Nutmegfluff

Oh god... So this is just Pt. 1? I can see it being 2 parts, with a total of 16 episodes, as there’s no way they can cover everything from the manga in the next 2 episodes…
The first half is probably lighthearted. The second half is likely pain haha
Oh, 20 episodes? Maybe this half is 10 then. Usually light dramas are 8-10 episodes, so with two parts, that totally makes sense 😭

Of course it’s the same screenwriter 🤦🏻‍♀️
I went into this show pretty much blind, but was interested because of the manga and I really like stories that take place during the Bakamatsu, but I didn’t know it would be filled with so much soft bromance that would make me genuinely pray for the happiness of both pairs… 😢

Hahahaha! Yeah, you really had the rug ripped out from under you! Atp, I have no hope for anyone except for Kyujuro to escape a la boat…
The manga ends at the height of the Shinsengumi’s power, when they lose sight of their patriotic ideals and give in to power, so thankfully, I don’t think you’ll have to see Hijikata die. But you’re right that Serizawa definitely won’t be crossing the finish line at the final episode 👀



As for the extent at which we'll see the battle sequences, it probably depends on the budget.
There are some incredible historical, full length Japanese dramas (like taiga dramas), however, given that this is a light drama, I don’t think the budget is terribly high, so the extent of large scale fighting might be akin to what we saw when the crew rescued Shinnojo. But I’ll be pleasantly surprised if it gets really dark and gritty (idk, all your official spoilers are literally having me imagine the worst. Might as well go big or go home with lots of magnificently violent fight sequences haha)
If you like this period though, I totally recommend the Rurouni Kenshin movies or Yae no Sakura (Bakamatsu-era taiga drama).

I don’t know how similar this drama will be to the manga, but I can spoil more of the drama if you're interested 😅

Same, we’re in this deep! Yeah, by the time it ends, summer will be over and then I won’t have time to be crying over fictional boys 😂

Lol yes…. I wish I could’ve gift wrapped that reveal, like a spoiler inside a spoiler 😅

Ikr…I’ve been prepping myself for their potential death, but frankly, I’ll never be ready. They’re the sunspot of this angst-riddled world…

Haha yes, definitely a mass tragedy (I can see you’ve done lots of research 😁)… but it ushered in an era of peace and progress for the country, and was an especially improved time for women at least... at the sacrifice of our boys lol Please, can they save all four of them?! They're fictional! Leave them be!
I wondering if, because this series is only 8 episodes, it’s more a snippet of their lives, and that's why everyone's a bit more tame.
I am really curious to see how they could add Serizawa’s assassination, Kyujuro’s shift in opinions towards his leaders, and Daisaku’s spy reveal and duel in the next 2 episodes 😳 That’s why I’m currently turning a blind eye to all the horror we’ll probably witness lol
Oh jeez, I haven’t seen Ep. 6 yet lol I try to save it for the weekend. It’s easier to be depressed during the weekend haha

Haha, I know- they masked all the darkness behind Bishi boys and tension that takes the b out of bromance…

Worse news… I think Namunosuke died in the manga 😳

Yeah, he’s very clever 😏 Hijikata was historically called the Demon Vice Commander because he was extremely strict in enforcing rules with a zero tolerance policy. You break it, you die for it kind of mentality. Especially when compared to Kondo, who was known to be trusting and kind- too kind in Hijikata’s opinion. That’s why they balanced each other out nicely.
So far, he’s been much more mellow than previous depictions of Hijikata, but I’m sure he’ll start to show his true closer to the end, as you said 👍🏻

Me too 😭 I don’t even want to think about the potential endings for this couple; I just want to bask in their adorable, puppy love…

I totally agree with you… at least if Daisaku started putting some distance between his comrades, then it wouldn’t sting as badly. But I have an inkling that this show is going to milk Kyujuro and Daisaku’s Romeo & Juliet romance… they want to break our hearts. But at least they warned us in the first episode 😓

Np! 😁
Honestly, I’m not sure why he didn’t kill him either.
In the show, I wonder if he did it 1) because Kyujuro is an innocent soul/poor fighter and 2) for Daisaku’s sake, one comrade to another?
As for the manga, it’s because Sakamoto Ryoma saw true potential in Kyujuro and wanted him to live outside of revenge and set him on the right path. Their relationship is a bit like mentor and mentee.

I really hope the drama changes the ending. The manga was only one volume, and the show has already taken many drastic liberties (I don’t remember Shinnojo even being in the manga 😅) so why can't they change the ending too? Can’t they both become one another’s purpose for life and live together away from all the bloodshed…?
Omg that would be really cool if the sparring in Ep. 1 foreshadowed the final episode duel, and they both fell by one another’s swords! Because I truly can’t imagine a life in which either of them are happy without the other after everything that’s transpired in the drama...

Yeah, if they push the bromance agenda until the finale, I’ll likely cry if Daisaku is killed by Kyujuro…
Hahahaha I’m staying optimistic because there is no tragedy tag on MDL… but, I’m keeping in mind that the worst might be yet to come… 😞

During the Bakamatsu, there were two sides, the pro-shogunate forces (Mibu Roshigumi, who later become known as Shinsengumi (our MCs organization) and pro-emperor forces, the Ishin shishi.

Daisaku was a Choshu Ishin shishi and a spy planted in the Mibu Roshigumi (Daisaku’s knowledge The Ansei Purge suggests he doesn’t have fond opinions of the Shogun).

At the end of the story, the Mibu Roshigumi has been renamed the Shinsengumi, and they have performed violent acts, including torture and murder, which has resulted in Kyujuro becoming wearier of the organization overtime.
Kyujuro is ordered by Hijikata (also known as the Demon Vice-Commander of the Shinsengumi & Kondo's right hand man) to kill Daisaku for being a traitorous spy (in Ep. 2? the guy who saved Kyujuro from his dad’s assassin was Sakamoto Ryoma- an important Ishin shinshi. So Daisaku is in deep).

Kyujuro doesn’t want to do it, and begs Daisaku to run away, but Daisaku says that 1) now that he’s been discovered, he would be killed before he could escape from Kyoto and 2) Kyujuro would be forced to commit seppuku for treason, therefore, Kyujuro must do as ordered and they must fight to the death.

Kyujuro eventually kills Daisaku, and Daisaku promises they’ll reunite in the afterlife to have Azuki bean porridge. It's pretty sad tbh...
Disgusted and disillusioned with the violent shinsengumi, Kyujuro sets sail for America, leaving Japan behind.

I'm still hoping that this drama will flip the script and Kyujuro and Daisaku will run off into the countryside and run a small tea house together, like Kyujuro was doing before, and live happily ever after...

My take was that the Black Rock still exists in W1, hence why the water still turns blue, but because Tai destroyed the Black Rock in W2, it's pretty much a dud. The connection is broken between the two worlds, but Tai never destroyed the rock in W1, so it still emits a glow.

As for why they jumped in the water, I believe it was symbolic, as they knew they could never return to World 2. They wanted to complete the ash ceremony during the same conditions that originally brought them together, because unfortunately they couldn’t complete it in World 2.

The reason why I believe they’re no longer in World 2 is because Phupha’s child has never met Tai or Kram. If they returned to World 2, Phupha would’ve likely introduced his son to his saviors. Kram’s mom & the girl (sorry, I don’t remember her name 😅) were also staring longingly at Kram’s photo, suggesting they no longer exist in World 2.

As for why I believe they’re still alive in World 1, it's because there's no reason for them to die after everything they've been through. I truly believe they'd attempt to find some way to make the best of their situation, after everything, and it looks like they have given that 1) Kram says to Tai that 10 years have passed, and 2) Kram has a basket of the Blood Fruit. He’s been able to survive, despite having the Lumana disease with the power of the fruit.
Maybe Tai will one day go crazy and start to hear the incessant ringing, but for now, he seems to be thriving in more ways than one 🤣

Also, if I remember correctly, I remember reading that the novel ends withTai joined Kram in World 1, and they live in hiding in the woods, because Tai is a wanted man.
While I’ve never read the book and I have a feeling a lot of stuff changed in adaptation, it looks like it’s the same ending. Tai 2 takes the place of a wanted, dead felon and they’ve living in the woods.

I think the post credit scene is our happy ending for the couple that has suffered a lot. 😊
I think if you just watched the end at face value, their fates are uncertain, but the post credit scene pretty much validated to me that they're still alive and having more fun than ever 😆

Yes, a happy ending. Tai 2 goes to World 1 to be with Kram 1. But in the process, he destroys the connection between both worlds. He stays in World 1 with Kram and they control his Lumana disease with the Blood Fruit. They are still happily living in the woods in World 1 10 years later.

It's a bittersweet ending, that is more of a HE and definitely not an OE. The ML and FL are reunited after the ML dies of old age after 100 years (while the FL, who he married, died much younger after the battle, offscreen) in the afterlife, while their two best friends watch on, so I find it happier than other Cdramas... just finished AJTL and that one was brutal...
None of the 4 leads die during the main story line. They all succeed in saving the world. Any onscreen deaths that happen are post-time skip and occur due to old age.

I completely agree about your comments on Su Yu's mom. After 16 episodes of the show painting in her a certain light, I struggle to accept this sudden image change. The show's end game has always been to reunite the two families, however, I feel like there were better ways to handle reconciliation than writing a brand new character in the span of 1 episode...
(I hardly even recognize her. Is this really the same character who couldn't remember what school her own son attended?)

Thank you!

Hi, I was wondering if I could email you for the eng translation of the novel? I'm so curious to know what happens and I have zero patience! Thank you!