Hakuōki: Hekketsuroku (薄桜鬼 〜碧血録〜, Demon of the Fleeting Blossom: Record of the Jade Blood) is the second season of the anime and a sequel to Hakuōki: Shinsengumi Kitan (Demon of the Fleeting Blossom: The Tale of the Shinsengumi).
It shows the change of winds in Edo, and the Shinsengumi have to adjust to the new ways of fighting with new western outfits and hairstyles. It is also no longer the era of swords and honor but the time of gunpower, betrayals and deaths.
The anime was created by Studio DEEN and was originally broadcasted from October 2010 to December 2010.
Plot
The Edo Era has ended after 260 years of history and the Meiji Era begins. However, bitter strife still continues between the soldiers of the new government and former Tokugawa retainers. New equipment and weaponry come into play, fighting for honor is no longer deemed important, and resolve is not enough to win battles. This is the time when new alliances are formed, foes become friends, friends get lost, and the surviving members of the Shinsengumi find themselves upon their return to Edo following their defeat at Toba-Fushimi. Becoming a Rasetsu is revealed to be more of a curse than it seemed before, and new losses await.
Chizuru keeps assisting the Shinsengumi every step of the way, while her adoptive father Koudou creates a new form of Rasetsu and attempts to start a new war in order to obtain enough blood to sustain them. They no longer fear the sun and pose an even more serious threat to humanity than ever before.
One of the key themes in the series is the tension between individuality and group identity. Each member of the Shinsengumi has their own motivations, struggles, and backstories, yet they are bound together by their common mission and loyalty to the Bakufu. As the series progresses, the characters must navigate this tension and confront difficult choices that challenge their sense of self and their place in the world.
List of Episodes
The following is a list of the episodes from the anime Hakuouki: Hekketsuroku / Demon of the Fleeting Blossom: Record of the Jade Blood (season two) with a brief plot summary. Click the link in the episode name to read a detailed plot description.
| # | Title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 00 (Special) | "Memories In Kyoto" | October 3, 2010 |
| A quick re-telling of the events of the first season. | ||
| 01 (13) | "Like A Flame" | October 10, 2010 |
| In 1868, the Shinsengumi have moved their headquarters to Edo. Hijikata has been working nonstop fulfilling both Kondou's duties as well as his own, which causes Chizuru and the other members of the Shinsengumi a great deal of concern about his health since he does not eat or sleep. In addition, Hijikata is struggling to control his newly acquired bloodlust caused by his transformation into a Rasetsu. Being left with no visible leader with Kondou absent and Hijikata locked in his room, Sannan starts acting on his own. He suspects that Chizuru's blood could relieve some of the side effects suffered by the Rasetsu so he makes his move. Kondou returns to the Shinsengumi headquarters and brings news about the new name for the squad — Kōyō Chinbutai (甲陽鎮撫隊, "Pacification Corps") — and a new assignment to defend Kōfu Castle from the SatChō factions with new equipment and weapons. The Shinsengumi captains are not happy with how the Tokugawa Bakufu appears to be supporting the Imperial faction, and Nagakura is suspicious of Kondou's daimyo aspirations. | ||
| 02 (14) | "The Corridor of Setbacks" | October 11, 2010 |
| Okita's tuberculosis is worsening, and when Hijikata comes to visit him, he refuses to let him join the fight. Kondou stops in Hino, his hometown, to recruit more samurai, while the Shinsengumi slowly move towards Kōfu. Being under pressure of Nagakura's aggravation and other Shinsengumi members fighting, Hijikata reveals to Saitou that they cannot match the enemy in their current state. Saitou explains to Chizuru why he fights alongside the Shinsengumi. Shimada arrives shortly afterwards and informs them that the enemy has already entered Kōfu Castle, and they all rush to tell the others. With this news, many new recruits decide to leave seeing no point in dying, but Kondou refuses to retreat and lose face as he aspires to become a daimyo, so Hijikata has no choice but to try to find more troops in Edo. Before he leaves, he makes a "Chiming Metal" (緊張, Kinchō) oath with Chizuru, making her promise to stay alive and protect Kondou, although admitting that it is a fake ritual since none of them is actually a samurai. The Shinsengumi soon come under sustained attack, and Kondou reluctantly agrees to retreat after seeing many of his men die in vain. Sano's men volunteer to protect the rear. Nagakura and Harada run into Shiranui, one of the Oni, and together they battle a group of uniformed Rasetsu. Their creator appears behind them — Chizuru's father, Koudou. | ||
| 03 (15) | "The Distant Visage" | October 18, 2010 |
| Koudou explains that his new Rasetsu will fulfil has dream of reviving the Yukimura clan. Kondou and Chizuru escape into the forest, but are confronted by Kaoru, who reveals that he is Chizuru's older brother and that Koudou is not their real father. He asks Chizuru to join him, but she refuses and draws her sword. She is almost killed by Kaoru but Okita intercepts him. The weak Okita fails to defeat Kaoru, but Kazama appears and kills Kaoru. Meanwhile, Shiranui, Harada, and Nagakura fight the Rasetsu, but they are outnumbered. Shiranui uses his last bullet to blow up a cart of explosive material, allowing the Shinsengumi to escape. Later, the Shinsengumi move into residences at Hatamoto, and Hijikata returns with new troops. Harada and Nagakura decide to leave the Shinsengumi to fight the Satsuma and Chōshū in their own way. | ||
| 04 (16) | "Eternal Heartfelt Loyalty" | October 25, 2010 |
| Saitou follows Sannan suspecting that he is seeking blood, but instead encounters Amagiri fighting a Rasetsu. Saitou rescues the demon and, when the Rasetsu turns into dust, Amagiri reveals to Saitou that a Rasetsu's lifespan is a shortened corresponding to the energy they expend during their transformations. Saitou relays this information to the Shinsengumi, so Hijikata orders Sannan to stop all Rasetsu experimentation and decides to move the Shinsengumi to Aizu. Chizuru witnesses Hijikata struggling to fight his bloodlust, but he refuses to accept her help and drinks medicine instead. The enemy attacks slowly surrounding the headquarters. Kondou orders Hijikata and the rest to escape while he stays behind to buy time. As the group escape, they run into enemy soldiers, and despite Chizuru's plea, Hijikata uses his Rasetsu powers to kill them all. Hijikata is utterly frustrated about his choice to leave Kondou behind, but Chizuru promises to stay by his side. | ||
| 05 (17) | "A Fleeting Dream" | November 1, 2010 |
| The Shinsengumi join the old Bakufu army and join forces with the Aizu Domain. Hijikata desperately asks for Kondou's life to be spared, but without success. Back in Edo, Harada meets Shiranui who reveals that Koudou is building his own army of Rasetsu. Ootori Keisuke, the deputy commander, appoints Hijikata the commander of vanguard due to his outstanding reputation. Hijikata has uncontrollable bloodlust once again, and he reluctantly drinks Chizuru's blood to help with the symptoms. The old Bakufu army attacks and takes Utsunomiya Castle. Hijikata faces Kazama once more, transforming into his Rasetsu form, but he is wounded by Kazama's demon-slaying sword. He stays behind at Nikkou to receive medical treatment. Ootori scolds Hijikata for recklessness. | ||
| 06 (18) | "The Shining Light of Daybreak" | November 8, 2010 |
| Chizuru accompanies the wounded Hijikata to Tsuruga Castle. Okita is furious because Hijikata failed to protect Kondou who has since been beheaded, but Chizuru explains that Kondou sacrificed himself to save the Shinsengumi. Saitou forces Hijikata to stay behind and recover while he takes the front line himself. The New Government Army attacks the Shougitai, including Koudou with a group of Rasetsu coming to seek blood. Harada again cooperates with Shiranui who is armed with a big number of silver bullets to kill them. Harada has sustained severe injuries, and Koudou attempts to murder Shiranui by deploying a bomb. However, Harada impales Koudou, resulting in the bomb exploding at his feet. The whereabouts of Harada and Shiranui remain unknown to the Shinsengumi. Okita overhears a group of individuals plotting to assassinate Hijikata and utilizes his Rasetsu abilities to intercept and eliminate them. Meanwhile, Hijikata has been informed of a white-haired individual engaged in combat with numerous assailants. He immediately rushes to the location accompanied by Chizuru. Upon arrival, they discover only Okita's sword as he reached the end of his lifespan and disintegrated. | ||
| 07 (19) | "Blade of The Sun" | November 15, 2010 |
| The esteemed leader of the Aizu Domain, Lord Katamori Matsudaira, has duly appointed Saitou to take charge of the Shinsengumi in their critical battle against the SatChō forces due to the actual Shinsengumi commander Hijikata Toshizou being injured. As part of his crucial responsibilities, Saitou has been entrusted with a specialized Aizu squad, led by Masaki. Initially, Masaki respectfully declines to comply with Saitou's orders, citing his reservations about Saitou's outfit and the placement of his swords. Despite their initial differences, the Shinsengumi and Masaki's army bravely engage in battle at Shirakawa-guchi. However, they quickly find themselves severely outnumbered by the enemy forces. In a prudent attempt to avoid further casualties, Saitou wisely orders a retreat, but Masaki adamantly ignores the command. Ultimately, Masaki comes to recognize Saitou's exceptional prowess as a warrior and yields to his leadership.
In the interim, Hijikata recuperates sufficiently to rejoin the Shinsengumi. The Aizu alliance aptly determines to intercept the enemy at Bonari Pass, but once again, they find themselves vastly outnumbered. In a valiant act of self-sacrifice, Masaki nobly gives his life so that Saitou and the Shinsengumi may safely escape. Despite Lord Katamori's directive for them to withdraw north to Sendai to seek reinforcements, Saitou chooses to remain with the Aizu Clan and continue flying the banner of truth for the Shinsengumi. | ||
| 08 (20) | "Scattering Cherry Blossoms" | November 22, 2010 |
| Hijikata encounters Takeaki Enomoto, the Deputy President of the Bakufu Navy, who reports that there has been frequent murders of civilians outside the castle. Hijikata and Chizuru formulate a hypothesis that the Rasetsu Corps and Sannan are involved in these atrocities. Heisuke discloses that Sannan has likely joined Koudou, who is presumed to be alive. Subsequently, Koudou and his Rasetsu unit arrive and abduct Chizuru, leaving Heisuke alone to fight in broad daylight. Koudou takes Chizuru to Sendai castle, where he attempts to persuade her to lead the Yukimura Clan with his Rasetsu, but she refuses. Sannan sides with Koudou, but when Hijikata and Heisuke appear, Sannan confesses that he was collaborating with Koudou to establish an empire where Rasetsu and Oni could coexist peacefully. Later, he reveals that he is hoping to hand over the Rasetsu to the Shinsengumi, but he realizes that their future is bleak. Consequently, he joins Hijikata and Heisuke in their mission to eliminate the Rasetsu. During the ensuing battle, Koudou perishes while shielding Chizuru from his own creations. Eventually, Heisuke and Sannan disintegrate into dust after expending their lifespan. The remaining former Bakufu army and Shinsengumi devise a plan to relocate to Ezo. As the Shinsengumi commander, Hijikata orders Chizuru, a Shinsengumi member, to remain in Sendai. | ||
| 09 (21) | "The Blooming Hepatica" | November 29, 2010 |
| Hijikata effectively leads his troops in the successful capture of the snail-shaped city of Matsumae; however, they suffer a setback when their two ships, Kaiyo and Shinsokumaru, run aground during harsh weather conditions. Although Enomoto assumes responsibility for the mishap, Hijikata acknowledges the pressing need to devise a new strategy. During a meeting, Hijikata experiences a surge of bloodlust and abruptly departs before his hair turns white; yet, a vision of Chizuru serving tea assuages his emotions. Meanwhile, in Sendai, Chizuru visits Koudou's grave routinely, but one day she encounters Kazama Chikage who confesses his intention to honor his vow to fight Hijikata once more. Subsequently, the Republic of Ezo is declared in Hakodate, and Hijikata is appointed as the Vice Commissioner, entailing even greater responsibilities. Ootori sends Chizuru a confidential letter inviting her to serve as Hijikata's attendant. Initially, Hijikata attempts to decline her offer, but upon her insistence, he admits that he has pondered how he has managed without her. When the enemy navy approaches Hokkaido by sea, the Republic of Ezo launches a bold attack in Miyako Bay but is ultimately forced to retreat. Despite Hijikata's repeated attempts to persuade Chizuru to leave, she refuses and pledges to remain with him until the end. | ||
| 10 (22) | "The Ephemeral, Pale Cherry Blossom" | December 6, 2010 |
| Towards the conclusion of winter, the Imperial forces launch an attack on Ezo. The soldiers under Hijikata's command emerge victorious in Futamata-guchi, while Ootori's troops suffer defeat in Matsumae-guchi, compelling Hijikata and his army to retreat to Goryoukaku before the enemy can cut off their escape route. When another wave of violence ensues, Hijikata realizes that his physical endurance is waning and resorts to drinking Chizuru's blood once again. At Benten Daiba, Hijikata encounters Shimada and Ootori, and the latter takes responsibility for the loss at Matsumae-guchi, but Hijikata absolves him of any blame. Despite his repeated attempts to persuade Chizuru to flee and save herself, she refuses, prompting Hijikata to confess his love for her and share a kiss. The New Government Army launches an attack on Benten Daiba, and while riding to provide assistance, Hijikata is struck by a bullet. Chizuru saves him by feeding him some of her blood and carrying him back to Goryoukaku. Kazama makes an appearance, and Hijikata engages him in a ferocious battle during which Kazama declares that Hijikata is not a Rasetsu but an Oni and bestows upon him the name "Hakuouki". Eventually, Hijikata succeeds in killing Kazama but then falls to his knees and collapses. As he lies with his head in Chizuru's embrace, she reminisces about her time with the Shinsengumi and sees them and their banner soaring proudly in the sky. Although Hijikata's demise is implied, the conclusion remains enigmatic. | ||
OST
- Opening theme: Maikaze by Yoshioka Aika.
- Ending theme: Akanezora ni Negau by mao.