The Hakkenden


The Hakkenden, also known as The Legend of the Dog Warriors: The Hakkenden, is an OVA series by AIC in two sequences, the second subtitled The Hakkenden: A New Saga. The anime is based on the epic novel Nansō Satomi Hakkenden written by Kyokutei Bakin during the latter half of the Edo period. At 106 volumes, the novel bears the distinction of being the longest novel in classic Japanese literature.
The Hakkenden is most known for its unique approach to animation, switching between several distinct visual styles throughout the duration of the series. In addition, the series is also noted for its heavy use of symbolic imagery and themes, allowing the series to straddle the line between animation and art.
It is also known for introducing a modern perspective to a literary classic, since outdated, morally ambiguous concepts such as feudal loyalty and devotion are closely scrutinized and re-examined during many of the conflicts in the story. "The" at the front of the title is not a formality of translation, but a part of the title written in English, perhaps chosen by the series' writers to deliberately convey that sense of modernity.

Story

Overview

The story takes place during the beginning of the Sengoku Jidai in Awa, a tiny province that is currently a part of modern-day Chiba Prefecture. Fuse, princess of the Awa-based Satomi clan, spiritually gives birth to eight warriors who are scattered across different areas of the region. Because the spiritual father of these warriors was a demonically-possessed dog, these warriors came to be known as the Hakkenshi, with hak, or hachi, meaning "eight", the ken meaning "dog", and the shi meaning "warrior".
Throughout the series, each dog warrior recognizes the other through three distinguishing features: a family name starting with the word "inu", a birthmark in the shape of a peony and a bead containing a kanji character that reflects eight of the fundamental virtues of Confucianism. They are:
Note that this is the order in which the beads appear in the story. The hierarchy of these virtues in order of importance to Confucian philosophy are: jin, gi, rei, chi, chū, shin, kō, tei.
Plotwise, the series can be divided into three parts: the Prologue, the Search, and the Resolution. The Prologue presents events that occur before the birth of the dog warriors and encompasses the majority of episode 1, although numerous Prologue events are also shown throughout the series in flashback. The Search consists of the episodes prior to the warriors' final assembly, and the Resolution shows the final climactic battle fought by the Hakkenshi in the name of the Satomi clan.

Character Guide

The Hakkenshi

Throughout the novel, the Hakkenshi undergo numerous changes in class, location, and status, which would often result in a name change. Because of the abridged nature of the OVA series, two characters in particular underwent name changes with little explanation for those unfamiliar with the novel.
Note: each warrior's "given name" contains the kanji character on their corresponding bead. In Shino's case, for instance, the kanji for "taka" in "Moritaka" is also the "kō" on his bead.

Season 1

Season 2