is a Japanese

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

series written and illustrated created by

Nanae Chrono Nanae Chrono, known in Japan as is a female Japanese manga artist. She is best known as the creator of the manga series ''Peacemaker Kurogane'', ''Senki Senki Momotama'', and ''Vassalord''. Works Serials *; (1999) :This was a oneshot manga or ...

. It is unrelated to the ''Peace Maker'' manga by

Ryōji Minagawa is a Japanese manga artist born in Sumida, Tokyo. He was invited with ''Spriggan'' story writer Hiroshi Takashige to go to a comic convention in Portugal in 1996 as a guest of honor due to his work on ''Spriggan''. He worked on other manga c ...

. The story begins in 19th century Japan before the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...

, a chain of events that led to enormous changes in Japan's political and

social structure In the social sciences, social structure is the aggregate of patterned social arrangements in society that are both emergent from and determinant of the actions of individuals. Likewise, society is believed to be grouped into structurally rel ...

while the seeds of the revolution are being planted. The story follows the boy protagonist, Tetsunosuke Ichimura, who joins the

Shinsengumi The was a special police force organized by the (military government) during Japan's Bakumatsu period (late Tokugawa shogunate) in 1863. It was active until 1869. It was founded to protect the shogunate representatives in Kyoto at a time wh ...

(initially as Toshizō Hijikata's page) while seeking strength to avenge his parents' death at the hands of a Chōshū rebel. It is a sequel to , which was published by

Enix was a Japanese video game publisher that produced video games, anime and manga. Enix is known for publishing the ''Dragon Quest'' series of role-playing video games. The company was founded by Yasuhiro Fukushima on September 22, 1975, as . Th ...

in the magazine ''

Monthly Shōnen Gangan is a manga imprint owned by Square Enix Holdings. It originated as a manga imprint for Enix before the company re-branded as Square Enix. It publishes manga in several anthologies aimed at different reader demographic groups in the Japanese mar ...

''. ''Shinsengumi Imon Peace Maker'' was licensed in North America by

Tokyopop Tokyopop (styled TOKYOPOP; formerly known as Mixx Entertainment) is an American distributor, licensor and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa and Western manga-style works. The German publishing division produces German translations of licensed J ...

Plot

The story is focused on the main character, Tetsunosuke Ichimura, who is an energetic, short and very childlike fifteen-year-old (16 in the manga). He and his older brother Tatsunosuke are left to fend for themselves after the vicious murder of their parents. While Tetsunosuke wants to get revenge, his pacifist brother is not so inclined. "Tatsu" joins a

special police Special police usually describes a police, police force or unit within a police force whose duties and responsibilities are significantly different from other forces in the same country or from other police in the same force, although there is no ...

force dubbed the Shinsengumi, as an accountant to earn a living, his brother "Tetsu" wishes to join as a soldier to seek his revenge. The story chronicles Tetsu's trials and tribulations as a struggling page craving redemption. He develops relationships with all the legendary members of the Shinsengumi army helping them with their various struggles as he constantly battles his own against himself. At the story's climax, Tetsu discovers himself and the overwhelming responsibility the power he is searching for holds.

Media

Manga

Peace Maker

''Peace Maker'' () was published from April 12, 1999 to August 11, 2001 in Japan by

magazine ''

'' and was compiled in six volumes by Enix. The sequel to ''Peace Maker'' transferred to

Mag Garden is a Japanese publishing company that focuses on manga-related publications and is also involved in the development of anime and live-action adaptations. It was founded on June 5, 2001 by Yoshihiro Hosaka along with former manga artists of Enix ...

's ''

Monthly Comic Blade was a Japanese shōnen manga magazine published by Mag Garden. It was first published in February 2002 and was sold on the 30 of each month until July 2014. It restarted in September 2014 as a free online magazine titled ''Online Magazine Comic B ...

''.

republished ''Peace Maker'' in five ''

tankōbon is the Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or cultur ...

'' volumes on September 10, 2005. Mag Garden edition was licensed and published in North America and Germany by

. Tokyopop released ''Peace Makers five ''tankōbon'' volumes between August 14, 2007 and November 4, 2008. Later,

re-released the manga through

Madman Entertainment Madman Entertainment Pty. Ltd., also known as Madman Films, is an Australian distribution and rights management company headquartered in East Melbourne, Victoria, specialising in feature films, documentaries and television series across theatr ...

. The first volume was released on November 10, 2008. The second was released on February 10, 2009.

Tokyopop Germany Tokyopop (styled TOKYOPOP; formerly known as Mixx Entertainment) is an American distributor, licensor and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa and Western manga-style works. The German publishing division produces German translations of licensed ...

released the manga's five ''tankōbon'' volumes between December 2005 and June 28, 2006. The manga was also licensed and published in Italy by

Star Comics Star Comics was an imprint of Marvel Comics that began in 1984 and featured titles that were aimed at child readers and were often adaptations of children's television series, animated series or toys. The last comic published under the imprint ...

and in France by Kami. Kami released the manga's five ''tankōbon'' volumes between September 20, 2006 and July 11, 2007.

Peacemaker Kurogane

''Peacemaker Kurogane'' itself was started as a new series in

's ''

'' in 2001連載作品データ
(Serialization Data). GanganSearch. Retrieved on February 5, 2008. and transferred to ''

Monthly Comic Garden is a Japanese manga magazine published by Mag Garden. It was first published on September 1, 2014, replacing the defunct ''Comic Blade''. Series *''Amadeus Code'' *''Amber Days and Golden Nights'' (ongoing) *''The Ancient Magus' Bride'' (ongoi ...

'' in 2014. Mag Garden released the manga's first ''tankōbon'' volume on October 10, 2002. ''Peacemaker Kurogane'' was licensed by

ADV Manga A.D. Vision Holdings, Inc. (known simply as ADV and also referred to as ADV Films) was an American multimedia entertainment distributor headquartered in Houston, Texas, and founded in 1992 by video game fan John Ledford and anime fans Matt Gree ...

, which released three volumes between October 4, 2004 and March 22, 2005 before putting it on hold indefinitely. After the license lapsed,

acquired it and released the manga's first volume on March 10, 2009. It released four volumes in total. The manga was licensed and published in France by Kami, in Germany by Tokyopop and in Russia by

Comics Factory Comics Factory (russian: Фабрика комиксов, ''Fabrika komiksov'') is a comics imprint of major Russian book publisher AST. It serves as a translator and the licensor of European graphic novels, Japanese manga, Korean manhwa, Taiwa ...

. Tokyopop Germany released the manga's first five ''tankōbon'' volumes between June and October 2005.

Anime

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

television series adaptation by

Gonzo Gonzo may refer to: People * Gonzo (nickname), a list of people with the nickname * Radislav Jovanov Gonzo (born 1964), Croatian music video director Radislav Jovanov, also known as Gonzo * Matthias Röhr (born 1962), German musician whose sta ...

and produced by

Geneon (abbreviated as NBCUEJ) is a Japanese music, anime, and home entertainment production and distribution enterprise headquartered in Akasaka, Tokyo, Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo, Minato, Tokyo. It is primarily involved in the production and distributi ...

ran for 24 episodes, which aired on

TV Asahi JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as (also known as EX and and stylized as TV asahi), is a television station that is owned and operated by the subsidiary of certified broadcasting holding company , itself controlled by The Asahi Shimbun Compan ...

between October 7, 2003 and March 24, 2004. The US license for the anime is held by ADV Films under the title ''Peacemaker''. The anime mostly follows the plot of the original manga ''Peace Maker'', but also introduces characters that are only shown in ''Peacemaker Kurogane''. The anime aired in the United States on

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

Beyond, alongside ''

Chrono Crusade ''Chrono Crusade'', originally known in Japan as , due to a typo, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Daisuke Moriyama. It was originally published by Kadokawa Shoten in ''Comic Dragon'', then a special issue of the ''Drago ...

''. On June 25, 2010, anime distributor

Funimation Entertainment Crunchyroll, LLC, previously known as Funimation from 1994 to 2022, is an American entertainment company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony as a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex that specializes ...

announced on their online panel FuniCon 4.0, that they have acquired rights to the series along with 3 other ADV title, after ADV's shutdown in 2009. The anime was broadcast in France by Déclic-Images. It was broadcast in Spain by Buzz Channel. It was broadcast in

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

by space power, in the Philippines by QTV and

Hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ...

. The anime uses two pieces of

theme music Theme music is a musical composition that is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at so ...

. "You Gonna Feel" by Hav is the opening theme, while "Hey Jimmy!" by Hav is the ending theme of the anime. Gonzo Digimation released the anime's seven DVDs between December 21, 2003 and June 25, 2004. Gonzo Digimation released the DVD box set, containing all 7 DVDs, on December 22, 2004. ADV Films released the anime's seven DVDs between September 14, 2004 and September 13, 2005. ADV Films released the DVD box set, containing all 7 DVDs, on November 15, 2005. On April 14, 2016, it was announced that the manga would receive a new anime adaptation, which was later confirmed to be a two-part anime film that adapted a later arc of ''Peacemaker Kurogane''. It is directed by Shigeru Kimiya and written by Eiji Umehara, with animation produced by

White Fox , is a Japanese animation studio founded in April 2007 by Gaku Iwasa. The studio's most successful productions include adaptations of '' Steins;Gate'', and '' Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World'', and ''Akame ga Kill!''. History The stud ...

and character designs by Sayaka Koiso. The first part titled premiered in Japan on June 2, 2018. The second part titled premiered on November 17, 2018.

Drama and animation CDs

On December 21, 2003,

released an animation soundtrack CD for ''Peacemaker Kurogane''.

released a set of 5

Drama CD Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine ...

s for ''Peacemaker Kurogane''. The first CD was released on December 21, 2003, the second CD on January 23, 2004, the third CD on February 25, 2004, the fourth CD on March 21, 2004 and the fifth CD on April 23, 2004 The songs were sung by

Mitsuki Saiga is a Japanese voice actress and singer affiliated with Ken Production. Her major roles include Tsukasa in ''.hack'', Maria Ross in '' Fullmetal Alchemist'', Rossiu Adai in ''Gurren Lagann'', MakubeX in ''GetBackers'', Wolfram von Bielefeld i ...

Yuka Imai is a Japanese former voice actress who was previously represented by Gekidan Moonlight and by Atomic Monkey at the time of her retirement. She was born in Atami, Shizuoka. On August 30, 2018, she announced her retirement from voice acting, whic ...

, Joji Nakata, Takaya Toshi,

Junichi Suwabe is a Japanese voice actor and singer from Tokyo. He is affiliated with Haikyō. His popular roles include Omega Zero in Megaman Zero 3 , Keigo Atobe in ''The Prince of Tennis'', Victor Nikiforov in ''Yuri!!! on ICE'', Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez in ...

, Kappei Yamaguchi and

Kenji Nomura is a Japanese Seiyū, voice actor from Okayama Prefecture affiliated with Aoni Production. Known for playing characters large in size, he has starring roles in anime shows, including Mitsunori Kugayama in ''Genshiken'', Chairman Harabote in ''Kin ...

. On November 25, 2005,

released a Drama CD for the second season of ''Peacemaker Kurogane''. The songs were sung by

, Joji Nakata, Takaya Toshi, Kappei Yamaguchi,

, Kousuke Torimi and

Takahiro Sakurai is a Japanese voice actor, narrator, and radio personality from Aichi Prefecture, Japan. His well-known roles include heroes such as Cloud Strife in ''Compilation of Final Fantasy VII'', Suzaku Kururugi in '' Code Geass'' and X in '' Mega Man X ...

. On March 10, 2004, a soundtrack CD was released for the opening theme of ''Peacemaker Kurogane'', "You Gonna Feel" by Hav.

Live-action TV

A ten-episode live-action TV series adaptation of the manga aired on TBS entitled . It premiered on January 15, 2010, and concluded on March 19, 2010.

Reception

Mania.com's Megan Levey commends the tension and emotion of the second volume of ''Peacemaker Kurogane'' that "seems to just ring from the pages". Mania.com's Megan Levey commends the third volume of the manga for its "very close facial expressions" in its artwork but criticises the manga's color pages for coming "across as extremely flat and somewhat washed out". Peacemaker was ranked 9th as the "Favourite Anime Series" in the 26th annual Animage readers' poll. THEM Anime Reviews comments that the "drama of the series is paramount" but its comedy is lame. Animefringe.com criticises the protagonist of the series, labelling him as "an annoying brat that cries and moans when he doesn't get what he wants". Mania.com's Chris Beveridge commends the anime for its slowly revealed "supernatural elements" as well as the simplicity and comical nature of Saizō the pig. John Sinnott at

DVD Talk DVD Talk is a home video news and review website launched in 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman. History Kleinman founded the site in January 1999 in Beaverton, Oregon. Besides news and reviews, it features information on hidden DVD features known as ...

praises the first DVD of ''Peacemaker'' for its original language version over the English dub because Ayumu's English voice actress uses "one of those fake southern accents that are really horrible". DVD Talk's John Sinnott criticises the fifth DVD of the anime for "the lack of focus this series has". Brian Hanson at Anime Jump criticises the anime for aping

Rurouni Kenshin is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Nobuhiro Watsuki. The story begins during the 11th year of the Meiji period in Japan (1878) and follows a former assassin from the Bakumatsu, known as Hitokiri Battosai. After his wor ...

as well as not displaying the qualities of other

Weekly Shōnen Jump is a weekly ''shōnen'' manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the ''Jump'' line of magazines. The manga series within the magazine consist of many action scenes and a fair amount of comedy. The chapters of the series that run ...

anime when it becomes "surprisingly violent". DVD Verdict's Judge Jeff Anderson commends the anime for its "CGI that blends well with the animation" and English dub that has a much more dynamic sound than the original Japanese track.

Science Fiction Weekly Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Lau ...

's Tasha Robinson commends the anime for its "highly textured, detailed and beautifully rendered semi-historical drama, very much in the spirit of

" whenever Tetsu "drops to the background" or "shuts up for a few scenes".

References

External links

Official Madman ''Peace Maker'' anime website
* {{White Fox 1999 manga 2001 manga 2003 anime television series debuts ADV Manga Funimation Gangan Comics manga Gonzo (company) Historical anime and manga Madman Entertainment manga Mag Garden manga Meiji Restoration Nanae Chrono NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan Odex Samurai in anime and manga Shōnen manga Tokyopop titles TV Asahi original programming White Fox