REVIEW: ‘Shine On! Bakumatsu Bad Boys,’ Episode 9 – “Ponder! A Person’s Thoughts and a Demon’s Thoughts”

Shine On! Bakumatsu Bad Boys is produced by Geno Studio. With the Masked Demons managing to put Kyoto to the torch, it is up to the Shinsengumi to help the people of the city rebuild. But even while rebuilding begins, the world looks to continue spinning as the next phase of the Demons’ plans begins to unfold in Shine On Bakumatsu Bad Boys Episode 9.

After the franticness of the last couple of episodes, this week’s entry takes some time to slow down and allow both the narrative, as well as its characters to catch their breath. While we see various members of the Shinsengumi helping out directly with the recovery efforts, the most interesting elements of the episode come when the story steps away from the current situation to focus on the past and future of our protagonists.

Looking into the past, Shine On Bakumatsu Bad Boys Episode 9 takes a moment to extrapolate on a couple of the Shinsengumi who have already had some exploration of their pasts in previous episodes, but what is shown to us here puts their characters in a new perspective. I appreciate it when a show allows a person to get an initial impression of a character cemented in their minds before revealing the whole truth about them. It challenges the viewer to be willing to potentially change their feelings for the character.

Along with the retrospectives, this episode also builds up the future for the series as it heads into the final leg of the season. The hints we see about the Masked Demons look like a rematch will soon be in the making between them and the Shinsengumi. Along with the larger battle between the two factions, these moments also continue to build out Rashomaru as well. While a bit of new information is given here, it’s mostly just reinforcement of what we’ve seen before. While the hints at the main plot line this episode provide seems promising, there is a side plot that lands rather flat.

Shine On Bakumatsu Bad Boys Episode 9 sees another clandestine meeting between Akira and Katsura. This discussion takes an odd turn as the topic looks towards the future for the duo and feels a bit forced. Some of the feelings expressed come out of nowhere and feel unnatural in their delivery. Hopefully, future episodes might help flesh out exactly why this moment occurs, leading it to a bit more believability.

The visual elements continue to deliver the style and personality that have become the norm for the show. The strong coloring and abundant personality in the presentation continue to shine in this episode, even while the plot slows down a bit.

When all is said and done, Shine On Bakumatsu Bad Boys Episode 9 has some strong setup for the final leg of the season, with only minor setbacks. With the final moments indicating where the story will go next, it will be interesting to see what the series can pull off in its handful of remaining episodes.

Shine On! Bakumatsu Bad Boys Episode 9 is streaming now on Crunchyroll.