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Sakura Wars is a 25-episode anime series animated by Madhouse* and directed by Ryūtarō Nakamura based on the video game franchise of the same name, which ran on the Tokyo Broadcasting System from April 8 to September 23, 2000. It is currently licensed in North America by Sentai Filmworks. The show is commonly known as Sakura Wars TV to distinguish it from the rest of the franchise.
Like the rest of the series, it is set during the events of the first game, albeit in a different continuity with the games and the OVAs, as well as the movie. It also mainly centers on Sakura's arrival in Tokyo to be with the Imperial Assault Force's Flower Division, instead of seeing things from Ogami's perspective.
Now has a recap page.
This show is not to be confused with the animated movie of the same name or Sakura Wars the Animation.
Sakura Wars provides examples of:
- Accent Adaptation:
- As with ADV's dub of the OVA series, Kohran's given a Chinese accent, Iris sports a French accent and Maria is given a Russian accent.
- In addition, Kanna's also given a Brooklyn accent in the dub to match her Okinawan dialect.
- All Your Base Are Belong to Us: The Hive of Darkness and their forces invade the Imperial Theater in Episode 22, successfully destroying the Imperial Floral Division's headquarters as the prelude to their endgame.
- Allergic to Evil: When she senses the coming of Crimson Miroku in Episode 5, Iris comes down with a high fever and ends up screaming in pain when she surfaces completely.
- Alternate Continuity: To the game series and the other OVAs.
- The Anime of the Game: The series is based on the original 1996 game, albeit set in an Alternate Continuity.
- Art Shift: The eyecatches depict a Super-Deformed Sakura drawing out her sword Arataka and performing vertical cuts with it.
- Birthday Episode: Episode 12 focuses on Sakura and the others trying to throw Iris the first real birthday party she's ever had.
- Book Ends: The series begins and ends with Sakura in Ueno Park while the cherry blossoms are blooming.
- Canon Foreigner: Tetsuma Shinguji, Kazuma's brother and Sakura's uncle, was created specifically for the anime.
- Cannot Kill Their Loved Ones: Ayame upon realizing Aoi Satan was once her lover Shinnosuke Yamazaki. As in the game, Ayame becomes emotionally conflicted with the idea of killing him. However, this internal conflict is also greatly expanded upon in here in the TV series, culminating in Episode 21 when Ayame finally goes through with it in order to save Yoneda from her former lover's wrath.
- Cool Big Sis: To the Imperial Combat Revue, especially Ogami.
- Darker and Edgier: Compared to the video games, especially the first few episodes.
- Demoted to Extra: Sakura is the main protagonist of the show. Ogami, the protagonist of the first four games, doesn't even appear at all until the fourth episode.
- "Do It Yourself" Theme Tune: The franchise's opening has two versions used for this series- One sung by the cast as the show's opening theme, and one sung by Mayumi Tanaka in character as Kanna serving as the ending theme between episodes 13 and 20.
- Dwindling Party: The Hive of Darkness over the course of the closing episodes. Miroku's the first to fall in the climax of Episode 23 (at the hands of Sumire and the Floral Division). Rasetsu and Setsuna follow her in the opening minutes of Episode 25 (at the hands of Ogami and Kayama). Aoi Satan is the last to fall in the series finale's climax (at the hands of Sakura).
- Fallen Hero: As in the game, Aoi Satan was once known as the Kouma War hero Shinnosuke Yamazai. In this version of the story, he was also an engineering genius who designed the Koubu.
- Fan Disservice: Anything related to Crimson Miroku after she's Back from the Dead. It's extremely unsettling to see her with her robes open, her hair down, a crazy look in her eyes...
- From Bad to Worse: Episode 22 in a nutshell. Thanks to the ending of the previous episode, Yoneda's attempt to take out Aoi Satan has failed. The Commander is now MIA and possibly dead, forcing Ayame to take command. Yoneda's failed gambit also resulted in the destruction of the Majinki, costing the team their Spiritual "Break Glass In Case of Emergency" contingency. As bad as things already are, they get worse as Episode 22 opens. Aoi Satan destroys the penultimate Tenpu Stone, leaving only one left to contain Tenkai. With Yoneda gone, the Hive of Darkness launches an all-out invasion of the Imperial Theater — an incursion which succeeds in destroying the Imperial Combat Revue's headquarters. The only silver lining is the team and their Koubus manage to escape (though that's not much of a win as they're now homeless and without access to their core resources).
- Heroic Sacrifice: Yoneda tries this in Episode 21, willing to use the Majinki and kill himself in an attempt to seal away Aoi Satan. It doesn't work.
- Neck Lift: In the 1st episode, Maria performs one on Sakura for inadvertently causing one foul-up too many during her first day, though she picks her up by the front of her kimono rather than her actual neck.
- Locked Out of the Loop: Yoneda and Ayame after they realize Aoi Satan is their wartime comrade Shinnosuke Yamazaki — and not only alive, but fallen to the forces of darkness he once fought. For personal reasons, they choose not inform Ogami or the rest of the Imperial Floral Division of this Dark Secret. This ends up backfiring *spectacularly* on the entire team, especially in Episodes 20 (when Satan approaches Sakura in his civilian guise and brainwashes her) and 22 (as Kohran learns her engineering idol is their archenemy and has a Heroic BSoD as the Hive of Darkness is in the middle of invading the Imperial Theater).
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: On her first day, Sakura gets off on the wrong foot with the other members of the Hanagumi, and her attempts to patch things up with the others just end up making the situation worse until the end of the episode, where, after one screw-up too many, Sakura is forced out. By the end of the next episode, however, Sakura proves herself to the others and is accepted back.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Had that Wakiji not attacked Tokyo in the second episode, Sakura wouldn't have been able to prove her worthiness as a true member of the Flower Division.
- Noodle Incident: When Kohran's bike gets destroyed in the sixth episode "The Koubu's Heart," Yoneda mentions that it's not the first time this happened to her.
- Oh, No... Not Again!: When Kohran accidentally destroys her steam bike upon approaching the theater, she laments that it has been destroyed once before. In the dub, she even says the trope name verbatim.
- Rule of Three: When Ikki Yoneda hears Kohran crashing her bike, he comments that it was her third auto wreck this year.
- Sealed Evil in a Can: Anime Tenkai (whereas in the game he's been free and active since the Kouma War). The Hive of Darkness is still destroying the Tenpu Stones and their magical seals all around Tokyo, But the goal in this version of the story is to release Tenaki from his imprisonment (rather than remove the spiritual protection that was keeping demonic hordes at bay in the game).
- Spared by the Adaptation: In the 1996 game, Ayame is killed by Aoi Satan/Shinnosuke Yamazaki in the Final Battle. In this version, she doesn't experience a Face–Heel Turn and survives the Imperial Combat Revue's final encounter with Satan.
- Taking You with Me: Yoneda's attempted Heroic Sacrifice in Episode 21. He's willing to give up his own life to power the Majinki if it means taking Aoi Satan with him.
- Thunderbolt Iron: In episode 15, it's mentioned in passing that Sakura's sword Arataka was forged from a meteorite.
- A Tragedy of Impulsiveness: At the end of the first episode, Sakura's impatience and unwillingness to listen to Yoneda's advice on waiting until the Flower Division calms down leads to her being forced to leave the theater.
- You Can't Go Home Again: The Imperial Theater is destroyed by the Hive of Darkness in Episode 22 as the prelude to their endgame. Iris even cites the Trope in-universe in the following episode.
