is gonna blame and threaten Hijikata because it put Kondou at risk. From what I've read, they didn't have a great relationship in real life, either.

There are some discrepancies in the scope of his involvement in the game, such as Okita staying behind during the Hamaguri Gate Rebellion, which historically he is noted to have attended. He also marched with Kondou and Hijikata at Kofu, but is bedridden at that point in the game. In any case, he’s still out of commission through most of the route even as a fury, because of injuries from silver bullets, which Furies can’t heal quickly.

There are cute scenes where Chizuru is taking care of him, and in typical Hakuoki Okita fashion, he’s relentless in getting her to admit she has feelings by teasing her. They have some of the best smooch CGs, though.

I think I was less enthused with his personality this time around, being in my mid-30s and not about that life, but Okita is still one of my favorite characters. Some of that could be nostalgia, my fascination with the real person, the influence in the creation of one of my favorite anime characters, etc., but once he’s decided to trust Chizuru, he’s really devoted, so it ends up balancing out. I have no idea if the fanbase is divided over this route since I don’t really engage with discourse on it, but I’d understand if it were.

THEIR KISSES ARE SO GOOD, THOUGH.

Smooch

Smooch again

Fury Okita -- Prob one of the best Fury stills in the game

Demons were attacking the compound and she was told to hide in a room and it was dark and she fell, OKAY?! Biting a hole through my lip just the same.

Hijikata Toshizo:

Commander of the Shinsengumi

Age at start: 28

Some of the best goddamn voice acting you will ever hear. Miki Shin’ichiro is phenomenal.

This is one of the routes where I tried to make bullet point notes as I played through, but didn’t do anything more extensive until I was working on the review in full. Because the route is longer and much more involved than the others in scope of the battles, I’m probably forgetting things. I mostly worked on this while playing Souma’s route (five routes later), and things were starting to kinda blur together when it came to the Edo Blossoms half of them all.

Hijikata’s is the “true” route. I have still never seen the anime or movies, but they depict it this way as well. Because of that, we get the fullest scope of all of the Shinsengumi battles in the timeframe, because Hijikata is (and was) basically the last one still fighting for the Shinsengumi, until the end. The route ends in May of 1869, which is when the Boshin War finally ended with shogunate forces surrendering to the Imperials in the short-lived Ezo Republic.

Hijikata is noted to have been very handsome. He is the Demon Commander, responsible for creating and strictly upholding the Shinsengumi’s Code of Conduct, and basically running everything. The way it’s depicted in Hakuoki, and from some of what I’ve read, Kondou is the reason so many of the captains and soldiers found a place to belong, and was more the figurehead and spirit. Kondou was a talented swordsman, and master of the Tennen Rishi Style at Shiei Hall where many of them met, but Hijikata was the one who really managed everything and made all of the big decisions. In Hakuoki, Sanan is the colonel, and seems to be ranked just below Hijikata, though the encyclopedia entry lists him higher. In reality, he was technically above Hijikata, who was Vice-Commander. So, real Hijikata was called the Demon Vice-Commander. Real Sanan tried to desert despite the Code, and was ordered to commit seppuku in 1865. I think the devs might have just decided to make Hijikata the Commander instead of dealing with the hierarchy changes because Sanan becomes a Fury after an injury in the game, instead of the whole desertion and seppuku thing. (Plus, if you look up the ranks, Kondou is listed as Commander and not "Chief" so i'ts more a terminology discrepancy thing.)

Kazama is the primary antagonist in this route. Aside from all of the historical battles, the Shinsengumi is met with interference by Kazama and the other two Demons Amagiri and Shiranui at every turn. The intense disdain that Kazama holds for the Shinsengumi, who fight losing battle after losing battle starting with Toba-Fushimi, evolves into a sort of respect as he realizes that not all humans are in it for greed and glory.

We don’t actually see Kaoru at all in this route other than the two common route scenes that you see in every playthrough, so while this is the true route, you don’t even get that aspect of Chizuru’s backstory.

I did really enjoy the interactions between Hijikata and Chizuru. He’s one of the older LIs, so much of the common route is him begrudgingly giving her tasks as his page, seeing her as a kid under their protection, and slowly bolstering her confidence. As it progresses, her determination to stay by his side and support the Shinsengumi in the little ways that she can, and to see their fight through to the end, is returned in kind by his declarations of her being a member of the Shinsengumi, asking for her support and opinions, relying on her, and otherwise making it known that she is valued and appreciated.

There’s so much to say about Hijikata as both a character and person. He was unerringly dedicated to Kondou and the Shinsengumi, and to his system of beliefs. He knew that they did not have a chance at winning, throughout the year and a half of struggles and battles after Toba-Fushiimi, until the end. Winning was not the point. They had fought for years to be true warriors, to protect people, to follow through in their beliefs, and they were going to die while upholding all of that, as warriors. He did not want to live in a country run by people who had killed Kondou like a common criminal, and he knew that the age of the warrior was ending. There’s more to it that I could say, but this is already making me cry again and I’ve been dehydrated for two weeks because of this game. In any case, I am some white lady living in 2026 who has never had to struggle in any of the ways that these men did, so I will never really understand. All I can do is respect the hell out of their drive to stick to what they believed in until the moments of their deaths, and mourn the fact that they were viewed as traitors, sore losers, and fools until perspectives shifted on them in the late 1920s. There is a reason that they’re so prolific in various media now, as anyone can get behind this kind of story.

Hijikata died of a gunshot to the lower back during the Battle of Hakodate in Ezo in 1869. His body was apparently collected, and there are three potential burial sites, but it remains unknown for sure where he now rests.

Whether you find Hijikata’s story or Okita’s more tragic, they’re definitely the ones that hit me the hardest to read about, in Hakuoki or otherwise.

Hijikata encouraging Chizuru to speak up for herself

Hijikata, let down your hair

Sanan Keisuke:

Colonel, consultant to Chief Kondou.

Age at start: 30

I wasn’t super enthused about getting to this route when Kyoto Winds first came out, because of how Sanan is portrayed in the original routes. He either loses it wanting to create a bunch of Furies like in Heisuke’s route, or he’s otherwise just hyper-focused on his new lot in life as a Fury and is kind of sidelined. Because so many of his common route interactions with Chizuru aren’t really positive ones (him being harsh with her after his injury and before he becomes a Fury, because he’s unable to fight; trying to attack her in the middle of the night for blood for research; etc.), I expected it to just be a route that is more common in other VNs, where you have one whackjob that we really shouldn’t be rooting for as a love interest. The route DOES get a little shady and twisty, but not in that way. I’ve always found him to be a really interesting character because he had such different views on becoming a Fury from everyone else, but before actually getting to his route, I wasn’t sure how that was going to work out, for the reasons above. So I was pleasantly surprised.

The real Sanan’s last name could be read as Yamanami or Sanan, but he signed documents with it specifically written to read as Sanan, so it’s the accepted pronunciation. However, you’re most likely going to see Yamanami as the last name if you read about the Shinsengumi now, for whatever reason (I forget).

There were some really sweet scenes and CGs in this route. Sanan’s generally mild-mannered and soft-spoken depiction gives him a much different vibe than the other LIs, and is a reflection of how real Sanan was said to be very gentle and kind. He’s also very intelligent and is focused on Fury research, so that aspect of his character and route are great for me.

As I mentioned in the Hijikata route segment, the real Sanan tried to leave the Shinsengumi, which was against the Code. There are differing theories as to why he tried to leave, but in any case, he committed seppuku with Okita as his second, which was an intensely painful experience for Okita, as the two were like brothers. In Hakuoki, there are a few routes in which Chizuru is there when Sanan takes the Water of Life to become a Fury. Okita comes in and Sanan asks to be killed. While Hijikata and Sanan are depicted as closer in the game (mostly in Hijikata’s route), rather than Okita and Sanan, I think that scene is a bit of a nod to the real life relationship between Sanan and Okita.

This route is very heavily focused on Fury research, Sanan maybe or maybe not working with Chizuru’s father Kodo and Kaoru on expanding their army, and more depth into the side effects of the Water of Life.

There was one thing that confused me a bit: At the end of the KW route, Kaoru is mad that Sanan and Okita keep “getting in the way” but I have no idea why he mentions Okita. He actually brings it up twice, but Okita is not a Fury in this route, and has been bedridden for a while at that point.

This cutie

Sir, I'm gonna need you to CHILL

Lil forehead kiss

Nagakura Shinpachi:

Captain of the Shinsengumi’s 2nd Division.

Age at start: 24

It was always strange to me that, prior to Kyoto Winds, Nagakura didn’t have a route. Maybe because he and Sano do basically everything together, sharing just about every appearance/scene in the game, leave the Shinsengumi at the same time, etc., and the devs just kinda chose one of the two. Perhaps Sano’s desire for a family was a better choice to work with since that wasn’t really the case for many of the other men. I wasn’t too bothered by it back in the day when I first played, because he was a nice enough dude, but essentially the doofy buff himbo, always wanting to go off to Shimabara to drink and look at the girlies. Not my bag.

Nagakura is recognized as one of the strongest fighters in the Shinsengumi, alongside Okita and Saitou. I’ve read a few sources where there’s debate about whether he was stronger than Okita, but generally the three are mentioned together.

The big thing of note is that Nagakura is one of the few well-known members who lived through the Restoration and into old age, dying in 1915 at 75 years old. Saitou died later that same year at the age of 71. Nagakura had also written memoirs, which he lent to an acquaintance, and which went missing for decades before they were found and subsequently published in 1998 as a book titled “Shinsengumi Tenmatsuki.” I’ve never looked into the book, but I’d like to.

The route focuses a lot on Nagakura’s unwillingness to be a Fury. He and Sano were both intensely against the idea, even though they are shown to be supportive of Heisuke because they were such good friends. While many of the LIs take the Water of Life in an effort to keep pushing forward with their duties, beliefs, or in protecting Chizuru, Nagakura didn’t accept or carry a bottle on him when all of the Captains were given one as a backup plan by Sanan.

When he and Gen are about to die in the end of the KW portion, Gen pours his bottle into Nagakura’s mouth so that he can live on and also protect Chizuru. Throughout the rest of his route, he barely uses the powers but seems to kinda lose it when he does–not bloodlust insanity but rage taking over.

We see a good amount of Amagiri in this route as well. He mostly makes appearances to make sure that Nagakura is still “fighting as a human” and keeping to his oath of not using the Fury powers if he can help it. The romance in this route, though… It just isn’t really there. Nagakura says Chizuru is like a little sister to him a bunch of times, and then suddenly before the final battle, he’s like, “I want you to be the most important woman in my life. I wanna propose to you right now, is that okay?” and they kiss and I’m just like ????

I wasn’t really into him as an LI, but if they had kept him in a big bro role, I’d honestly have been happier.

Button?

Headpats

This big dumb sweet doofus getting his new Western uniform

Yamazaki Susumu:

Spy and member of the Watch.

Age at start: 29

My boy! I was SO excited when Kyoto Winds was announced, because sweet Yamazaki finally had a route! I was so tired of seeing him die during Toba-Fushimi in all the routes (because that’s when the real Yamazaki died), and really wished we saw more of him in the common route. Hakuoki Yamazaki’s personality closely matches the accounts of his real-life counterpart, in that he was intensely loyal, rather taciturn, and gentle. Also, Han’nya, one of my absolute favorite characters from RuroKen, is loosely based on him.

He’s typically given a ninja appearance or role in different media, and Hakuoki is no different. When he’s on missions, and during fights, he wears pretty stereotypical ninja garb. Real Yamazaki was not considered a ninja, but it seems to be a natural enough move to have him presented that way in anime and games.

Yamazaki says at one point that he’s not as skilled as the captains, so this becomes a major growth point for him around the halfway point/the start of his actual route. He’s fast, stealthy, and everything else that would be useful for a spy, but he’s not as strong in actual combat. Once he becomes a Fury, he’s even faster, and because of the healing abilities, he goes nuts in some fights, just shredding his muscles and tendons by pushing himself harder and harder. There were some really cool fight descriptions in this one that made the most of his ninja depiction. Bro’s arms are incapacitated and he kicks the hilt of a sword so the blade flies straight into the enemy’s heart. Be still, MY heart.

There are a few times within various routes where Chizuru mentions her father being so kind, caring for her when she got sick, etc. I kept wondering how she was ever sick as a child. Her healing capabilities are an obvious plot point, but it’s implied that Demons don’t really get sick either, I think. In this route, it comes up again, with her telling Yamazaki about Kodo staying up all night to care for her when she got sick as a child. When they have their confrontation with him, he tells them that he was frequently injecting her with lethal doses of poisons as an experiment. His goals and methods are a bit different across routes–typically, he’s aiming to make a country of Furies, and sometimes this coincides with him raising Chizuru to be the eventual bride of Kazama. In this case, he was raising her for the purpose of using her blood to improve the Water of Life.

THIS ROUTE HAD THE CUTEST GODDAMN KISS SCENE. OMG STOPPPP. It was during what Chizuru thought was Yamazaki having an episode of bloodlust, so when you choose to offer blood, she’s gonna cut her hand as usual and he’s all shy staring at her lips instead but unsure how to ask and AHHHH.

The epilogue of this route was also super cute. Yamazaki comes from a family of acupuncturists, and was the main person handling day-to-day medical responsibilities for the Shinsengumi. In the epilogue, he and Chizuru open her dad’s clinic back up while he trains to become a doctor.

LOOK AT THEMMMMM

BEST SMOOCH IN THE GAME -- I FORGOT TO TAKE A SCREENSHOT OF THE FULL VIEW AAAHHH

A shy lil guy

Cuties

Paging Dr. Yamazakiiii

Sakamoto Ryouma:

Age to start: 28

UGH.

I was honestly really not looking forward to this route, so I decided to do it first in this set of three totally-new LIs. The only time you even meet Sakamoto while playing the previous routes is if you’re working on Saito-specific branches, and it’s just the one time. Then he’s assassinated–as the real Sakamoto was–during chapter 4. But we do know that he was dealing with both the Satsuma and Choshu, wanted the shogunate gone, and brought about the Imperial Restoration. This made him not only an enemy of the shogunate supporters, but also the Sacho because they weren’t looking for such a peaceful transition that left so much power in the hands of the Tokugawa Clan. Romancing Kazama, a Demon who isn’t supposed to be involved in human affairs to begin with, but whose main goal is to wife Chizuru up, feels pretty different from Chizuru falling for a guy who is technically the biggest threat to the Shinsengumi and shogunate at large, if not because of battle prowess, but because of his connections, schemes, and goals.

Don’t get me wrong–Sakamoto was on the winning side of history, in the sense that today’s Japan was at least in part built by his actions. We can’t say for certain what it would be like if the shogunate had remained in power, or how long it might have taken for Japan to further Westernize, if ever. Sakamoto’s goal, as it were, was to eliminate the shogunate because of how unfair it was for people to be born samurai, getting great positions and power just because of the family they were born into. As a Tosa country samurai, things within just that domain alone were incredibly unfair to people like him, and he wanted change for the good of the people of the entire country. My opinions of this route aren’t based on the real Sakamoto and his ideals, or whether they’re right or wrong. It’s not really my place to say. My problem is mostly with having him as an LI to begin with, and how everything about it fell flat for me.

Chizuru is also super annoying in this route. She meets Sakamoto and has two brief conversations with him. Afterwards, the Shinsengumi has her write a letter for him to meet her so that they can call him in for a chat. He sees through it, and then meets with them all, and DIRECTLY, CLEARLY, OPENLY tells Chizuru afterwards that he is an enemy of the Shinsengumi. As the story progresses and new branches of the usual common route stuff pop up, she’s all worried about him, thinks that he didn’t seem like a bad guy, and is all excited about seeing him again. She’s never like that with all the dudes keeping her safe and being good friends to her for years in their routes, and her idiocy was honestly way more annoying than her usual blandness. She’s already one of those naive characters who seems like she would defend someone she barely knows because of one conversation where every word they said to her could have been a lie, and in this route, that is at least somewhat the case. In the other routes, the guys recognize that she’s very honest and kind, usually to a fault, but she just goes to stupid mode for this one. She knows he’s supporting the Satcho alliance, knows he’s buying Western weapons, and she’s horrified by this because people could die, but, “I’m so drawn to him.” Stfu.

Sakamoto is pushy, has no real reason to like Chizuru so quickly other than to use her, and is the least trustworthy of anyone from the start, but charms her right off. Gross. I was seriously miserable while playing through this route. “I may not know his exact circumstances… But I remembered his carefree words and dreams when he talked about the oceans of the world and the Black Ships… From this, I knew that Sakamoto was not a man who deserved to be captured and tortured.” Girl, please. I think we can agree on that last part but you’re pissing me off.

Despite his goals, the Shinsengumi has orders from multiple superiors to leave Sakamoto alone, and they even make an effort to protect him at one point, from officials who are after him, and to potentially show their superiors that they’re doing as they were told.

Chizuru and Sakamoto sleep together eventually (one of only three routes where this happens, the others being Sano’s and Souma’s), immediately following him comforting her after finding out Kaoru is her brother, and that he had a terrible life after they were separated. So she’s all upset and that’s when he decides to make a move. Cool, bro. [Note that this game is as mild as it gets, so it’s a kiss CG and then something like, “We spent the night together,” or some shit.]

Nakaoka was an interesting antagonist. The politics in this one got a little wonkier for me, because Nakaoka and Sakamoto are from the Tosa Domain, but were part of the Tosa Loyalist Party. The Party was formed to oppose the strict hierarchy of the domain, with other goals of abolishing the Tokugawa government (shogunate) and restoring the emperor to power. “Loyalists” at the time were people who supported the shogunate, so you can imagine my confusion when this “Loyalist Party” name keeps getting brought up and I’ve spent dozens of hours across many playthroughs of many versions of this game with loyalist meaning the exact opposite of what this party stood for. I thought it was a mistranslation in the game’s dictionary, honestly, and looked it up to clarify. Plus there’s all the machinations that Sakamoto was up to working with various domains, not being so opposed to Western ideals as basically everyone else at the time was, etc. I can keep track of the involved domains throughout the game in general, but it got pretty heavy with the different areas and stuff in this one.

NORMAL ENDING: The Kyoto Winds/Edo Blossoms Normal Ending is also found in this route. It was actually pretty sweet. Chapter 5 is mostly recycled text from the other routes, but Hijikata asks Chizuru to go to Osaka Castle where Okita and Chief Kondou were moved to recover as the Battle of Toba-Fushimi starts, saying she’s good to them and he’d prefer to keep her there for the battle, but he wants someone he can trust with Okita and Kondou. Once the Shinsengumi is defeated at Toba-Fushimi, they arrive at Osaka Castle before leaving for Edo. Hijikata tells Chizuru that he wants her to go back home, and they will be continuing their fight. Edo Blossoms then picks up, and the route continues as several segments with no choices. Chizuru learns from letters and such about the other battles that we see in the other routes (and in history). Hijikata visits her once, and Sen and Kimigiku make several appearances, which is nice. The pair are searching for Kodo and bringing Chizuru news when they can. Eventually they get a lead and go to confront him, but Kazama is already there and has killed him. Later, Chizuru learns of Kondou’s death, as well as Okita’s. But Hijikata and the remaining Shinsengumi march on, and Sen and Kimigiku escort her in her wish to catch up to them. Unfortunately, they have to wait several months to secure passage to Ezo. Kazama ends up being the one to arrange this, and Chizuru heads there, even though the war is over. There she hears how everything came to an end, and she thinks back on all of the dear members of the Shinsengumi who had been her family for four years. (CG for this at the very end of the review.) Cue me sobbing.

YEAH, TELL HER

Souma Kazue:

Kondou's page, who joins after Chizuru

Age to start: 21

I ended up really liking Souma! He’s very sincere in every way, and wants nothing more than to live the life of an honorable warrior, and to protect Chizuru. He’s very respectful to her, and the two are able to build a really believable rapport, because Chizuru spent the previous few years as Hijikata’s page (technically) and doing work around the headquarters. She’s essentially put in charge of showing him the ropes, so they spend a lot of time together. Once you’ve made the one branching decision that gives him initial affection in the first chapter, you’re able to see more interactions with him in the common route than you do in the other routes (and therefore build his affection to have it branch to his route).

I didn’t do much research into the real Souma, but based on the game and what little digging I did do, he was born to a samurai family, but hated how the warriors of his domain were always just looking for ways to shirk their duties. He left his domain, joined the shogunate army, and found the attitude to be much the same. In the game, we bump into him once early on in chapter 1, depending on the branches of the common route, and then later he joins because he’s impressed by the mindset of the Shinsengumi, and becomes Kondou’s page. There was one scene in this route where Chizuru is narrating and mentions him being younger than her, but even though there are different recorded dates for real Souma’s birth, he’d still be older than her by a few years. Doesn’t really matter, but when I was playing that part, I was curious and looked it up to see how old he would have been.

Some of the great additions to the common route that are unique to Souma are that we get a story about the Roshigumi from Heisuke after he turns into a Fury. There’s also a scene where Okita tells the pair a bit about Shiei Hall, the dojo that Kondou ran, and where he’d trained since he was a boy.

The antagonist for this route is different from the usual combo of one of the Demons, Kodo, possibly Kodo and Kaoru, etc. Earlier in the common route, there’s a confrontation between Itou’s younger brother Miki and Chizuru as she’s on the way to take a bath late at night after everyone else is done. I’d honestly been wondering for years how she handled bathing while hiding her gender in an all-male compound, but it was never addressed previously (though I suppose I did play standalone Kyoto Winds and see that part of the route years ago). Anyway, despite being a captain, Miki isn’t in the loop with the Fury stuff or with the reasons behind Chizuru’s presence (or that she’s a girl), because he’s Itou’s brother, and their whole little faction isn’t really wanted in the Shinsengumi by anyone but Kondou. So Miki gets all in Chizuru’s face about why she’s getting special treatment from Captains, and they should go bathe together to get to know each other, and she obviously balks at that, and he’s like, “WELL MAYBE YOU’RE A WOMAN?!” and then Souma comes to save the day. (Souma also doesn’t know at this point, haha.) After that, though, there’s the whole departure of the Itou faction/formation of Guardians of the Imperial Tomb thing, his assassination, and Miki wanting revenge. So that becomes the main side-plot focus of Souma’s route at the end of the Kyoto Winds half and throughout the Edo Blossoms half.

Souma never actually has a decisive battle in his route. Miki’s goal is revenge against the higher ups in the Shinsengumi for his brother’s death, so once we run into him again at Hakodate after Hijikata passes away, he sees no point in fighting Souma and leaves. However, their earlier fights are a big point of frustration for Souma, as he is not on the same level as any of the captains. I cried so much through the Edo Blossoms half of his route. While Chizuru, Souma, and the other page Nomura are traveling to catch up with Hijikata, various captains show up along the way, sacrificing themselves to help the trio escape or continue on (and these were all people who actually died, just presented this way in this route).

Once they reach Ezo, Hijikata picks up on how they feel about each other, and is a hilarious lil shit, getting Souma to confess to Chizuru in front of him (and the gathering of eavesdroppers outside his door).

In both the game and life, Souma is technically the last Commander of the Shinsengumi. In Hakuoki, Hijikata hands it over to Souma as he (Hijikata) is dying, and in life, Souma was appointed as Commander a few days after Hijikata’s death. Souma then tenders their surrender.

In Hakuoki, he is sent to a prison island for three years, and the epilogue is him returning to Chizuru so they can begin their life together. The real Souma was exiled to Nijima island, married there, and the couple moved to Tokyo in 1873. In 1875, his wife came home to find that he had committed seppuku. There’s really not much else known about his death, such as why he did it, or even where he’s buried. One account that I read said he was still alive when his wife returned, and she was sworn to secrecy. My guess is that he wanted to die on the battlefield as the others had, but having the duty of surrendering passed onto him wasn't something he could ignore, and he didn't want to live with that.

"Your arms are so thin!" /clueless

Iba Hachiro:

A hatamoto of the shogunate; Obanshi serving in the Okuzume (high-ranking guard who directly protects the Shogun)

Age at start: 20

Though Chizuru does not initially remember this, she and Iba were childhood friends when she was very little, like five or so. He would visit the clinic to look over Kodo’s books on medicine, and he looked out for her when other kids found out she could heal very quickly and stopped playing with her. Early on in a branch of the common route, there’s a run-in with Takeda Kanryusai (another captain of the Shinsengumi, and the inspiration for that asshole in RuroKen) who’s trying to bribe a tea shop owner. Takeda has it out for Iba after he steps in, so he becomes the primary antagonist in this route. One of the crazy scenes in this route is that Chizuru gets shot through both hands during a confrontation with the Demons. Shiranui wasn’t aiming for her, but she jumps in and then heals up right after.

There is a totally new element added in for this route. Takeda teams up with Kodo and his whole Fury takeover plan bullshit, and they steal this Demon arm from Sen’s village. In an earlier duel, Iba had cut off Takeda's right arm. Later, Takeda cuts off Iba's left arm as payback, and Sen gives Iba the other Demon arm while he also takes the Water of Life to make it actually work. This Demon arm causes both Takeda and Iba to have ~sexy~ dreams about Chizuru, because it's the base nature of Demon men or whatever, since she's a pureblooded female Demon. Iba hides this and is ashamed of it, but when he and Chizuru eventually kiss, it dampens that and helps the arm to assimilate better to his body so it's not influencing his emotions and shit anymore. Takeda, on the other hand, is aggressively prepared to assault Chizuru if he gets his hands on her, sooo, yikes.

One thing is noted in this route: Furies and demons alike can’t regenerate a limb – so why don’t the Captains cut off limbs more often when they're fighting Furies? There are so many fight scenes where they just keep getting up. GO FOR THE LEGS.

Takeda seemed like he’d be a lame antagonist, but man, he’s probably the worst, as in, horrific. He just wants to turn Chizuru into a baby factory, but not in an "I will make you my wife and protect you" way like Kazama does.

Out on the town

Another good smooch

Kazama Chikage:

Demon. Wants Chizuru for his bride as she is a female Demon (~rare~)

Age at start: 25

Ah, the reason I’ve been simping for Tsuda Kenjiro’s voice for over a decade. He’s been pretty popular in the last few years, but I’m not super familiar with those roles because my rules for consuming anime keep me way behind on current ones. The quiet, almost bored way that Kazama speaks is so fitting, and gets super intense when he’s angry.

Chikage is the head of the Kazama Clan of Demons. When he discovers that Chizuru is a Demon woman, who are apparently rare, he pursues her. This usually means he shows up every so often throughout the common route to cause a ruckus at the Shinsengumi compound, or have that as a secondary goal while interfering with them since he’s involved with the Satsuma Domain.

It’s only in his route that we learn a bit more about Demons in general. He mentions that while Demon women have their rapid healing ability, they have the same stamina and strength as a normal human woman. Because of this, Demon men are super protective of them and are typically the only ones who ever leave their villages. Demons are also very reclusive, preferring to live in their hidden villages away from humans after being pulled into human disputes in the past. Chizuru’s village being destroyed by humans is a bit of backstory that we hear about in every route, but Kazama tells her in this one specifically that her clan was the only one not to cave into the pressure of supporting humans in their wars like even his own did, and that she should be proud.

I still have no idea if Demon women have a “true” form. One route has Chizuru turning into a Fury (I think just as a bad end, honestly can’t remember now) and when her horns come out, Kazama says she shouldn’t be able to do that. I don’t know if he meant “yet” or at all. It’s implied in one of the routes that they live longer than humans, but I’m not sure by how much. Amagiri says something about owing the Satsuma for their support during the Battle of Sekigahara, so with that being nearly 300 years earlier, I dunno if it’s just his clan maintaining their vow to support them in some way, or if he was there.

Kazama’s route keeps Chizuru away from most of the fighting. In his KW chapter 5, she and Gen are headed to Yodo Castle, as they do in most of the routes. When he is killed–once again–Kazama comes to Chizuru’s rescue, and then takes her to see the chaos that is happening in the aftermath of the battle. His goal is to take down Kodo and wipe out all of the Furies (Fakes, as he calls them), but he also tries to help her reunite with the Shinsengumi. It’s just that, at that point, they’re slowly being killed off, going from place to place battling, and the pair are a step behind for months at a time. Eventually, he takes her to Ezo so that she can see where it all ends.

Kazama is representative of all of the people–then and now–who find the Shinsengumi to be sore losers, holding onto a dying form of government, pointless ideals, and wasting their lives in this fight. I think that, even if you are a “Shinsengumi fan” who finds their drive to be admirable, most of us can agree that it was a “dumb” war they were waging. This does not, however, make it pointless. They were not trying to win–they KNEW they weren’t going to win. But like I said in the Hijikata section, it was never about that. It was about fighting for what they believed in until their dying breaths. Even if that mindset is considered “dumb” because they weren’t going to make a difference or put the shogun back in power, we can respect that unwavering resolve to go out the way they wanted to. Eventually, Kazama also begins to see this, and his support of Chizuru seeing it through is really sweet.

I WILL

~Domestic~

Sheeeeeeeeeesh

True form

Full circle, babyyyy

[Other stuff]:

There is an extended metaphor in this game, with the Furies being called Fakes by the Demons, and the fact that the Shinsengumi has always been treated as fakes or pawns. Hijikata notes this at one point, arguing that they have always been seen as such, so it made no difference to their commitment. I think this was a really great way to continue that commentary on the real Shinsengumi while incorporating the fantastic/Demon elements.

Other characters: I mentioned several supporting characters throughout the route sections, but I figured I’d make a brief overview here, since I didn’t want to go into too much detail within those sections.

Sen - Demon Princess of the Yase Clan

Kimigiku - Sen’s bodyguard and friend

Yukimura Kodo - Doctor, Chizuru’s father (but not actually)

Nagumo Kaoru - Appears in all routes during the common part, dressed as a girl, but has varying degrees of involvement. Chizuru’s twin brother, raised by the Nagumo clan when the Yukimura village was destroyed. Chizuru didn’t remember him, and in most routes, he hates her for growing up nicely while he was treated like garbage for being male.

Dr. Matsumoto – another real person; in Hakuoki, a doctor colleague of Kodo’s, working for the shogunate

Amagiri Kyuuju – one of the Demons who shows up with Kazama frequently; expert in hand-to-hand combat; often a voice of reason, preventing Kazama from interfering too often, and sometimes an ally depending on the route

Shiranui Kyo - another Demon typically accompanying Kazama and Amagiri; uses a gun; aligned with the Choshu for personal reasons; sometimes an ally

Genzaburo Inoue – one of the other captains of the Shinsengumi, an older and very kind man. He treats Chizuru really well from the start, and his death in every goddamn route makes me cry every goddamn time.

Shimada Kai - Member of the Watch with Yamazaki, and part of Nagakura's squad. He's another one of the few men to make it through the war. He's a big teddy bear and his teasing of Chizuru and Yamazaki in that route is super cute. I don't know much of anything about him in real life.

Sen and Kimigiku don’t show up nearly enough, though they have more of a role in Kazama’s route. Sen is a good friend to Chizuru and offers several times to hide her away and keep her safe. They have some cute interactions and I’m just always grateful when there are good supporting female characters in these games.

Water of Life: The serum developed by Kodo to give Demon-like powers to humans. At the behest of the shogunate, the Shinsengumi was involved in the experiments that Kodo was running with the serum. It gives a human extraordinary healing abilities, strength, and speed, but also causes them to suffer from bloodlust that eventually drives them insane. They feel weak if out during the day, and several of the characters who take it are considered "dead" and are part of the Fury Corps, unbeknownst to the public and the rank and file Shinsengumi. We find out in a couple of the routes that it was originally made with the blood of Demons from the West (vampires), and not the Demons like Kazama and Chizuru found in Japan.

[Menu Stuff]:

Movies: 31 -Original Kyoto Winds Opening, Edo Blossoms Opening, new opening for this collection, an ending for each LI for KW and EB (same song, but uses the CGs for that character), Normal end for KW, Yukimura end for EB, and the generic tragic ends for KW and for EB

Music: 35 tracks

CG Count: Okita: 36, Yamazaki: 24, Hijikata: 45, Saitou: 33, Harada: 31, Toudou: 34, Nagakura: 24, Sanan: 28, Souma: 27, Iba: 37, Sakamoto: 30, Kazama: 26, Other: 44

One bonus CG unlocks after finishing the OG 5 Shinsengumi routes, and four more after completing all routes and viewing Annex stories.

Annex Stories: Once you finish the Good ending for an LI, their story unlocks in the main menu’s Annex. Each one is just a brief interaction between that LI and Chizuru, set at some point during the game’s events (the years vary). Usually just a sweet little outing or something, like Iba and Chizuru talking to a palm reader, or Yamazaki coming to talk to her about treatment plans for soldiers and helping her with mending clothing for a while instead.

Encyclopedia: All terms collected. I honestly don’t understand how they’re organized at all. There are ten pages of terms for KW and EB each, and it’s not in any sort of order. They’re not exactly alphabetical, and they’re not grouped by person/item/location or anything. It’s all just kinda mixed up. There’s not a number listed anywhere, but it’s…a lot of terms.

The art, FLAWLESS. The music, IMMACULATE. UGH, THIS GAAAAME.

I also wanted to note the achievement names in PS/Steam versions. They’re usually punny takes on the guys’ names or events in the game, like, “George Lucas Would be Proud,” “New Town, Who Dis?” and “Saitou for Sore Eyes.” Hahaha…

Anyway, I don’t really know what else to say to close this out. If you read all of this: damn, thank you, homie. I have undoubtedly forgotten things I wanted to mentioned, fucked some historical reference up, etc.

I'm exhausted. (And I just finished another VN in the meantime, so I've got another, MUCH SHORTER--review to do.)

JOKE'S ON YOU.

MOURN, SOB & CRY