Hakuōki: Junrenka (薄桜鬼 ~ 巡恋歌) is the manga for Hakuōki: Shinsengumi Kitan consisting of 2 volumes. It is serialized in the shoujo manga magazine Dengeki Comic SYLPH, and is an anthology of the different endings available in the videogames. The manga has not gained as much popularity as the anime and game series, therefore there is not much information available about it.
Overview
The manga follows the plot of the first half of the game (or the first season of the anime) and quickly overviews the main events.
- Volume 1
- Chapter 00: Koudou goes to Kyoto, Chizuru soon follows him to find him, she gets attacked and saved by the Shinsengumi, they bring her for questioning, and she starts living with them.
- Chapter 01: Dr. Matsumoto tells Okita about his disease, Chizuru eavesdrops, he jokes about it and claims he will not drink Ochimizu to cure himself, she claims she wants to be with him and is afraid for his life, he leaves and later starts coughing. She finds him in his room on the floor, he yells that he is still able to fight, and that is why they get surrounded by Rasetsu, so Okita decides to drink the serum to fight them and protect Chizuru.
- Note: This part follows Okita's game route.
- Chapter 02: Chizuru brings Hijikata tea and sweets and thinks about how much she wants to stay by his side. Next we see Kazama attacking Chizuru and Hijikata, so the Vice-Commander drinks Ochimizu to even the odds. Yamazaki jumps in and saves Hijikata, then others also come to see what is going on. After a time skip, Kondou, who was wounded before, returns to his subordinates and announces an attack on Kōfu Castle. Shinpachi and Sano disagree, but the Shinsengumi still follow this decision, so Shinpachi and Sano leave the squad. Some time later, Chizuru finds Hijikata in pain suffering from bloodlust, she cuts her finger to give him blood, and he scolds her for it. Later Chizuru talks to Kondou about his dreams to become a warrior, and that is when Hijikata rushes in to warn Kondou that they have been surrounded.
- Note: This part follows Hijikata's game route and partially the anime plot.
- Chapter 03: The plot of the previous chapter continues, and Kondou orders Hijikata to leave him as a decoy and save himself. On the way back Hijikata talks to Chizuru about his sadness and how all his goals and aspirations have been abandoned along with leaving Kondou behind. Chizuru hugs him from behind trying to calm him down. After a time skip, we see Hijikata in Utsunomiya Castle fighting like a demon, and then he faces a real demon - Kazama, who has brought a demon slaying sword. Hijikata quickly loses, but the battle ends with Kazama leaving because the fire starts and the ceiling in the room collapses. Hijikata then wakes up covered in bandages, and Chizuru is taking care of him. Hijikata apologizes to Chizuru for always troubling her and thanks her for staying by his side. As an epilogue for this chapter, Chizuru narrates that later Saitou decided to stay with Aizu, and his fate after the last battle is unknown, Okita died, Kondou was beheaded, Heisuke and Sannan died as Rasetsu, and Hijikata had nothing else to do but to move forward.
- Note: This part follows Hijikata's game route and partially the anime plot.
- Chapter 04: The chapter starts with Chizuru talking to Saitou around the time of the Kōfu Castle mission, he tells her he was born left-handed and was never accepted anywhere because of it, and then later killed a hatamoto, but the Shinsengumi accepted him, and now he is full of resolve to win. The time laps backwards, and in Chizuru's memories she is shown going on patrol with Saitou, Sano and Shinpachi, they enter a restaurant and get attacked.
- Note: This part follows Saitou's game route and partially the anime plot (Hekketsuroku).
- Chapter 05: The story returns to the very beginning when Chizuru has only started living with the Shinsengumi, and she is not allowed to leave the room. She tries to sneak out but gets spotted by Heisuke and starts apologizing. He decides to show her around, but she is afraid to cause trouble to "Toudou-san", and he tells her to stop addressing him so formally and use just "Heisuke" instead. He grabs her hand and runs. As they go, they meet Sano and Shinpachi, who tease Heisuke and offer Chizuru to try wearing a female kimono. After a time skip, the Shinsengumi have moved to another headquarters and invited Itou to join them. Shortly afterwards, Itou leaves and takes Heisuke and Saitou with him. Chizuru instantly runs to them and asks why they are doing it. Heisuke elaborates on his decision, and Chizuru thanks him for sharing his feelings. He leaves anyway, and Shinpachi is especially upset about it, thinking they will become enemies next time they meet.
- Note: This part follows Heisuke's game route and partially the anime plot.
- Chapter 06: The story continues to be about Heisuke, and Chizuru has missed him ever since he left 6 month ago. Suddenly, she bumps into Saitou who has return to report what he found out while being a spy in Goryo-Eji. Hijikata and Kondou decide to invite Itou for a drink and then kill him, and Chizuru is petrified about Heisuke's fate. Kondou reassures her that nobody wants him dead, and she insists on changing his mind and bringing him back to the Shinsengumi. During the attack Itou's followers are about to kill Chizuru who has come to talk to Heisuke, and he protects her with his body and then kills them instead. He is gravely wounded and ends up taking Ochimizu. After he is healed, he is full of regrets and guilt but tries not to trouble Chizuru with his thoughts too much. As the events progress, he changes into a western-style outfit and heads north claiming that Chizuru cannot follow him since it is a job for someone who is already dead. He keeps questioning his life and everything that has happened to him, considering himself dead. Chizuru slaps him and cries that she was happy to know he was alive, even though as a Rasetsu. She promises to stay by his side until the very end, and Heisuke decides to live longer for her.
- Note: This part follows Heisuke's game route.
- Volume 2
- Chapter 07: The story goes back to the very beginning as Chizuru encounters Rasetsu in the dark alley for the first time. She remembers meeting Okita that night who was one of her saviors. The time skips to a few month later, and Chizuru is on patrol with Okita asking around about her father. She hears that someone has seen a person meeting her father's description and runs to check it out, Okita is preoccupied in a battle with rogue samurai so he cannot follow. Eventually, Okita comes to rescue, and Chizuru feels more attracted to him. In process, he loses an opportunity to catch a spy and gets scolded, and soon afterwards the Shinsengumi attack Ikedaya. Chizuru is scared because of her memories of the monsters she saw before, and all the deaths around remind her of them. She rushes to the second floor of Ikedaya to help Okita who is fighting Kazama. Okita gets kicked in his chest and starts coughing blood but protects Chizuru from Kazama's blade. He yells at Kazama and collapses.
- Note: This part follows Okita's game route and the beginning of the anime plot.
- Chapter 07: The story goes back to the very beginning as Chizuru encounters Rasetsu in the dark alley for the first time. She remembers meeting Okita that night who was one of her saviors. The time skips to a few month later, and Chizuru is on patrol with Okita asking around about her father. She hears that someone has seen a person meeting her father's description and runs to check it out, Okita is preoccupied in a battle with rogue samurai so he cannot follow. Eventually, Okita comes to rescue, and Chizuru feels more attracted to him. In process, he loses an opportunity to catch a spy and gets scolded, and soon afterwards the Shinsengumi attack Ikedaya. Chizuru is scared because of her memories of the monsters she saw before, and all the deaths around remind her of them. She rushes to the second floor of Ikedaya to help Okita who is fighting Kazama. Okita gets kicked in his chest and starts coughing blood but protects Chizuru from Kazama's blade. He yells at Kazama and collapses.
Characters
Main
- Saitou Hajime
- Okita Souji
- Hijikata Toshizou
- Harada Sanosuke
- Toudou Heisuke
- Yukimura Chizuru
- Sannan Keisuke
Supporting
Hakuōki Junrenka cover
