Nobunaga Concerto

Episode 9

I am convinced that Nobunaga Concerto is a more enjoyable half hour if you are well versed in Japanese history. The show pairs the events of the fabled Sengoku Era with star-studded voice acting and a gorgeous musical score.

However, as somebody who has very little experience with Sengoku Era history, I've had a very difficult time following the plot. And even after reading up before watching this week, it's still complicated enough to overshadow the good points.

I took issue with the too sudden debut of new character Hori Hidemasa, and the too hasty death and subsequent minimal backstory of the Asakura clan's would-be assassin Endo Naotsune. According to SamuraiWiki, however, these are extremely well-known names. Nobunaga Concerto is relying on your samurai knowledge to fill in the blanks.

Then there's this episode's reckless pacing, in which battles are fought one after another. According to Wikipedia, this episode's 20 minutes span several months, from Anegawa on July 30, 1570 to Mori Yoshinari's last stand against warrior monks on October 19, 1570. We touch on one life-threatening moment for Nobunaga after another, and for all its confusion it is admittedly very exciting.

Nobunaga had a very eventful life, and the directors of Nobunaga Concerto have a lot of ground to cover. There are hundreds of brave samurai to introduce, dozens of key battles and locations, all moving at breakneck speed toward the Honno-Ji Incident—in which the historical Nobunaga was beheaded—which will no doubt be the climax of this show.

However, I didn't learn this from watching the show. Nobunaga Concerto moves so quickly that in order to stay afloat, I have to keep a second browser tab open to look up names and battles and events, only for them to become irrelevant a moment later in this fast-paced plot. This anime is by no means a patient or detailed retelling of Nobunaga's life. Instead it packs in as many historical events as it can, and relies on your prior knowledge where it doesn't have time to add the details.

An anime that relies on an outside text to make its point is poorly told, no way around that. But it does have its moments. In this episode, Mori Yoshinari risks his life for his lord, reflecting on his years of servitude as he looks death in the eye. I'll let you watch the episode to see if he lives or dies, but Yoshinari is a fantastic character in the Nobunaga Concerto universe. And the very reason he is so sympathetic is that he's been given more than one episode to develop character and to let his destiny unfold.

The real shame of Nobunaga Concerto to this point is that it is full of fascinating characters like Yoshinari, who proves that the anime can tell a character's story in a compelling way. Unfortunately, the show doesn't seem interested in telling the story, just in covering the events.

In the upcoming final episodes, I'll be watching to see which characters' stories get told, and which plot points—like the poor forgotten history book—get left behind.

Rating: C-

Nobunaga Concerto is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Lauren writes about anime and journalism at Otaku Journalist.