Nutmegfluff

Yeah… I completely understand this. I love spoilers too and have trouble when my mood is soured by character deaths.

The Rurouni Kenshin films are amazing and probably the best film adaption of a manga series I’ve ever watched. And thankfully, all the movies have been released, so technically, you could watch The Beginning, which focuses on the Bakamatsu Era before you even watch any of the other films. My friend has only seen RuroKen: The Beginning, and she wasn’t the slightest confused and it can act as a standalone film.

That’s so true… maybe there will be enough engagement with the first part that they raise the budget and have intense, awe-inspiring, graphic fight sequences at the end… somehow after their J-pop-esque sword dance, I doubt it though 😅

Yes, Serizawa dies in the manga. You’re right to assume that neither Kondo nor Hijikata are thrilled by Serizawa, but Kondo sees him as a comrade overall, where Hijikata is just waiting for him to screw up.

The spy with the hat, who they introduce in Ep. 6, is Katsura Kogoro, an important member of the Ishin Shishi (and in the manga, he trained at the same dojo as Daisaku). He actually survives the Bakamatsu, but I think ultimately dies of cancer? or tuberculosis at a young age (none of these people are lucky lol)

Okay…. So heads up, this is going to be a long one… (sorry if I can’t remember all the details since it’s been a while since I read the manga… I had to skim some pictures to remember exact details, but I didn’t go back and reread as it’s kinda sad lol)

I’m going to start with Daisaku and Kyujuro’s relationship.
In the drama, Daisaku’s past is significantly more fleshed out. Because of previous trauma, he guards his heart and is therefore much crueler to Kyujuro than in the manga.

In the manga, Daisaku is much more talkative and has a much more discerning eye. He will even go as far as to verbally point out all his enemies weaknesses, leaving them shaken, before he mutilates or murderers them. He is also the first person to notice Okita’s tuberculosis.
They go on frequent “dates” to eat shiruko- the Azuki bean porridge. This is Daisaku’s favorite treat and he frequents the same shiruko stand.

He also is much more vocal about his sweet tooth and he helps Kyujuro out A LOT more in the manga, without question. For example, when Kyujuro spots his father’s murderer at the shiruko spot, Daisaku helps him. They tail four of the Tosa rebels and Daisaku even kills 3 of them so Kyujuro can focus on his father’s killer, Hanzo Shonai. There is no relation between his father’s killer Hanzo and Daisaku in the manga.

Due to he fact that he has no past traumas, he genuinely wants to help Kyujuro, while also forwarding his agenda, as he views him as a brother in arms. They share many of the same philosophies, such as not extorting the weak and helping anyone in trouble. For example, Serizawa burns down a significant part of Kyoto and both of them rush head first to put out the fire. In that sense, Daisaku is outwardly kinder and not an emo boy. Everything is less ominous. But he still has a very nonchalant attitude and you get the sense he’s in the Shinsengumi for fun.

The only thing Daisaku and Kyujuro fight about is Kyujuro’s love of Kondo. Daisaku doesn’t like him because he thinks he’s either an idealistic fool or a fake. I think his dislike of Kondo stems more from a dissidence in ideology in the manga.

I can definitely see how their friendship could be evolved into a bromance. Many times Daisaku saves Kyujuro from assassins (will get to that) and he bandages Kyujuro frequently because he gets his ass kicked a lot by both him and Okita (Kyujuro actually becomes a badass by the end though).

Daisaku does try to deter Kyujuro from his revenge, as he worries pursuing it will get him killed. But he’s never mean about it, like in the drama. More worried and desperate to preserve both the purity and safety of his friend.


Sakamoto’s role/Does Kyujuro kill his father’s murderer:

Sakamoto Ryoma saves Kyujuro twice, once after his failed attempt to kill Hanzo and another time after he’s attacked by an assassin. He treats him with Western medicine. He then lectures Kyujuro not to be concerned with revenge.

He shows him a globe and explains how silly the pointless violence in Japan is in the grand scheme of the world. He says it’s senseless that Japan is torn in two, with Japanese killing each other. He warns him he’ll regret it once he gets his revenge. Kyu storms out in rage.

Eventually, Kyujuro challenges Hanzo and kill him. The Tosa Clan swears one day they’ll get revenge.
Kyujuro falls to his knees and cries, acknowledging that he feels worse, both for the murder and lack of purpose.
He goes to Sakamoto and admits he was wrong. Sakamoto starts giving Kyujuro Western books.


As to how it’s revealed that Daisaku is a spy:

1. Daisaku knows this specific kenjutsu style that Katsura is known for using. This tips of Hijikata that they studied in the same dojo as the famous Ishin shishi.
2. Kyujuro, Daisaku, and Okita go to the shiruko cafe and Okita discusses that Choshu spies are everywhere in Kyoto. Kyujuro leaves and he is attacked by the Tosa assassins, who are angry about Hanzo’s death. Kyu is able to escape, but he is injured. He returns back to the shiruko restaurant, hoping for help.
However, the shop is closed and his friends have left. He enters anyways to find bandages, and discovers that the shiruko shop owner is a spy. He has documents containing a list of every Ishin shishi spy. Kyu captures him and plans to bring him and the documents back, but he is stopped by a man clad in black. The stranger kills the shop owner and demands the documents. They fight bitterly, however, Kyu notes that the stranger has no blood lust and refuses to deliver the killing blow. Finally, Kyu is able to hold him off until reinforcements come and the stranger jumps in the water, escaping.
Kyu suspects it might be Dai, due to having similar sword technique and also because he frequently visited the shiruko shop owned by the spy. However, Kyu refuses to dwell on the fact that his friend is a spy.
It isn’t until he catches Hijikata torturing potential spies that Kyu is informed by Hijikata that Daisaku’s name was on the list. Hijikata had suspected he was a spy.
Kyu is upset at watching Hijikata killing the spies. Kyu views the Shinsengumi as good cops. At this point, Serizawa and his faction are dead- he viewed them as bad cops. But he’s disappointed to see the violence in the Shinsengumi hasn’t ended with Serizawa’s death; he tells Hijikata he despises him.
As punishment for having a weak resolve, Hijikata orders Kyu to kill Daisaku, knowing they are close.
Then everything I explained in the first message happens and Kyu and Dai fight to the death. However, Dai’s heart clearly isn’t in it and Kyu kills him.
They have a heartfelt goodbye, when suddenly Katsura attacks Kyu as revenge for killing Dai.
Kyu becomes even more upset and says he loved and admired Daisaku more than anyone and nobody will ever understand his pain at losing Dai (I kinda look at their relationship as soulmates, like in Chinese wuxia dramas) 😢
Sakamoto intervenes. Katsura leaves, but not before threatening Kyu. Finally, Sakamoto hugs Kyu while he cries. Afterwards, Kyu throws his swords into the river in anguish and says he wants to go back to being a peasant. Sakamoto fishes out his blades and tells him to go to America. He says he will be wasted in Japan as either a samurai or a peasant. He will make arrangements for him to see the world.
Kyu goes to Dai’s grave one last time before boarding a ship for America. He sees Dai’s face in a cloud/sky? Kyu wonders if he’ll ever return, but he sings a song that alludes to the fact he has said goodbye forever to the Japan that he knows.

Serizawa’s relationship with Kyu:
In the manga, Kyujuro doesn’t have a close relationship with Serizawa in the slightest. It’s much more volatile. Serizawa is depicted as more menacing and hot headed. There’s a time in which Serizawa recognizes Kyujuro’s worth as his skills with a sword improve, but for the most part, they are coworkers standing on opposite ends of the spectrum.
In the Shinsengumi, it’s noted that seppuku is the answer for every rule break. Neither Dai nor Kyu are a fan of this.
Their feud starts when Serizawa tries to force a spy to commit seppuku in a class demonstration in front of Kyu, and neither Kondo nor Kyujuro believe this is in line with the bushido code.
(Actually, IRL the shinsengumi killed more of their own men than Ishin Shishi lol)
Kondo stops this incident from occurring. Kondo is more like Kyujuro’s adopted dad. Whenever Kyu gets into spats about the morality of killing (he doesn’t want to kill anyone but his dad’s murderer) with Serizawa, Kondo protects him from the Serizawa fraction.

The manga paints the Shinsengumi as two sides, the Serizawa side- the corrupt, extortionist cops, and Kondo’s side- the servicemen who maintain the peace and sweep the streets of crime (eventually, Kyu comes to realize that even if Kondo fundamentally believes in these ideas, there will always be another Serizawa (Hijikata) to fill Serizawa’s void)

Anyways, how Serizawa dies….

Serizawa gets into frequent drunken brawls. For example, both historically and in the manga, Serizawa gets into a fight with sumo wrestlers and kills 10/13 of them. Kyu and Dai rush to the scene and fight against Serizawa, putting them them on their bad side.
A government official comes to put an end to the violence and rules Serizawa’s crew as being at fault.
Serizawa assassinates this official and Kyu finds his body, which doesn’t help matters. Many people complain about the gratuitous violence of the Shinsengumi and having to pay protection fees to Serizawa’s gang.
Serizawa even burns down an area of town that refuses to pay his protection fee. Kyu and Dai help put out the fires (they’re like Batman and Robin and Serizawa is their Joker for a lot of this).

It all comes to a head when Serizawa steals the Western books Sakamoto has given to Kyu.
Serizawa challenges Kyu to get them back and despite knowing he’ll be greatly outnumbered, he accepts and heads to Serizawa’s place. Daisaku promises to help Kyu fight Serizawa. Kyu warns him that if they’re caught attacking a superior, they will be forced to commit Seppuku. But Dai follows him anyways 🥺
They actually manage to kill everyone at Serizawa’s estate.
Daisaku was an absolute fiend and Kyu has really improved. He’s actually the one that kills Serizawa.

Kondo, Okita, Hijikata investigate Serizawa’s death, and Hijikata identifies that the slashes match Daisaku’s specific kenjutsu, discussed above.

When Okita confronts them, Daisaku blames it entirely on himself so Kyujuro won’t have to commit seppuku. I guess he doesn’t care about spying anymore lol However, Kyujuro begs to take all the blame. Eventually, they decide they will commit seppuku together. However, Okita tells them to hold their horses, and maybe he can resolve this.
The next day, no word is heard from Okita, and they go to the headquarters to die together (they’re so dramatic lol)
Kondo reveals a note from the military governor, ordering Serizawa’s execution for burning that street earlier.
Kondo explains that he gone to kill Serizawa originally, but had found him dead. He actually cared for Serizawa in his own way, and is personally relieved that Kyu killed him instead, relieving Kondo of the duty.
Between Kondo, Okita, and the letter, they’re able to persuade Hijikata to overlook the situation (since they did go and kill Serizawa without the note).
Dai and Kyu happily embrace and decide to get shiruko with Okita to celebrate.


How does Namunosuke die? (This is the fuzziest part for me)

Namunosuke is actually so different in the manga.
I should also specify that technically Shinnojo “exists”. He is based upon a girl in the manga named Yae.

His name is Namunosuke Hotoke. His mistress is Yae. He has pledged himself to her family since they were children. He is a very talented swordsman, and I think he stays due to his love for Yae. He would put someone 6ft under if they touched a hair on her head. He’s actually kinda scary lol
He and Kyu actually exchange blades at multiple points. He is much stronger than Kyu, but sees potential in him. They actually greatly respect each other.

Yae’s father was a samurai. I can’t remember if he was a spy for the Choshu rebels or if he just defects from the Shinsengumi. But either way, Serizawa creates a party to hunt him and his colleagues down and kill them.
Serizawa ropes in Kyu.
Kyu fights Yae’s dad, but lets him go after finding out he has a child. Yae’s dad dies in his home due to his wounds, but not before uttering Kyu’s name. Yae resolves to kill Kyu.
Eventually, Namu tells Kyu to meet him at an abandoned shrine to settle the score.
Before the battle, Namu asks for Yae’s hand in marriage once the revenge is complete.
Daisaku learns of this plot and tells Kyu he will accompany him. If Kyu is to die, then they’ll die together. 🥹 (I remember getting kinda emotional at all the times Dai refused to let his friend go into these clearly deadly situations alone. If not for Dai, I don’t think Kyu would’ve survived either Serizawa or Namu and I wonder if we’ll get to see more of these moments in the drama, where Dai pledges to follow Kyu into the jowls of the beast. If they’re planning to rip my heart out, then just do it spectacularly lol).

They arrive at the shrine and there are many assassins. 
Dai holds them off while Kyu races to fight Namu.
Dai is literally a murdering machine atp. If it was a different show, this would probably be rated R lol
He also gravely wounds Yae.
While fighting Namu, Kyujuro realizes Bushido is BS. He has to kill this man he respects over a code of revenge and a challenge to duel. He eventually kills Namu.
Kyu is able to save Yae, and he tells her to let go of her revenge.
A while later, Kyu visits Namu’s grave to reflect on a valuable life lost and pay his respects. He finds Yae’s hair pin at Namu’s grave.
At the end, when Kyujuro is visiting Dai’s grave, an assassin attacks him and Yae kills him, protecting Kyu. Their blood feud ends and Yae moves on.

Idk how much this helps you, since as you can see there are a lot of changes.
However, besides the basics, such as Kyu's revenge and Dai's spying, the fundamentals remain the same. Kyu and Dai’s powerful relationship. Namu’s love of his master/mistress and their star-crossed love. And Kyu’s sense of justice.

There's more to nunneries than just Catholic/Christian nunneries. There's also Buddhist nunneries.
For example, the The Sword and the Brocade, Concubine Qiao is punished for her crimes by flogging then being sent to a nunnery as penance.
There are examples of this as far back as the Song Dynasty, where adulterers or women who were pregnant out of wedlock were sent to nunneries as punishment.
This even happened in 15th-17th cent. Europe, where unmarried or rebellious women were sent to nunneries, kind of as an alternative to prison.
I think in this context, it's more historical than political and has little to do with a specifically anti- Christian agenda.

Oh god... So this is just Pt. 1? I can see it being 2 parts, with a total of 16 episodes, as there’s no way they can cover everything from the manga in the next 2 episodes…
The first half is probably lighthearted. The second half is likely pain haha
Oh, 20 episodes? Maybe this half is 10 then. Usually light dramas are 8-10 episodes, so with two parts, that totally makes sense 😭

Of course it’s the same screenwriter 🤦🏻‍♀️
I went into this show pretty much blind, but was interested because of the manga and I really like stories that take place during the Bakamatsu, but I didn’t know it would be filled with so much soft bromance that would make me genuinely pray for the happiness of both pairs… 😢

Hahahaha! Yeah, you really had the rug ripped out from under you! Atp, I have no hope for anyone except for Kyujuro to escape a la boat…
The manga ends at the height of the Shinsengumi’s power, when they lose sight of their patriotic ideals and give in to power, so thankfully, I don’t think you’ll have to see Hijikata die. But you’re right that Serizawa definitely won’t be crossing the finish line at the final episode 👀



As for the extent at which we'll see the battle sequences, it probably depends on the budget.
There are some incredible historical, full length Japanese dramas (like taiga dramas), however, given that this is a light drama, I don’t think the budget is terribly high, so the extent of large scale fighting might be akin to what we saw when the crew rescued Shinnojo. But I’ll be pleasantly surprised if it gets really dark and gritty (idk, all your official spoilers are literally having me imagine the worst. Might as well go big or go home with lots of magnificently violent fight sequences haha)
If you like this period though, I totally recommend the Rurouni Kenshin movies or Yae no Sakura (Bakamatsu-era taiga drama).

I don’t know how similar this drama will be to the manga, but I can spoil more of the drama if you're interested 😅

Same, we’re in this deep! Yeah, by the time it ends, summer will be over and then I won’t have time to be crying over fictional boys 😂

Lol yes…. I wish I could’ve gift wrapped that reveal, like a spoiler inside a spoiler 😅

Ikr…I’ve been prepping myself for their potential death, but frankly, I’ll never be ready. They’re the sunspot of this angst-riddled world…

Haha yes, definitely a mass tragedy (I can see you’ve done lots of research 😁)… but it ushered in an era of peace and progress for the country, and was an especially improved time for women at least... at the sacrifice of our boys lol Please, can they save all four of them?! They're fictional! Leave them be!
I wondering if, because this series is only 8 episodes, it’s more a snippet of their lives, and that's why everyone's a bit more tame.
I am really curious to see how they could add Serizawa’s assassination, Kyujuro’s shift in opinions towards his leaders, and Daisaku’s spy reveal and duel in the next 2 episodes 😳 That’s why I’m currently turning a blind eye to all the horror we’ll probably witness lol
Oh jeez, I haven’t seen Ep. 6 yet lol I try to save it for the weekend. It’s easier to be depressed during the weekend haha

Haha, I know- they masked all the darkness behind Bishi boys and tension that takes the b out of bromance…

Worse news… I think Namunosuke died in the manga 😳

Yeah, he’s very clever 😏 Hijikata was historically called the Demon Vice Commander because he was extremely strict in enforcing rules with a zero tolerance policy. You break it, you die for it kind of mentality. Especially when compared to Kondo, who was known to be trusting and kind- too kind in Hijikata’s opinion. That’s why they balanced each other out nicely.
So far, he’s been much more mellow than previous depictions of Hijikata, but I’m sure he’ll start to show his true closer to the end, as you said 👍🏻

Me too 😭 I don’t even want to think about the potential endings for this couple; I just want to bask in their adorable, puppy love…

I totally agree with you… at least if Daisaku started putting some distance between his comrades, then it wouldn’t sting as badly. But I have an inkling that this show is going to milk Kyujuro and Daisaku’s Romeo & Juliet romance… they want to break our hearts. But at least they warned us in the first episode 😓

Np! 😁
Honestly, I’m not sure why he didn’t kill him either.
In the show, I wonder if he did it 1) because Kyujuro is an innocent soul/poor fighter and 2) for Daisaku’s sake, one comrade to another?
As for the manga, it’s because Sakamoto Ryoma saw true potential in Kyujuro and wanted him to live outside of revenge and set him on the right path. Their relationship is a bit like mentor and mentee.

I really hope the drama changes the ending. The manga was only one volume, and the show has already taken many drastic liberties (I don’t remember Shinnojo even being in the manga 😅) so why can't they change the ending too? Can’t they both become one another’s purpose for life and live together away from all the bloodshed…?
Omg that would be really cool if the sparring in Ep. 1 foreshadowed the final episode duel, and they both fell by one another’s swords! Because I truly can’t imagine a life in which either of them are happy without the other after everything that’s transpired in the drama...

Yeah, if they push the bromance agenda until the finale, I’ll likely cry if Daisaku is killed by Kyujuro…
Hahahaha I’m staying optimistic because there is no tragedy tag on MDL… but, I’m keeping in mind that the worst might be yet to come… 😞

During the Bakamatsu, there were two sides, the pro-shogunate forces (Mibu Roshigumi, who later become known as Shinsengumi (our MCs organization) and pro-emperor forces, the Ishin shishi.

Daisaku was a Choshu Ishin shishi and a spy planted in the Mibu Roshigumi (Daisaku’s knowledge The Ansei Purge suggests he doesn’t have fond opinions of the Shogun).

At the end of the story, the Mibu Roshigumi has been renamed the Shinsengumi, and they have performed violent acts, including torture and murder, which has resulted in Kyujuro becoming wearier of the organization overtime.
Kyujuro is ordered by Hijikata (also known as the Demon Vice-Commander of the Shinsengumi & Kondo's right hand man) to kill Daisaku for being a traitorous spy (in Ep. 2? the guy who saved Kyujuro from his dad’s assassin was Sakamoto Ryoma- an important Ishin shinshi. So Daisaku is in deep).

Kyujuro doesn’t want to do it, and begs Daisaku to run away, but Daisaku says that 1) now that he’s been discovered, he would be killed before he could escape from Kyoto and 2) Kyujuro would be forced to commit seppuku for treason, therefore, Kyujuro must do as ordered and they must fight to the death.

Kyujuro eventually kills Daisaku, and Daisaku promises they’ll reunite in the afterlife to have Azuki bean porridge. It's pretty sad tbh...
Disgusted and disillusioned with the violent shinsengumi, Kyujuro sets sail for America, leaving Japan behind.

I'm still hoping that this drama will flip the script and Kyujuro and Daisaku will run off into the countryside and run a small tea house together, like Kyujuro was doing before, and live happily ever after...

My take was that the Black Rock still exists in W1, hence why the water still turns blue, but because Tai destroyed the Black Rock in W2, it's pretty much a dud. The connection is broken between the two worlds, but Tai never destroyed the rock in W1, so it still emits a glow.

As for why they jumped in the water, I believe it was symbolic, as they knew they could never return to World 2. They wanted to complete the ash ceremony during the same conditions that originally brought them together, because unfortunately they couldn’t complete it in World 2.

The reason why I believe they’re no longer in World 2 is because Phupha’s child has never met Tai or Kram. If they returned to World 2, Phupha would’ve likely introduced his son to his saviors. Kram’s mom & the girl (sorry, I don’t remember her name 😅) were also staring longingly at Kram’s photo, suggesting they no longer exist in World 2.

As for why I believe they’re still alive in World 1, it's because there's no reason for them to die after everything they've been through. I truly believe they'd attempt to find some way to make the best of their situation, after everything, and it looks like they have given that 1) Kram says to Tai that 10 years have passed, and 2) Kram has a basket of the Blood Fruit. He’s been able to survive, despite having the Lumana disease with the power of the fruit.
Maybe Tai will one day go crazy and start to hear the incessant ringing, but for now, he seems to be thriving in more ways than one 🤣

Also, if I remember correctly, I remember reading that the novel ends withTai joined Kram in World 1, and they live in hiding in the woods, because Tai is a wanted man.
While I’ve never read the book and I have a feeling a lot of stuff changed in adaptation, it looks like it’s the same ending. Tai 2 takes the place of a wanted, dead felon and they’ve living in the woods.

I think the post credit scene is our happy ending for the couple that has suffered a lot. 😊
I think if you just watched the end at face value, their fates are uncertain, but the post credit scene pretty much validated to me that they're still alive and having more fun than ever 😆

Yes, a happy ending. Tai 2 goes to World 1 to be with Kram 1. But in the process, he destroys the connection between both worlds. He stays in World 1 with Kram and they control his Lumana disease with the Blood Fruit. They are still happily living in the woods in World 1 10 years later.

It's a bittersweet ending, that is more of a HE and definitely not an OE. The ML and FL are reunited after the ML dies of old age after 100 years (while the FL, who he married, died much younger after the battle, offscreen) in the afterlife, while their two best friends watch on, so I find it happier than other Cdramas... just finished AJTL and that one was brutal...
None of the 4 leads die during the main story line. They all succeed in saving the world. Any onscreen deaths that happen are post-time skip and occur due to old age.

I completely agree about your comments on Su Yu's mom. After 16 episodes of the show painting in her a certain light, I struggle to accept this sudden image change. The show's end game has always been to reunite the two families, however, I feel like there were better ways to handle reconciliation than writing a brand new character in the span of 1 episode...
(I hardly even recognize her. Is this really the same character who couldn't remember what school her own son attended?)

Thank you!

Hi, I was wondering if I could email you for the eng translation of the novel? I'm so curious to know what happens and I have zero patience! Thank you!