Fuyu no Semi or Winter Cicada is a 3-part animation about two men trapped between the different views of the Shogunate and the Empire. This sad story is set in a time when Japan is transitioning from the Tokugawa shogunate back to the Imperial rule. Kusaka Touma of the Choshu clan and Akizuki Keiichirou, a Bakufu samurai, both agree that internal strife would only bring the downfall of Japan if the foreigners ever decide to conquer the country. It has to open its doors to foreign trade and relations, something that the exclusionists vehemently oppose.
Kusaka, despite the objections of his friend Aizawa, still clings to his views. He started taking English lessons from Akizuki and this got him in trouble. As days passed, the relationship between his clan and Akizuki's group got worse so they had to stop meeting. Kusaka was later given an opportunity to go abroad. He had to endure years of being away from Akizuki. He has to come home however for the war and he's hoping that he'd still get to see his lover alive.
This is a yaoi series so I don't recommend this to those who are not into this kind of anime. For those who are into yaoi however, I guarantee that there's no shortage in romance. Some of the events mentioned might confuse the viewers who are not familiar of this event in Japan's history, but the characters will fill in the gaps through narration. The story is very well done except that there was no mention in the next two episodes of the characters' fiancees.
I'm giving this a 9 out of 10 rating.
