Drifters (2016)

[ドリフターズ]

Season 1

Director: Ken'ichi Suzuki
Studio: Hoods Drifters Studio
Starring: Yuichi Nakamura, Naoya Uchida, Mitsuki Saiga
Episodes: 12

Synopsis:
A mortally wounded warrior from feudal Japan is whisked away to another world whose fate rests in a battle between famous historical figures.

Impressions:
I've been aware of this series for a while, but I never got around to checking it out. Turns out I was missing out. As a history buff, the premise certainly intrigued me. Now, the degree to which the featured characters line up to their historical basis varies. It feels like a fair bit of work went into Nobunaga, for instance, but with the Ends in particular, it seems more like a name was just slapped onto whatever character type the author wanted for a particular set piece. Setting that aside, if you're a fan of Hellsing, you'll get plenty of the same sort of stylish action and bloody psychopathy. It's actually rather funny that our "heroes" are in many ways more evil than the ones they oppose, people whose goal is the extermination of humanity, mind you. There's a nice balance between Toyohisa's tactical sense and Nobunaga's strategic mastery. I feel Hannibal is a bit wasted as a punchline, but he still has his moments. The show does an excellent job of bringing Kouta Hirano's distinctive style to life. I also like how long they commit to portraying the language barrier, which more than I've seen in any other isekai. All told, it's a pretty good ride. Fans of Hellsing in particular are going to want to check this out. Give it a watch.

Rating:
Watch It