Many fans probably haven’t even heard of it, considering the lack of promotional materials before it started.
Summary:
- Meiji Gekken: 1874 is a new original anime that was overlooked by many fans.
- It appeals to people who like historical dramas and just history nerds.
- Even if you aren’t the target audience for it, you may still like it.
The premiere of Meiji Gekken: 1874 seems to have been unnoticed by most anime fans. This is a combination of many factors, of course, but it doesn’t mean the anime is not worth watching. On the contrary, it’s really good — provided you’re the target audience for it, of course.
Why was it unpopular?
Meiji Gekken’s relative unpopularity can be explained by many things. First off, it’s an original anime, and so doesn’t have any hype from the source readers because there’s no source to speak of. That already severely limits its audience.
As if that wasn’t enough, there was hardly any promotion for the anime. Many people had no idea it was even airing, and it certainly can’t be found if someone was just browsing the works of their favorite studio. Tsumugi Akita Animation Lab, the studio behind Meiji Gekken, never had a TV anime project before, which makes them essentially unknown.
Moreover, anime about pretty samurai boys are generally thought to be aimed at a very specific (mostly female) audience, which makes the anime even more obscure. The general unpopularity of anime about Japanese history, especially in the West, certainly doesn’t help either. All these factors contributed to the premiere being overlooked, but it really shouldn’t have been.
Who would Meiji Gekken appeal to?
All of the above aside, the first episode was very fun for people who are into historical dramas. The introduction of many characters and factions was stellar, and the showcase of the setting for the anime was mostly unobtrusive.
Another huge part of the target audience (at least in the West) are history buffs. The setting and action are extremely on point, if a bit over the top. There’s great attention to detail, and the anime catches the vibes of the era it covers in just the first episode, which is always a good sign.
Go ahead and try it out
Even if you aren't a part of the aforementioned groups, it doesn’t mean you should skip Meiji Gekken. If anything, it’s the only anime of its kind this season — there just aren’t enough great samurai anime nowadays.
With decent animation, promising story and a lot of characters, Meiji Gekken can easily become one of the best anime of the season. Even if it doesn’t, it’s an ambitious project, especially for a new studio, and deserves to be watched for the passion of the creators, at least.
Only one episode is out right now, so it isn’t going to be much of a time commitment — who knows, perhaps this might be the next “hidden gem.”