Nobody talks about this one. A single OVA that commits completely to the tragedy of a man fighting a war he's already lost, knowing exactly when and how it ends. Hijikata stands in the wreckage of the Shogunate not as a hero reclaiming glory but as someone who chose his side and paid the price for it. The show respects his choice enough not to pretend it was noble. It's brutal economic storytelling: one episode, no filler, just a man and the cost of loyalty to a collapsing world.

Japan's final days of feudal rule are the backdrop for this single-episode historical OVA. Hijikata Toshizo serves as Vice Commander of the Shinsengumi and fights to defend the Shogunate as the Meiji Restoration approaches. Told as a biographical portrait, the story follows the course of his life and the ideals he held, pairing samurai action with drama.