Gonzo presents its take on ancient Japan with a samurai show, Peacemaker.  Taking place at a turbulent time in Japan, this show has sword play and a good amount of humor along with some unexpected twists.  If the first volume is any indication, this will be a good series.
 
Fifteen year old Tetsunosuke Ichimura is small for his age but filled with hate and rage.  He witnessed his parents murder by the Choshu clan, and wants to become strong enough to exact revenge.  A bit of a hot head, Tetsunosuke desperately wants to join the Shinsengunmi, a team of elite swordsmen that protect Kyoto and are at odds with the renegade Choshu.

But wanting to join the Shinsengumi and actually getting in are two separate things.  Tetsu has a strong desire though, not to mention being stubborn, and after waiting all night at the gate of their compound in the rain the commander agrees to let him join.   But being in the Shinsengumi isn't quite what Tetsu imagined.  He doesn't get to train at all and is assigned to be the commanders page.  He spends all of his time washing clothes and making tea.

Of course Tetsu isn't content with that, and gets into a lot of trouble...some of it serious, and some of it humorous.  He has a horrible time with pigs, they always seem to attack him, and when he decides to go out into the city as a spy he soon finds himself facing three armed samurai.  But with the friends he's making and a little luck, he manages to get out with only sever punishments from his commander.

This was an enjoyable program with a good mixture of drama and humor.  The series seems like a straight forward samurai show for most of this volume, with sword fights and talk of sepiku, but in the last episode things take an unexpected twist.  They add a supernatural element to the series that is both eerie and interesting and that makes the show even more engrossing.  The mysterious being who can possess people and make them do his will, even after they've been killed, is a great villain.  I'm not sure where the show is going from here.  I thought it was going to be a straight forward story of revenge, but it looks like it will be more convoluted than that.

Audio:

This DVD offers the viewer the choice of an English 5.1 dub or the original Japanese language stereo track.  I listened to both tracks, and I enjoyed the original language a little bit more than the dub track.  The only thing I didn't like about the dub track was Ayumu the young cook's accent.  She was given one of those fake southern accents that are really horrible.  The English track did make good use of the soundstage, and the sound of the episode that takes place in the rain was every enveloping.  The Japanese track made use of the front soundstage and was just as full.

Video:

The full frame image looked pretty good.  The picture was just a tad soft, with the lines not being as tight as they could be, but this was very minor.  The colors had a nice tone to them, and the contrast was good.  Digital defects were just about nonexistent.  A very nice looking DVD.

Extras:

This disc also includes clean opening and closing animations, a series of production sketches, and four original TV spots advertising the show.  There are also trailers to other ADV releases.

Final Thoughts:

This was a series that took me by surprise.  I should have know that Gonzo would have done something new and different, but I was quite happy with the story of young Tetsu's quest for revenge.  The unexpected elements that they added in the final episode on this DVD make the show even more interesting and intriguing.   With a good mixture of serious adventure and comedy, this show is a winner.  A high Recommendation.