Musashi Gundoh | |
MUSASHI -GUN道- (Musashi -Gandō-) | |
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Genre | Martial arts, Chanbara, Action, Supernatural, Comedy |
Anime television series | |
Directed by | Yuki Kinoshita |
Studio | ACC Production |
Original network | Animax, BS-i |
Original run | April 9, 2006 – October 29, 2006 |
Episodes | 26 |
Musashi Gundoh (MUSASHI -GUN道-, Musashi -Gandō-, Musashi - Way of the Gun-) is a Japanese anime television series, based on an unused story by Monkey Punch. It premiered in Japan on the satellite station BS-i on April 9, 2006, and was also set to be broadcast across Japan by the anime satellite television network Animax from October 2006.[1] It is also legally distributed over the Internet by GyaO from May 13, 2006. According to the producer, there were originally plans to broadcast the anime overseas.
Produced on a low budget, the series has been infamous for poor animation, and has attracted a cult following for this reason. It uses uncropped live photos for backgrounds, and its sound effects are completely out of synch with the animation. Musashi Gundoh is the first and only anime solely produced by ACC Production (Monkey Punch is an executive), which provided photography and production assistance in various productions. It is also animator Yuki Kinoshita's directorial debut while previously working as a technical animation director, storyboard artist and key animator.
Musashi Gundoh is set in a fictional feudal era of Japan, where the Toyotomi Shogunate (instead of Tokugawa) governs the nation. The anime tells the story of Musashi, a young practitioner of "gundoh" (GUN道, gandō), a martial art involving the use of guns. The series deals with Musashi's battles against a group of monsters called "Ayakashi".
In 2006, Japan's televised anime market was severely oversaturated, at the breaking point of an anime bubble which had also hit America and Europe. Musashi was one of over 60 new shows airing during its season. The plot relies on many action scenes, but the direction of these scenes attempts to somehow mix traditional swordfight imagery with gunplay.
Yuki Kinoshita, the director, was not attempting to create a bad anime. He was deeply embarrassed by the show's reception. He attempted to fix the many animation errors for the DVD release, but the DVDs ended up being released as is.[2]
Musashi Miyamoto (ミヤモト ムサシ, Miyamoto Musashi) (Voiced by: Daisuke Namikawa (浪川大輔, Namikawa Daisuke))
His notable line: "Wow, it's dazzling!" (うおっまぶしっ!, Uo' mabushi'!)
Ronin (ロウニン, Rōnin) (Voiced by: Jin Horikawa (堀川仁, Horikawa Jin))
Ninja-Taro (ニンジャ太郎, Ninja-Tarō) (Voiced by: Yu Kobayashi (小林ゆう, Kobayashi Yū))
Priest Takuan (タクアン和尚, Takuan Oshō) (Voiced by: Soichiro Tanaka (田中総一郎, Tanaka Sōichirō))
Desperado (デスペラード, Desuperādo) (Voiced by: Mayumi Yanagisawa (柳沢真由美, Yanagisawa Mayumi))
Kaguya (カグヤ) (Voiced by: Shiho Kawaragi (河原木志穂, Kawaragi Shiho))
Dabi-no-ji (荼毘の字) (Voiced by: Kosei Hirota (廣田行生, Hirota Kōsei))
Sasuke Sarutobi (猿飛 佐助, Sarutobi Sasuke) (Voiced by: Yu Kobayashi (小林ゆう, Kobayashi Yū))
The Horse
Yasha (ヤシャ) (Voiced by: Rei Igarashi (五十嵐麗, Igarashi Rei))
Ryogen (リョウゲン, Ryōgen) (Voiced by: Shiro Saito (斎藤志郎, Saitō Shirō))
Jijouda (ジジョウダ, Jijouda)(Voiced by: unknown)
Gandadarn (ガンダダーン, Gandadān)(Voiced by: Keiko Nemoto (根本圭子, Nemoto Keiko))
Gun martial art that Musashi, Priest Takuan, and Kojirou Sasaki use. The GUNDOH basic posture involves holding the gun in one hand and a sword in the other hand. Because Musashi uses two guns, people call him the "GUNDOH SAMURAI of two guns". It is said that the GUNDOH doesn't have regulations in the gun used, and the Kojirou Sasaki used a gun with a long pole.
It is assumed that the Priest Takuan made it known to the whole country in Japan though the birthplace and the initiator are uncertain. A lot of those who train become his apprentices, and the training of the GUNDOH is piled every day. Gundoh, despite being super-effective, has few practitioners due to fatalities during training exercises, which typically last less than 3 seconds. It is said the title character, Musashi, is a survivor of the training solely by virtue of his having never actually attended any classes. This is evidenced by his having been kidnapped by crows, foxes, cats, chimpanzees, koalas and the like, on an almost daily basis.