by Jayden Leggett, Editor
For those who haven’t heard of Hakuoki – A Memory Of Snow Flowers before (and don’t be shy, I hadn’t heard of it either), the best way to describe would be that it is a drama set in feudal Japan where sword play and fights largely take a back seat to character building and slow but steady plot progression.
The story centres around a core cast of characters who are all part of the Shinsengumi (basically an old skool Japanese police force), with the female Chizuru being the main focal point of attention more often than not. During a time where the Shinsengumi’s homeland is under constant threat and soldiers and guards always need to be on alert, Hakuoki mainly focuses on how the central characters deal with daily life in these tumultuous times (particularly via Chizuru’s innocent eyes) and how they prepare for a possible upcoming attack.
After rumors have circulated that an attack is being planned by a bunch of rogue samurai, the Shinsengumi formulate a plan that involves Chizuru going undercover as a geisha to find out more information. Each episode features Chizuru as a central character, and revolve around the replaying of the same series of events but through the eyes of different members of the Shinsengumi (and even a mysterious demon).
Initially I was somewhat dismayed by the lack of ultra violent sword fights and such (‘coz I am super in to that kind of thing), but as I watched more and more episodes I started to become very engaged as I got to learn more about each of the characters, and the various shenanigans they get up to, whether it be playing in the snow, starting drunken brawls or protecting Chizuru from various threats and opposing forces.
What will be a turn off to some is the way that the overall plot of why Chizuru is so important to so many people is very slow moving, meaning that lots of viewing time is required for even the slightest pieces of information. Simply put, Hakuoki – A Memory Of Snow Flowers requires your full attention to get anything out of it.
The animation, sound effects and music are all solid without being anything particularly spectacular, and the voice acting was also very good overall (I was watching with English dubbing but the option for the original Japanese audio is also available). Extra features are very slim, with only a handful of trailers being offered.
All in all Hakuoki joins the ranks of so many other anime titles that people will either love or not care for at all. Anime fans who live for drama and character interactions will be all over this like a fat kid on cake, while those looking for blood and brawls will have to satiate their appetites elsewhere. Personally I quite enjoyed Hakuoki and would recommend it to those looking to try out something a little different to the norm.
Rating: 
ComicsOnline gives Hakuoki – A Memory Of Snow Flowers 3 out of 5 drunk guys trying to get jiggy with an unwilling geisha.
ComicsOnline recommends Australian residents purchase their copy of Hakuoki – A Memory Of Snow Flowers directly from the Hanabee website by following this link.
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