On the Verge of Lunacy

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 tha...