Drifters involves A LOT of violence and it also includes a lot of historical figures. Drifters takes place in a world that's in between life and death. Renowned warriors on the brink of death are taken to this world to fight in a war to end all wars. They're called Drifters.
All of the warriors are well known somewhere, if not everywhere in the world. The three main characters are, Shimazu Toyohisa, Oda Nobunaga, and Nasu no Yoichi. All three are from Japan but there are others from different countries like Joan of Arc, Grigori Rasputin, Hannibal Barca, Butch Cassidy, Sundance Kid, and many others. If you want to look at who all is included click here. The animation style isa lot like Hellsing, the faces, teeth, and shading for example are very much alike. The only large difference is that in Drifters the animation style switches back and forth between hyper realistic and cartoonish. The clothing and characters are extremely detailed and engaging thoughout the entire anime. The opening is especially highly detailed and includes a storyboard-like introduction. Many of the historical figures you might not recognize. (I know that I had to google some of them.) Even though these characters were once real people some of them are given supernatural powers. An example would be Joan of Arc, who is given the ability to control flames. If you're not familiar with Joan of Arc she was a heroine in the 100 Year War but was then betrayed by the people she was fighting for and was burned at the stake. Her anger at the betrayal sparked her hatred for people, causing her to join the Ends, instead of the Drifters. (If you want to read more about the actual Joan of Arc click here. If you want to read more about the character click here.)
The Ends consist of people who have given up hope in humanity and would rather see them all dead. Rasputin, Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova, Gilles de Rais, and Hijikata Toshizo all joined the Ends. They are led by The Black King and their only goal is to destroy mankind and let the creatures and beast 'inherit the world.'
The Drifters chose Shimazu Toyohisa as their leader, for his unmatched war expertise. From poisoning the enemies water, to setting death traps, he can come up with ideas whenever they're needed. The Drifters goal is to take back the world from the Orte Empire and free all of the people who have been enslaved, essentially liberating the entire country from the inside out. Drifters also included spots of comedy and characters who literally act insane. The comedy helps keep the show from becoming just another war anime and helps break up the dark overtones. If you want to read the full description click here. If you want to watch the first episode click here.
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In my opinion these two movies are must see animation classics. If you haven't heard of Akira or Ghost In The Shell that's okay! Akira came out in 1988 and went the extra mile by actually animating the mouth movements to match the words being said, pre recording dialog, and creating detailed background scenery. It was the final breakthrough that got anime noticed in the U.S. Akira is equivalent to The Walking Dead in getting its genre (or type of media style) recognized. While The Walking Dead opened up the zombie theme, Akira was the final step in making anime popular in America.
If you want to read Akira's description click here. If you want to know more about it, like how it was made and who was involved click here.
The Ghost in the Shell that I'm talking about is the original one made in 1995. (Ghost in the Shell has a lot of side series and stand alone movies.) If you want to know the best order to watch all of them in click here. The music used in the movie is different than anything I've ever heard in any animated movie. If you want to listen to "The Making of Cyborg", which is the most recognized and (in my opinion) most awesome song in the movie click here.
Ghost in the Shell likes to hint at deeper questions in its dialogue that you might not catch the first time you watch it. If you want to read more about Ghost in the Shell click here. If you want to read the movie description click here. Both Ghost in the Shell and Akira take place in the future. They're also both in the science fiction scene, specifically the cyberpunk genre. If you're not a big fan of political insurrection, cyborgs, some gore, or military related action then these aren't for you. But if not, then I highly suggest you watch them. If you want to take a look at other Japanese animated classics click here. I do not own any of the pictures, gifs, or videos used in this post or any other post on AnimationNomination they are protected under the fair use policy
The Ends consist of people who have given up hope in humanity and would rather see them all dead. Rasputin, Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova, Gilles de Rais, and Hijikata Toshizo all joined the Ends. They are led by The Black King and their only goal is to destroy mankind and let the creatures and beast 'inherit the world.'
