Deutsch: Oda Nobunaga (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I had very low expectations going in to the screening of the Legend of Oda Nobuna, episodes 1-4. There are so many bad anime featuring re-tellings of the legendary Japanese leader Oda Nobunaga that I was quite wary of this one, especially as it re-imagines this pivotal historical figure as a blond haired, blue eyed teen girl. She's every bit a fierce Samurai Lord, and many of her most loyal retainers are warrior-women as well. The main character of our story is a modern day Japanese teen boy who suddenly finds himself inexplicably thrust into this turbulent alternate history of Japan's distant past. He knows about it mainly because of being obsessed by videogame J-RPG recreations of the Sengoku period and playing them rather obsessively. He presents himself as from the future and it takes a bit of effort to persuade the skeptical Oda Nobuna that he's not simply a madman. He's able to convince her that he knows of what he speaks and is at the very least an eccentric seer with penetrating insight and an awareness of the wider world that few in her era actually share.
The plot becomes complicated when the main character tries guide this version of Oda Nobuna to do *better* than the historical one...more effective but also more moral and with greater kindness and diplomacy. The courtiers also learn to grudgingly respect this strange man from the future, though they do take to calling him "Monkey", for their own amusement, an affectation Oda Nobuna decides to use herself. The story becomes further complicated as it becomes increasingly obvious that this feminine Oda Nobuna has started to fall in love with her strange servant from the future. History will never be the same.
I came away from this screening genuinely entertained and pleasantly surprised. I also appreciated the large turnout of the ADR director & cast for this production as well for a brief Q&A at the end.
I do think I would actually watch more of this show if I had the opportunity to do so.
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