It's the Sengoku Period, and there are heroes abound. A time of war, conspiracy, scheming, and love. There were many complicated issues in the Sengoku Period; this story is about the ups and downs in the lives of heroes who lived during these turbulent times.
— Opening Narration
Tono to Issho (My Lord and Me) is a Jidaigeki gag series which started out as a Yonkoma manga by Ohba-Kai, which was serialized in Comic Flapper from 2006 to 2017. It has since been made into two 12-Episode Anime seasons, One Minute Theatre and Eyepatch's Ambition, which aired in 2010 and 2011.
Each episode follows the exploits of a famous Feudal Japan personage — such as Date Masamune, Uesugi Kenshin, or Oda Nobunaga — as they go about their daily business, drawing inspiration from both historical facts and popular legends. However, it being a parody and all, Flanderization kicks in and transforms the main characters into a bunch of nutjobs, morons, psychopaths, crossdressers, and otaku, whose eccentric behaviour causes their long-suffering servants and relatives no end of stress.
The anime is available to watch here
on Crunchyroll.
Tropes:
- The Alcoholic: Uesugi Kenshin has been drinking profusely since a young age. When drunk he slurs his words and thinks he's a rap star.
- Anachronism Stew: Some characters wear modern clothes, and apparently anime and microphones have been invented.
- Ax-Crazy: Everyone from the Oda clan. Also Komatsu, and quite possibly Naoe Kanetsugu.
- Bad Boss: Nobunaga has a habit of setting his retainers on fire.
- Bears Are Bad News: Azai Nagamasa fears that Nobunaga will send a bear in place of his sister, Oichi, as a bride. He then imagines Oichi as a dominatrix in charge of a bear army.
- Beleaguered Assistant: It could be called Beleaguered Assistants: The Anime, since 95% of all the retainers count. In particular, Kagetsuna and Shigezane have become so used to Masamune's bizarre behaviour they rarely even try to prevent it anymore.
- Big Sister Worship: Kenshin can't say no to his manipulative sister Sento-In, who almost bankrupts the country due to her expensive tastes.
- Bishie Sparkle: Kanetsugu is followed everywhere by a cloud of purple sparkles.
- Bishounen: Mori Ranmaru, Naoe Kanetsugu, Sanada Nobuyuki, Shimazu Toshihisa.
- Butt-Monkey: Akechi Mitsuhide amongst the Oda clan. It's implied this is what makes him eventually rebel.
- Casting Gag: This is not the first time GACKT has been cast as Uesugi Kenshin. He already played him in an NHK live-action Jidaigeki drama Fuurin Kazan.
- Collector of the Strange: Date Masamune and his collection of absurd eyepatches.
- The Comically Serious: Most of the main characters just don't realize how insane the stuff coming out of their mouths sounds, and remain completely stone-faced.
- Daddy's Girl: Nohime has got her dad wrapped around her little finger, with pretty painful consequences.
- Deranged Animation
- Dude Looks Like a Lady:
Motochika, to the extent that he's voiced by Mamiko Noto and his servants refuse to accept he's a boy, making him wear a miniskirt and fantasising about marrying him. - Even the Guys Want Him: Kenshin is just SO handsome! Motochika too, technically.
- Eyepatch of Power: Masamune seems to believe this makes him cool, but ultimately averts it since he's kinda incompetent.
- Foe Romance Subtext: Takeda Shingen acts like a Smitten Teenage Girl when it comes to Kenshin.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus: Most of the characters have ridiculous slogans hanging on their walls, which tend to change throughout the scene.
- Glowing Eyes of Doom: Nobunaga all the frickin' time. Even before he became the Demon King.
- Hair Flip: Kanetsugu's trademark, usually when he says something dramatic.
- Henpecked Husband: Komatsu is called the "demon-bride" and historically kept her husband Nobuyuki firmly under her thumb. In this series, she uses wrestling moves on him.
- Heroic BSoD: Masamune every time someone insults one of his eyepatches, which turns his face into that of an ugly old man.
- Historical Domain Character
- Humongous Mecha: Masamune comes up with a series based around one, called Guntain.
- Idiot Hair: Ranmaru's has a life of its own (it's even got built in radar). Also Sanada Masayuki and Yukimura. All three of them are tricksters rather than idiots.
- Idol Singer: In the second season, Motochika becomes one to recruit soldiers, changing his name to "Motochina".
- Instant Fanclub: Motochina has 90% of the country's population in his fanclub.
- It Amused Me: Nobunaga is prepared to make Mitsuhide do all sorts of dangerous and humiliating stunts, just so long as they're "fresh and interesting".
- Japanese Delinquents: Maeda Keiji, as the narrator likes to remind us, would be considered one nowadays. Which also means that he's a Jerk with a Heart of Gold who rescues stray kittens.
- Manchild: Masamune especially. Lampshaded by his retainers asking him if he's a middle school student.
- Megaton Punch: Shingen punches a retainer across the room for insulting his beloved Kenshin.
- Non-Action Guy: Azai Nagamasa, who is left bedridden after doing two push-ups.
- Older Than They Look: Motochika apparently, since his younger brother Chikayasu looks twice his age.
- Perpetual Frowner: Uesugi Kagekatsu. According to Kanetsugu though, he's actually smiling.
- Pyromaniac: Just about everything Nobunaga touches goes up in flames.
- Serial Escalation: In terms of sheer silliness. For instance, in season 1 Motochika looked girly, whereas in season 2 he's full on cross dressing.
- Shout-Out:
- Kenshin's character Bishaemon is such a blatant rip-off of Doraemon that they have to pixellate everything.
- Masamune's Guntain anime is a parody of Gundam.
- The Shimazu brothers are a reference to Power Rangers.
- Part of Keiji's episode mimics Heidi, Girl of the Alps.
- Sudden Video-Game Moment: The Azai episodes are designed like a Visual Novel come Text Adventure.
- Super-Deformed:
- Minor characters have a tendency to become chibi when the situation gets really weird and they start yelling at people.
- Trickster characters like Kanetsugu and the Sanada family also spend most of the time as chibis.
- "Super Sentai" Stance: This is the Shimazu brothers' speciality.
- Surreal Theme Tune: The second ending theme just consists of Masamune's voice actor saying all the characters' names in succession really fast.
- Talkative Loon: Kanetsugu when he goes off on one about Kagekatsu. They have to fast-forward through most of it.
- The Trickster:
- Mori Ranmaru never misses an opportunity to put Mitsuhide in compromising situations.
- Masayuki and Yukimura make a game out of Nobuyuki's abusive marriage.
- Kanetsugu seems to enjoy meddling in the affairs of his retainers and pulling Kagekatsu's strings.
- Unholy Matrimony: Nobunaga fell in love with Nohime because she was prepared to stab her father in the face without hesitation.
- Wholesome Crossdresser: Motochina just wants to make his fans happy.
- World of Ham: Generally when all hell breaks loose (as it inevitably does) the characters just revert to shouting.
