Summary: | In the end of 1860 Japan faced a bloody civil war. The 200 year old Tokugawa Shogunate lost its power to the emperor and the Meiji period started. Before that the land was draw in to a civil war. Ronin samurais from all of Japan was gathering in the capital. Some of the were shouting for heaven's revenge and with it the ment the emperor´s. On the other side was the samurais still loyal to Tokugawa. One of the Shoguns loyal soldier’s history still echoes, the Shinsengumi or newly selected corps. These soldiers are still being used in movies, manga and anime to tell about a dark time in Japan's history. This essay will discuss how anime is using historical persons and their historical period. Also, why they are choosing to create a character with traits and talents. Also try to understand the purpose of historical use in anime. The discussion about manga and animes purpose have been on topic before, but not in combination with how they use historical facts. Cecilia Trenter and Pelle Snickars book with theories in how movies are taking parts of history and make new use out of it. Anime and manga are a big part of Japanese culture and the theories about them are important to understand this study. To do that i used Mark. W. McWilliams and Thomas Lamarres and their discussion about the importance of see through the layers of this creations.
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