Shinsengumi: Assassins of Honor Page #2

Hey gimme one of them!

Is this meeting ever

going to end?

They could at least let us

take off our sandals.

How can they just make

us wait like this?

What could they be squabbling

about in the main hall?

Who knows...?

All I know is that a Dewa ronin

named Kiyokawa Hachiro's...

...been spouting off

for over an hour.

Who is this Kiyokawa

Hachiro?

He's the guy who organized

the ronin troops.

Indeed, our goal

must be...

...to dedicate ourselves to the

expulsion of all foreigners...

...for the sake of our divine Emperor

and our noble nation.

Therefore, I, Kiyokawa Hachiro,

shall take command.

What?

What?

We weren't told about that!

We weren't told about that!

Everyone!

We weren't told about that!

Though we have come to Kyoto to guard the

Shogun and maintain law and order...

...if the Shogun were to defy

the Emperor's command...

...and continue to deal

with the foreigners...

...it will be our duty to rectify

the Shogun's decision!

I don't get it. What's this

guy rambling about?

We must thank the lmperial court

for the dispensation...

...which permits us ronin to band together for

the purpose of removing the foreigners.

We have been ordered to return to Edo

at once and undertake this task.

Everyone!

Let us immediately

return to Edo...

...and endeavor to oust

the foreigners!

Serizawa...

Do you understand now?

While you and your men were on your way

from Edo... the situation has changed.

What a load

of crap!

So you still don't get it.

The ronin troops must

return to Edo!

Just a minute!

What is it,

Kondo?

What about guarding the

Shogun here in Kyoto?

We're bowing out.

We have come here to guard

the Shogun during his visit.

Now that we have

arrived in Kyoto...

...we cannot follow you back without any

confirmation from the Shogunate.

Comrade Kondo!

The chain of command

is no longer an issue.

Are we not all warriors who serve the nation

by ridding it of foreign influences?

Indeed, we are all united

in that cause.

Nonetheless, we must

not act irrationally.

If we were to leave now, I believe it would be

tantamount to betraying the will of our ronin.

And so, I, Kondo, and my eight men,

are withdrawing from this group.

And I, Serizawa, and

my five men...

...will also withdraw.

What?

Hey, Kiyokawa...

I may be a hungry wandering ronin...

but I'm not a flip-flopper like you...

...for the Shogunate one minute, and

running off foreigners the next.

Dropping out, eh?

Well, that's a pity.

But know that if

you leave us...

...we shall no longer be responsible

for your livelihood.

All who wish to withdraw should

feel free to do so now.

We ronin will be immediately

departing for Edo.

Everyone should make immediate

preparations!

So that leaves just

thirteen of us.

Bastard. That wiseass

Kiyokawa tricked us.

Someone will eventually

chop him up.

Right, Kon?

"Bakufu:
" the government, or Shogunate.

The Tokugawa Bakufu is nothing

but a bunch of wimps.

They employ 80,000

retainers...

...yet they use starving ronin like us to guard

the Shogun and keep the peace.

They live in luxury, they

don't do a damn thing...

...and hire us ronin to risk

our lives for them.

What a laugh.

What a laugh.

You got that right!

I guess we've all gotten the short end

of the stick. Don't you agree?

So you're all staying

here... what next?

Serizawa, what are

you going to do?

What'll I do...?

I'm a hardline Tengu

group guy.

Don't worry about me, I

can take care of myself.

We are determined to carry on with

our initial task of guarding Kyoto.

How upstanding.

Upstanding indeed...

What are you going to do, sucker an

Osaka tycoon into funding you...

...and take on Choshu and Tosa

with a legion of eight?

I've got to hand it

to you guys...

Hey, kid!

I know you're sincere,

but you're nalve.

I don't think that he

is being nalve.

We want nothing to do

with Osaka tycoons.

What do you plan

to do then?

We shall appeal to General Matsudaira,

the military commissioner of Kyoto.

We shall complete our mission

no matter what happens.

Whether it's lmperialist or Shogunate forces,

the people behind the unrest in Kyoto...

...are doing it because they

hope to profit from it.

The Commissioner must

have his hands full.

Thus we will approach him, expressing our

desire to help keep things peaceful...

...during the Shogun's

visit to Kyoto.

Hey, don't kid

yourself.

"Daimyo:
" feudal lord.

The guy's a Daimyo with

Hey... wait.

Are you serious?

Very serious.

As a former farmer who is now a swordsman,

I have given up my life in Edo to be here.

I am defeated, Kon...

...you're more than just a master

of a country dojo...

...you're a great man.

I've had it.

How much longer are they

going to make us wait?

It's not like we're enjoying

the suspense.

If the answer's "no" then I wish they'd

just tell us, for crying out loud.

Their letter of request is proper, but they

are ronin riffraff nobody's ever heard of.

If we agree to this, they could potentially

bring shame upon our Aizu fief.

Let them in. This Kondo Isami

is straightforwardly earnest.

Could we not

use them?

Oh?

Oh?

The lmperialists of the Choshu fief...

...have gone overboard with their

assassinations and violence.

Even the Emperor

is upset at them.

And now we are offered a weapon

with which to suppress them.

I see, sir.

I see, sir.

If they get out of hand, disband them at once.

Think of them as pet dogs,

and attend to their appeal.

We did it! This

is great!

"Shinsengumi:
" lit. "newly chosen group"

We've just been chosen...

we're the Shinsengumi.

And I'm the

captain!

Be silent when at

this noble gate!

My apologies.

Sign:
"Shinsengumi Quarters, Officially

Authorized by Lord Matsudaira"

Move!

Out of the way!

What? You can't

use a sword?

Then you can't

join us.

But... I'm second to none when it comes

to reading, writing, and the abacus.

Well, how good are you at killing

men with your abacus?

"Gion:
" nearby town known for its

shrines, festivals and teahouses.

This is the Shinsengumi. Go apply at

a clothing store or move to Gion.

Okay, next!

Please! Please!

Move!

You're just a

townsman!

Next!

Good!

Next!

I implore you! I am no good with

a sword, but please let me join.

This is the sword that my

dad bought for me.

I want to be a samurai more

than anything else.

I will train in swordsmanship!

I will endure all hardship!

My name is Kawai Kisaburo, the son

of a sake merchant of Okayama.

I am unsurpassed in reading, writing,

and the abacus! Truly I am!

How can I return and face my father,

who exhorted me to join you?

I implore you!

Come on,

stand up.

I won't. Not until

you let me join.

Yamanami, let's

let him join.

There you go...!

Thank you very much!

Thank you very much!

Thank you very much!

The emblem of the

Shinsengumi...

...will be the single

word "Makoto."

Flag:
"Makoto" (Verity)

...will be the single

word "Makoto."

Flag:
"Makoto" (Verity)

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes