The following contains spoilers for Shine On! Bakumatsu Bad Boys Episode 1 "A Scheme! The Shinsengumi Made of Criminals," now streaming on Crunchyroll.
Shine On! Bakumatsu Bad Boys is part of an action-packed Summer 2022 anime lineup. The promotional videos showcase a sequence of action-packed battles with some interesting character designs. This anime is set in medieval Japan, where most people brandish a katana. Although the main organization is technically a law-enforcing body, the officers are of varying and intriguing backgrounds.
Shine On! Bakumatsu Bad Boys' blurb easily spoils the reason behind the unusual case. All but one of the Shinsengumi members were wiped out by an unknown force. In order to maintain the organization's image, they are forced to employ seven criminals to serve as its members.
The first criminal introduced in Episode 1 is the Samurai Killer Ichibanboshi, who was arrested and soon put into jail after trying to take on multiple masked samurai by himself. But instead of being beheaded, he and a few other criminals found themselves in the presence of a scarred man. He introduces himself as Todo Heisuke, the captain of Shinsengumi's Team 8, and extends a hard-to-refuse offer to the criminals -- become a member of the Shinsengumi or meet their demise.
Sakuya the assassin is the first to make a memorable impression. He was not only the first to accept Heisuke's offer, but also swiftly murdered the sole criminal who refused to join the group. The next to join is Bou, the big eater, whose only condition for joining was being allowed to eat a lot. Gyatarou the crime collector, Sogen the psycho doctor, Suzuran the depraved monk and Akira, the only female in the group, followed suit after making their own personal conditions. The last to join the team was Ichibanboshi -- but not without some convincing.
Although they are supposed to be the law enforcers, this lot can't simply change their ways in a snap of a finger. Heisuke divided them into groups of three and each team was tasked to patrol and apprehend criminals. The leader himself joined Bou and Gyatarou, and it wasn't long until the two criminals caused some problems. Bou ate without regard, prompting Heisuke to pay for his meal. Meanwhile, Gyatarou couldn't stop himself from picking pockets.
The second group consists of Akira, Sogen and Suzuran. Suzuran was constantly hitting on Akira, though the latter paid him little attention. Sogen's love for anatomy and dissection was also quick to ooze out when the group stumbled upon a victim of slashing, but he ultimately patched the injured person up. Finally, Sakuya's love for cutting others came out as they chased after the culprit. Curiously, the only one with no remarkable trait was the series' main character, Ichibanboshi.
Shine On! Bakumatsu Bad Boys may have just started, but it's already clear that this anime's charms lie in its colorful cast. The new Shinsengumi may mostly consist of criminals, but they are not necessarily evil. It may be more appropriate to describe them as peculiar or simply people with weird hobbies. That being said, their antics and character developments are what viewers will be looking forward to the most.