Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru (刀剣乱舞-花丸-)

The year is 2205 AD.

The History Retrograde Army seeks to control the world

by altering its past.

Born from the heart of swords,

we travel through time to intercept and eliminate them.

Hey, are you even listening?

This is a tale of the legendary

Sword Warriors and the Hanamaru days they spent

in a certain citadel.

-- -- Hurry, Souji!

We are the Shinsengumi, now surrender or die!

Souji! Be careful!

I got him!

Souji!

No!

Oh. Kiyomitsu.

I was having a nightmare.

I see.

Souji was wielding me long ago at the Ikedaya Inn.

Hey, we're supposed to be protecting history,

not revising it.

I was the sword Souji was wielding in that battle,

Kashuu Kiyomitsu.

I know, it was just a dream.

But it's strange.

It felt so real.

You've only been at the citadel for one day

and you're already worked up.

Get dressed and we'll take a walk, okay?

Good idea.

I'm gonna go wash my face.

Wow, that's cold!

What now?

Uh-oh! Sorry!

--We didn't mean to. --I'm sorry!

Well, at least you don't have to wash your face anymore.

Looks like you need to work on your reflexes!

Are you okay?

I'll kill you!

You should run, too, Ishikirimaru!

-- No! -- Help!

Spirited as usual, I see, Imanotsurugi,

but you shouldn't run in the snow.

It's more dangerous if we don't run.

You can't escape me!

Now that is the smell of perfection.

There's a certain delicacy to the way

you handle that knife.

You think so?

It's no coincidence.

My former master, Masamune, did a lot of cooking.

Despite being a powerful daimyo, whenever he had guests,

he would insist on preparing dinner for them personally.

Shokudaiki--

Come back!

A splendid morning, I must say.

Hachisuka. You're up?

Awfully early, isn't it?

I rise with the sun. Look.

Its rays dance upon my visage, the finest work of Kotetsu.

My eyes!

Yeah, but what's the point?

Did I tell you?

My old man, uh, I mean, Minamoto no Yorimasa,

this one time, he fought a Nue and he won!

Wait... Do you know what a Nue is?

It's a big monster thingie.

There you are!

Ha!

Gracefully!

That was creepy!

Surely, you didn't think you could touch the likes of me?

The age of swords is long over now.

My former master, Sakamoto Ryouma,

used to say the same thing too.

The world's future will be decided by guns.

Ha!

Practicing with guns instead of swords

is way more useful for actual combat.

Whoa, guess I need more practice.

Well, I didn't hit anyone, so no harm done, right?

Your loyal servant Hasebe

shall care for these crops.

Master, I vow to nourish them lovingly,

just as your faith in me has nourished my heart.

Fragile though they may be, my devotion shall surely--

Gah!

Wait!

Death is too kind a fate for you disgusting little mongrels!

Purify and cleanse, cleanse and purify.

Assemble!

We just woke up and you're worn out already?

I don't want to waste all morning scolding you,

but you can't stomp on the crops.

What in the world do you think were you doing?

Having a snowball fight.

This is just our way of getting exercise.

We've been lazing around since New Year's,

like Yagen said.

It's my fault?

Don't try to pass the blame, Namazuo!

Honestly, we just wanted to play with Yamatonokami.

He's a new recruit and we don't get those that often.

Is that true?

Pretty much.

It was just snowballs!

Well, on one hand, at least you're honest.

But who in the hell cares?!

We're supposed to be swords--warriors, remember?

Have you forgotten our sworn duty?

Not this again.

Let's make a snowman next time!

Hey! Are you listening to me, you guys?

No, I get it.

But who says Sword Warriors can't throw snowballs around?

We are all different, but we all have our pride.

I was Lord Yoshitsune's blade, y'know.

And just like I was Sakamoto Ryouma's blade.

Yes, and just like Yasusada and I were Okita Souji's blades.

That's why we're here, right?

Ah. Now you're making me all nostalgic.

It's hard for me to share the same sentiment.

I was passed from one conqueror to the next.

I'm nothing more than a bird in a golden cage.

Enough about the past!

That's not the issue.

Perhaps you should reflect on why our leader, the Sage,

gave us human form in the first place.

It was to protect history, wasn't it?

That's right.

Our enemies are the Historical Revisionists.

Their History Retrograde Army

appears at different points in time

in order to alter the future.

Our purpose is to defeat them wherever

and whenever they appear,

in order to preserve our current timeline.

Now do you get my point?

What point?

Snowball fights do not factor into any part of that!

Don't you see?

We never know when our Master will call us into battle

with our foes.

We must be ever vigilant!

What a bore.

If I take a little nap, will you wake me when he's done?

Hey, it's Nikkari.

All these snowballs are just begging to be thrown,

aren't they?

Don't you dare!

My impassioned speech was finally getting through to them,

I think!

They say you get wrinkles if you frown all the time.

Try smiling more. Like I do.

I'll smile when I'm dead!

Speaking of death, would it kill you to get here on time?

Well, this was a productive assembly.

I mean, it's ridiculous!

I don't get those History Retrograde guys.

If they wanna change the world, they can do it in the present.

Messing with the past'll just screw everything up.

I dunno, since I was just a sword in the past,

I can kinda see the appeal.

I mean, I've got a body now.

There's all sorts of things I'd like to do

back in the time I came from.

Since we still have our memories from when we were swords,

isn't it tempting?

Yeah, I get it now.

I'd love to see my old man.

We could talk to them face-to-face!

We'd smile and say all the things we couldn't say

when we were swords.

And then, since we know how the future plays out,

we could share some advice.

That is strictly forbidden.

Have you been here the whole time?!

It's backwards, don't you think?

Well, ya know, we're supposed to protect history, not change it.

You make a good point.

Maybe.

But I don't get how changing the past even works.

Like, what would happen to us?

And we have to go back in time to fight.

What if we make a mistake?

That's why Hasebe wants things in perfect order.

I haven't been here long, but I've heard his speech

five times now.

You're lucky. I've been here from the start.

Imagine what I've gone through.

We've been given an important mission.

It doesn't hurt to humor him, right?

Ha!

Ishikirimaru, look out!

Hey, Namazuo. What's this?

It's horse manure!