Bestia - Recommendations

• TV (25 eps)
• 2000

In the mid 1800s, prior to the fall of the Tokugawa Shogunate, two men lead very different lives in the city of Edo. Ibuya Manjiro is a would-be samurai who refuses to back down from a fight, and Ryoan Tezuka is the son of a well-known doctor and student of Western medicine. Both are looked down upon by members of the community – Ibuya for his heroic behavior that makes his dojo look bad, and Ryoan for following a form of medicine that Japan, as a whole, shuns. Though the two are on very different paths, their lives inevitably cross in romance, times of need, and the changing of history...

• TV (25 eps)
• 2013

Hiding within his heart the secret of his lord's illegitimate child while risking his life to protect him, Uesugi Kenshin's chief retainer, Naoe Kanetsugu, teamed up with the legendary warrior known as history's most infamous wild man, Maeda Keiji. Never once yielding to any number of powerful men, Kanetsugu and Keiji continue to blaze through the turbulent latter days of the Warring States era, faithfully fighting for justice and their own way of life...

• OVA (6 eps)
• 2011 - 2012

Taking place between episodes 8 and 9 of the first season of Hakuoki, Chizuru goes on an undercover mission in Shimabara for the Shinsegumi. Dressing as a geisha, each episode tells the story of the undercover mission through the point of view of each captain. But it isn't just the rival clans the Shinsengumi need to worry about. It's the demons that keep popping up with the intent to kill anyone in their path that makes this Hakuoki installment worth watching!

• OVA (1 ep)
• 2004

Historical Japan, the Meiji Revolution: Hijikata Toshizou is a young swordsman fighting for the Shinsengumi and the Tokugawa shogunate. As a lieutenant of the Shinsengumi, Hijikata earns a reputation for his ruthlessness and harsh moral code. Hijikata Toshizou's tale is one of fierce determination, his samurai spirit unfaltering even as the war nears its inescapable conclusion and his comrades fall one by one.

• DVD Special (1 ep)
• 2003

• TV (12 eps)
• 2012

The beginning of Hakuouki series, this installment tells the story of Ryunosuke Ibuki, a boy who loathes samurai while also being the son of a samurai. After being robbed and left to die on his way to Kyoto, Ryunosuke is rescued by the Roshigumi leader, Kamo Serizawa. Serizawa treats Ryunousuke as a servant and calls him a dog. Meanwhile, Ryunousuke watches as the Roshigumi slowly unravels around him.

• Other (1 ep)
• 1998

A special episode released on VHS.

• TV (24 eps)
• 2003 - 2004

Peace Maker Kurogane takes place in Kyoto in the late 19th century, during the height of the conflict between the Shinsengumi, a shogunal police force, and its enemy, an anti-government faction called the Choshu. This tale follows a young boy named Ichimura Tetsunosuke who is desperate to join the Shinsengumi and avenge his parents' deaths by the hands of the Choshu. But in the midst of the bloodshed, will he be strong enough to survive?

• OVA (1 ep)
• 2004

• OVA (2 eps)
• 1999

Nobody asked young Shinjuro if he wanted to take over the dojo, but the responsibility fell on his shoulders anyway. Now, he must try and make his school succeed while protecting the town he lives in. Things get worse when Mikage, a rogue samurai, seeks the legendary sword Mizuchi to destroy the Tokugawa government. Shinjuro is called upon to defeat Mikage and restore peace to feudal Japan. However, he's not alone. A band of beautiful women await to support him emotionally and in battle.