REVIEW: ‘Shine On! Bakumatsu Bad Boys,’ Episode 3 – “Disguise Yourself! Infiltrating The Red Light District”

Shine On! Bakumatsu Bad Boys is produced by Geno Studio. Having discovered that Sakuya’s first kill was his father, Ichibanboshi trusts his enigmatic teammate less than ever. But while that distrust creates strain within the newly formed Shinsengumi, there is no time to work it out now. A dangerous rebel has been sighted in the red light district and it’s up to them to smoke him out in Shine On Bakumatsu Bad Boys Episode 3.

While the bulk of the Shinsengumi is deployed to standard patrols throughout the district, Ichibanboshi and Akira are assigned to go undercover at one of the local establishments. Disguised as a laborer and geisha respectively, the two try to hunt down any signs that their target is in the area.

While the duo suits up for their new assignment, Shine On Bakumatsu Bad Boys Episode 3 takes a moment to delve into Akira’s past. Her first time with a sword is revealed to the viewer, explaining why she is so determined to never let anyone look down on her. It is a hard scene that does a good job of delivering the weight of the moment while not going so far as to make the scene completely out of place in the show’s largely fun tone. With last week’s look at Sakuya and this week’s focus on Akira, I hope that we continue to see the other members of the cast fleshed out like this. Ensembles always function better when everyone is treated like a full-fledged character.

While Ichibanboshi and Akira are undercover, the rest of the team spends their part of Shine On! Bakumatsu Bad Boys Episode 3 split into duos as they search the city. These pairings give the various personalities of the cast some fun moments to shine. While the character interactions are entertaining, these moments also highlight how the different members of the Shinsengumi’s areas of expertise help them search out information in some interesting and unexpected ways. The brilliant, yet mildly unsettling doctor Sogen is fast becoming my favorite of the secondary characters thanks to his quirky Sherlock Holmes-like observational deductions.

As with the show’s previous entries, the combat moments are brief but entertaining. There are some unique moments of flair due to some of the combatants’ more unorthodox weapons. I also appreciate how the show tries to convey the brutal nature of sword fighting through how brief it keeps its fights. Sword fights are generally short and precise affairs. The first person to make a mistake loses, paying with their life. Capturing this reality helps explain the shorter action sequences through how effective the fighters are.

When all is said and done, Shine On Bakumatsu Bad Boys Episode 3 delivers an entry that has begun to build on the show’s foundation in a way that has me hopeful for what is to come. If it can continue to balance character exploration with interesting plots and quick effective combat this series may yet come together to deliver a first-rate anime experience.

Shine On! Bakumatsu Bad Boys Episode 3 is streaming now on Crunchyroll.