The Blue Miburo anime premieres this October

Get ready for the anime event of the season! The Blue Miburo anime premieres on October 12, 2024, but catch a sneak peek out on July 4. Watch the first promo video and concept movie now!

 

An anime series adaptation by YTV Animation is set to premiere The Blue Miburo anime premiere later this fall, on October 12, based on the manga series from Tsuyoshi Yasuda (DAYS, Excessive Driving). Early risers on day one of the Anime Expo got a special treat in the world premiere of episode one, followed by a Q&A featuring director Kumiko Habara and animation producer Hiroya Nakata.

Get ready for the ultimate samurai anime experience! 

Blue Miburo tells the story of the exploits of the Shinsengumi, albeit from its beginnings DAYS when this group was just a sub-faction of masterless samurai originally hired to protect the Shogun. They formed what became known as the Miburo — the Mibu ronin, which later became the Shinsengumi. Another twist that Blue Miburo adds is that instead of focusing on the samurai, it focuses on the Bakumatsu era through the eyes of perhaps the least visible people: children.

Synopsis

The first impression given off by Blue Miburo is very promising. Of course, it has a proto-Shinsengumi romantic chill. Toshizou and Souji are handsome and fierce. The former is a bit of a grump, the latter smiling like a devil, who is hidden deadlier than any blade. In a fight with his kidnappers, he jumps out of a building and cheerfully tells his ambushed opponent that he’s already been hit. It doesn’t take too long to realize he’s capable of more. It also shows a bit of a balance between the comedy and drama the series is trying to straddle —there are moments of slapstick with the store owner that feel annoyingly forced. There are tonal juxtapositions between Souji and Toshizou, though, that feel a little more earned.

Reviews from the creators

Both director and producer Habara and Nakata noted this blend of comedy and drama as they began casting. We wanted to make sure whoever was cast could switch between those two settings — comedy and the serious situations,” Nakata said. That sentiment was echoed by Habara, who nullified it with the addition that every casting decision was painstakingly made. “I wanted to make sure that I took the time and thought about it before choosing each person for each character, even the supporting ones.”