Gifuu Dodo!! Naoe Kanetsugu - Maeda Keiji Sakegatari - Episode 1

Because they are obviously too awesome to share an exclamation mark!!

The episode starts with a housewarming party at which a samurai with a reputation for eccentricity, Maeda Keiji, shares his wisdom that ‘Anything that’s reached its zenith will eventually decline’ by vandalising the new house. The wisdom of his words is reinforced by his fellow samurai and friend, Naoe Kanetsugu. The two then begin to reminisce, revealing this to be an elaborate framing device. At ten minutes in, it’s a little long, but setting up the characters as they are now will allow comparisons to be drawn about their growth.

I'm really hoping for the one about how he lost all his hair

The main story begins with Kanetsugu being petitioned to help resolve a dispute, which Keiji is the centre of. Keiji is already well-known for eccentricity and for providing crucial advice in a past battle, causing Kanetsugu’s side to lose. It is shown that Keiji is an incredible shot with a bow.

No-scope!

Kanetsugu meets Keiji in a brothel, where after the latter plays the biwa, they defeat some attackers, again showing their considerable prowess.

Because killing people with weapons is boring...

All in all, it was an interesting first episode.  The writing seemed strong, and the historical aspect was interesting, if perhaps not best portrayed through dialogue.  The animation was detailed, though the style, with its strange proportions and huge chins left something to be desired, for me.

There's another weapon right there!

I was not sure what to expect, going in, and while it was not the most captivating anime I’ve watched, it was a sturdy piece of work.

The plot seems mildly interesting so far, though I’m not sure how knowing absolutely nothing of Japanese history affects my appreciation.

While this anime does not seem to be for me, those who are interested in history, especially samurai, are likely to find this pretty interesting.  I’d recommend this anime.