2020 Rerun Poster
The second installment in the series.Hachisuka Kotetsu, a standoffish and serious character, is now the appointed captain of Squad 1. His duty is to lead the Shinsengumi swords (Yamatonokami Yasusada, Kashuu Kiyomitsu, Horikawa Kunihiro, Izuminokami Kanesada, and Nagasone Kotetsu) into the Bakamatsu era and the entire Shinsengumi timeline from pre-formation to 1868. Here, they are to prevent the Time Retrograde Forces from killing Shinsengumi captains Kondo Isami, Hijikata Toshizo, and Okita Soji (or otherwise altering their histories) before they even have a chance to really form the infamous squad.
In an effort to not only fight alongside his master but also get the chance to protect him, Yamatonokami decides to temporarily join the Shinsengumi with the risk of changing history. Hachisuka meanwhile cannot get over his discontent with Nagasone, and is still in the process of learning what it means to be a leader. With the Ikeda Inn raid looming over everyone's heads, it's up to our heroes to make sure the trio don't get killed at an inopportune time, while the Retrograde Forces quietly make their move...
Tropes:
- A Day in the Limelight: Similar to Imanotsurugi's conflict in Atsukashiyama Ibun, the play is primarily about Yamatonokami's, struggle to let go of Okita Souji and allow history to play out as did originally, with him dying from his tuberculosis. There is also the conflict between Nagasone and Hachisuka, but it is largely a B plot.
- Ambiguous Situation: In the 2020 rerun, why did Mikazuki warn Okita about Kondo's execution? The play ends without elaborating on his motivation here.
- Apologetic Attacker: Hachisuka can only give a sad, but firm "I'm sorry!" before taking Kondo Isami's head as history intended.
- Arc Symbol: Sirius, otherwise referred to as the Dog Star. It shines down on every important historical event in the play, or at the very least is mentioned in other situations. It's ultimately also tied to the camraderie theme the musical focuses on, as Horikawa later muses on the fact that Sirius is actually two stars in close proximity, supporting each other to shine bright much like a teammate or close one would.
- As You Know:
- Both Izuminokami and Horikawa muse over the Nagasone/Hachisuka rivalry, explaining to each other and the audience the fact that they're both "Kotetsu" swords, but Nagasone is a fraud.
- The Saniwa usually does this for every debriefing, talking about their battle against the Retrograde Forces and what they do to one up them. Lampshaded in the second musical, where he opens up such a speech with "I'm sure I don't need to remind you but..."
- Bait-and-Switch: From the looks of the Retrograde cat showing up where Okita usually is, you would think that the climax of the musical would be facing off against a possessed Okita much like Atsukashiyama Ibun did the same for Minamoto no Yoshitsune. However, the climax of the story is more emotional than physical this time around; thus, Soji's inevitable possession lasts only one scene until Kondo snaps him out of it, and the real emotional climax of the musical happens Revisionist-free.
- Big Damn Heroes: Subverted in the climax. Soji going to save Kondo from his execution would ordinarily be a pretty BDH moment, but not when it's prompted by the Retrograde Forces for the sole purpose of changing history for their own ends and undermining Kondo's own sacrifice.
- Blood from the Mouth: In the introductory scene, Okita Souji dramatically coughs up blood mid battle because of his tuberculosis, which very nearly gets him killed until Kondo comes in to save him.
- Book Ends: The play begins and ends on the Touken Danshi sparring with one another. Yamatonokami and Kashuu get their licks in first, followed by Nagasone and Hachisuka. Izuminokami and Horikawa don't get in on it, but they do muse about certain aspects of the story.
- Call-Back: At the beginning of the play, Hijikata advertises his Ishida Powder product as a medicine able to cure all ills, and jokes about using it on Soji after beating him thoroughly in training. The joke comes back in a much sadder way later; first when Okita jokingly asks for it following his collapse at the Ikeda Inn, and later when Hijikata brings multiple packets to encourage Soji's health after the latter's untimely retirement from the Shinsengumi. Also counts as a Cerebus Call-Back.
- The Cameo: In the 2020 rerun, Mikazuki cameos as a voice/cat, warning Okita Souji about Kondo's impending execution.
- Can't Hold His Liquor: Izuminokami gets tipsy off of one glass of sake, which Horikawa makes fun of him over. Hachisuka is the opposite, however, as he chugs an entire mug and seems fine after.
- Cats Are Mean:
- At parts in the story, a Retrograde Force in the form of a cat will come whenever it concerns Soji's illness. The cat comes back in the climax of Yamatonokami's arc, tempting him into giving Okita medicine to withstand sickness; but although Yamatonokami doesn't give in, it preys upon a weakened Soji before Kondo's execution at Itabashi, possessing his sword to go rescue him.
- Averted in the 2020 rerun, where the cat appears only once and is revealed to be Mikazuki Munechika, who warns Okita Souji of Kondo's impending execution for unknown reasons before leaving without further interference.
- Cruel to Be Kind: Kashuu may be harsh on Yamatonokami for wanting to be with Soji at the raid, but he only does it because he doesn't want anyone, least of all him, to learn about the pain of seeing their master in danger and not being able to do anything about it. That said, Kashuu ultimately lets Yamatonokami go, trusting him not to give into temptation.
- Dark Reprise: "Erabarenu Mono" plays again in the climax when Nagasone looks at Kondo's soon to be execution. It plays more triumphantly after Hachisuka executes Kondo, but it's still underscored with a melancholy air given they just killed one of the team's master.
- Deal with the Devil: The Retrograde cat gives Soji strength enough to save Kondo near the climax, in exchange for possessing his body.
- Dissonant Laughter: Mikazuki has a good laugh at/with Okita Souji just before informing him that his friend is going to die if he doesn't hurry to save him.
- Dramatic Irony: Every time Soji talks about his recklessness or not wasting the one life you have, Yamatonokami shrinks, knowing that his master will one day succumb to his illness and die in his prime.
- Drinking Contest: As part of the pre-mission party Horikawa hosts, Squad 1 has a small drinking contest. Hachisuka, by virtue of having the biggest glass and finishing it in two gulps, ends up the undisputed winner.
- Early-Installment Weirdness: The only installment in the series, nay, the entire franchise, where the Historical Revisionists have been shown to be able to shape shift into talking animals to accomplish their mission.
- Empathic Environment: A heavy rainstorm occurs just as Kondo's execution at Itabashi begins. Thunder pervades the area while they fight the Retrograde Forces, and the scene lets up just as they're done fighting.
- End of an Age: A running theme in the musical. The Shinsengumi swords hold their masters in high esteem mostly because of the trope; they continued to be the weapons to their masters even as war and weapons changed around them, which reinforces the brotherhood theme surrounding the group and their strong bonds. "Riyuu no Arika" has Horikawa explain this in song to Hachisuka.
- Establishing Character Moment:
- Nagasone when we first see him is looked up to by Yamatonokami and Kashuu, tells them and Izuminokami to mind their duties, and in general acts as their older mentor figure.
- Izuminokami first arrives on the scene itching for a fight, loud, brash, and in general acting immature (i.e. shirking off duty, getting upset when Nagasone has to make time for other engagements, pouting), but still very understanding. Horikawa in the same scene tries to act as The Heart, getting worried over Hachisuka and Nagasone's fighting as well as trying to make Izuminokami look at his doings.
- Yamatonokami began the play on decent terms with Kashuu, but also half-jokingly sparring to win over the Saniwa's love. That latter point, focusing on his master, fuels a lot of his arc going forwards in the play.
- When we first meet Hachisuka, he's collected, composed, and refuses to make banter with Nagasone unlike all of the main swords. As soon as their sparring session is over, he cuts off any attempt to bond and leaves straight away.
- Fantastic Racism: Hachisuka's distaste for counterfeit swords drives his subplot with Nagasone, and is the basis of their constant butting heads. He's perfectly fine with the other swords though, because he both respects them and knows they're authentic. However, his prejudice is also a mask for his envy and confusion towards Nagasone, hating how he shoulders his burdens and never lets anyone really support him. The end of the play only changes this slightly; while he is now able to respect Nagasone as a member of the team, Hachisuka is still far and away from seeing him as a "brother" sword in his own right.
- Foil: The Shinsengumi swords are more of a proper and functional group than the Sanjou in the first play. This is most likely because all of them were previously wielded by a group whose members followed a strict code and were close friends, rather than simply being swords from the same school. They also don't struggle as much to keep a member of their group who attempts to change history, as the Sanjou and Kashuu did with Imanotsurugi in Atsukashiyama Ibun, because they eventually decide to trust Yamatonokami to make the right decision on his own, even if they were skeptical of his intentions at first.
- Get A Hold Of Yourself Man: In the climax, Hachisuka punches Nagasone right before he's supposed to behead Kondo, chastising him for adding one more major event to take on by his lonesome where he has multiple people that are willing to support him.
- Gory Discretion Shot: Right before Hachisuka beheads Kondo, the stage immediately cuts to black.
- I Have No Son!: I have no brother more like it, which is how Hachisuka dismisses his Fantastic Racism towards Nagasone when called out on it by Izuminokami. He still doesn't consider Nagasone blood by the end of the play, but he does have a better opinion of him.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Hachisuka does bring up a good point— he, as the odd man out of Squad 1 lacking their shared Shinsengumi and Bakamatsu era heritage, wouldn't be able to get the job done as leader as efficiently as someone who does. Then he dashes his perfectly good criticism with his anger over being put on the same team as Nagasone.
- It Will Never Catch On: Kondo laughs off the idea of Hijikata becoming a "demon vice-commander", seeing him as the hotheaded and good hearted youth he really is at the moment.
- Held Gaze: Both Kondo and Hijikata give Soji one before they set out to Nagareyama in 1868. They want more than anything for Soji to get better, and Soji wants the same, but all three of them look like they're trying to convince each other that they'll have time enough to reunite again.
- Hypocrisy Nod: Yamatonokami knows that if he gives the medicine over to Soji, he'd be changing history and put himself on the same level as the Retrograde forces. Still, he decides to do it anyway.
- Incurable Cough of Death: Soji, as usual.
- Innocently Insensitive: While Yamatonokami gives off his reasons to join the Shinsengumi during the mission, his answer to the question of breaking on the job is "I'm not that weak!". He says this right in front of Kashuu, who is the only one of the swords that did break on the battlefield. You can see he's upset when he goes to the wall after that statement.
- It Was a Gift: The reason Nagasone gives Hachisuka for continuing to fight under the Kotetsu name, knowing he is not a Kotetsu himself. It's a precious alias Kondo gave to his sword, and for that reason alone he bears the name with dignity.
- "I Want" Song: "Te o Nobaseba" is all about Yamatonokami's desire to get emotionally and physically closer to his former master.
- Kill the Ones You Love: Only barely averted in the end. Kondo, with his execution botched, asks Nagasone to complete the job instead; the guy almost goes through with it, if not for Hachisuka backhanding him and taking on that burden himself.
- Meaningful Echo:
- "This is how the Shinsengumi fights"; first said by Soji while they were having a triumphant battle in the prologue, then said by Kondo to emphasize the sacrifice and loyalty the organization's leaders have for their men.
- Nagasone saves Hachisuka from an enemy attack at the Ikeda Inn. In the climax, Hachisuka does the same for Nagasone during an enemy swarm, in the exact same pose and position, which helps emphasize his coming to understand Nagasone's mindset.
- Manly Tears: Yamtonokami cries as he watches his master's illness get worse, while he can do nothing to stop it. Nagasone also cries near the end of the play, when he's finally told he can rely on others instead of shouldering his burdens and feelings alone, on top of being resolved of the duty of executing his master. Averted with Hijikata, though; there is nothing mature about his crying when he learns of Kondo's plans to surrender; more than anything, he looks like a guy who just lost his big brother.
- Off with His Head!: The mission ultimately ends at Kondo's execution, where he's beheaded as part of the capital punishment. Of course, he's not executed as the timeline intended here, so Hachisuka beheads him instead.
- Remake: The 2020 rerun is essentially a remake, with some new scenes, new songs, and changes to the way the scenes originally played out. The subplot about the Historical Retrograding Force plot turning into a cat is almost entirely cut out as well, with the cat now only showing up once and being revealed to be Mikazuki Munechika instead.
- Retcon: In the 2020 rerun, instead of the Historical Revisionists transforming into a cat that possessed Okita's blade and forcing him to save Kondo from execution, Mikazuki was retconned into the role, with the cat transformation angle still present but not visible to the audience (The audience can hear it but only Okita can see it). After Mikazuki warns Okita, there also is no possession involved, as Okita makes it to Kondo's execution through his own willpower.
- Sparing Them the Dirty Work: Bakamatsu Tenrouden has the cast trying to undo the History Retrograde forces' attempts to change the timeline, one of which includes saving the Shinsengumi leader Isami Kondo from his execution in Itabashi. Problem is, Kondo's beloved sword-now-human Nagasone Kotetsu is on the main team, and Kondo himself requests that Nagasone be the one to execute him. Nagasone already has a lot of his plate right now, and killing his own master to preserve the timeline is definitely not going to help ease his mind. Before he can decapitate Kondo however, his teammate and fellow Touken Danshi Hachisuka Kotetsu backhands him and does the execution himself. As Hachisuka had been needlessly antagonizing Nagasone the whole show, this gesture conveys that the former has finally started respecting the latter, and that as a teammate he doesn't want to Nagasone to quietly burden himself alone.
- Sue Donym: Yamatonokami goes under the pseudonym "Okizawa" when joining the Shinsengumi.
- Survivor Guilt: A lot of Yamatonokami's decision to join the Shinsengumi is pretty much this. He feels paratially responsible for not being able to help his master when he needed it most, so he feels like he has a better chance to do so by being closer to him in his same organization.
- Wham Line: In the 2020 rerun, Mikazuki delivers his iconic "Yokikana, yokikana" line after informing Okita Souji of Kondo's impending execution, confirming to the audience that the disembodied voice/unseen cat speaking to Okita was him.
- What You Are in the Dark: After spending an entire length agonizing over whether or not to give Soji medicine for his tuberculosis, Yamatonokami ultimately shakes off temptation, stating that the Okita he knew would cease to exist provided he change circumstances in his favor.
- Your Princess Is in Another Castle!: Most of the Okita stuff is taken care of in 1864, where Yamatonokami's character arc with Soji comes to a head, Nagasone begins to come through to Hachisuka, and the Ikeda Inn raid built up over the first half of the musical finally wraps up. However, this time period also isn't the Retrograde Army's last stop this turn around; Itabashi, 1868 is.
