Sanada 10 - If SIx Turned Out to Be Nine... (Ep 7-9)

At long last, Sanada 10 stops setting the stage and moves into telling a story. However, it promptly runs into a prime difficulty of historical fiction: how can you insert fictional characters into historical events as principals and let them have real impact, when the course of events, and who was involved, is already known? For example, in one of the episodes, Sasuke and his pals try to assassinate Tokugawa Ieyasu. However,  Sasuke's attempt can't succeed, because we know that Tokugawa was not assassinated. So fictional character must ultimately work around the edges of history, playing minor roles in the grand tapestry of events.

Thus, these three episodes are more about adding members to the Sanada Six than about major events. In episode seven, Sasuke and Sekai are dispatched to Kyoto to deliver a letter to the Minister of the Right. He asks them to investigate a series of burglaries at daimyo residences. This introduces Kirikagure Saizo, another ninja more interested in fame than in service.

In episode eight, Sasuke, Sekai, and Saizo return to Mount Kudo and meet Kiyohime, the daughter of former regent Higetsugu, along the way. She is escorted, from the shadows, by a mysterious Shinto priest, Kakei Juzo.

In episode nine, Sasuke, Sekai, and Saizo decide to take advantage of a tactical opportunity and assassinate Ieyasu. However, they are preempted by a masterless samurai, Anayama Kosuke, who has his own grudge against Tokugawa. Anayama's improvised attack derails Sasuke's and Saizo's more intricate plan, and Tokugawa escapes.

So not much has been accomplished, except to add three more recruits to Sanada Yokimura's ragtag band.

The new cast members include:

• Mitsuishi Kotono (Kiyohime) played the title roles in Excel Saga, Birdy the Mighty, and the Maze TV and OVAs, Mink in Dragon Half, Katsuragi Misato in the Evangelion properties, Rosalia in the Angelique franchise, Kagura in the original Fruits Basket, Eri in Love Get Chu, and of course, Sailor Moon in the Sailor Moon franchise. She played the lead in Mother Saigo no Shoujo Eve and Oshare Kozou wa Hanamaru, Oshina in Hidamari no Ki, and appeared in Blazing Transfer Student, Nagasarete Airantou, and Yamato 2520, all Orphan releases.
• Koyasu Takehito (Kirikagure Saizo) is reputed to be the most prolific voice actor currently active, with more than 365 roles under his belt. He played Doujima Gin in Shokugeki no Souma, Thirteen in Grimoire of Zero, Dio in Jojo's Bizarre Adventures, the title role in Master of Mosquitron, and Fool in Elegant Yokai Apartment Life. He starred as Izumi in Zetsuai and Bronze and appeared in Kiss wa Me ni Shite, Yamato 2520, and Yuukan Club, all Orphan releases.
• Hayami Shou (Kakei Juzo) starred as Nanjou in Zetsuai: 1989 and Bronze: Zetsuai since 1989, Aju in Hayou no Tsurugi, and Kushinige Hodaka in Oshare Kozou wa Hanamaru. He also played an angel in Tezuka Osamu's Tales of the Old Testament, Exper Kain in Exper Zenon, Iason's friend Raoul in Ai no Kusabi, Hojo in Sanctuary, Pat Leivy in Starship Troopers, Junoichi in Blazing Transfer Student, Shargan in Gude Crest, and Seichii in Mikoneko Holmes. All of these shows are Orphan releases. 
• Ookawa Tooru (Anayama Kosuke) played Sasaki Tadajirou, the Shogunate's demon hunter, in Amatsuki and Hoya Hyougo in Hidamari no Ki, both Orphan releases, Roy Mustang in Fullmetal Alchemist, Saito in the GITS SAC franchise, Noda Tatsuo (Nodame's father) in Nodame Cantabile, Gedächtnis in the Fireball series, and Jason in Ai no Kusabi (2012).
• Saka Osamu (Kikutei, the Minister of the Right) played Daisuke Aramaki in the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex franchise and Oohara in the Oishinbo properties. He appeared in Tales from the Old Testament, Aoki Honoo, Next Senki Ehrgeiz, Fire Emblem, Kasei Yakyoku, Oz, and the third Sangokushi movie, all Orphan releases, as well as numerous other anime. 
• Sawaki Ikuya (Itakura Shirouemon, Tokugawa's enforcer in Kyoto) played Gooley in the Dirty Pair franchise. He also played Samuel Hunter in Wolf Guy, Masayoshi Hotta in Hidamari no Ki, Barry in Joker: Marginal City, Alan in Mother Saigo no Shoujo Eve, and the Kaiser in Apfelland Monogatari, as well as bit parts in Dallos and Chameleon, all Orphan releases.

The distinguished voice cast in seemingly minor roles again points at the second season that was never made.

Some translation notes: 

• Miyoshi Sekai, the pugnacious monk, is frequently referred to as "Benkei", who was  a legendary fighting monk during the Genpei War in early Heian times. In folk tales, Sasuke, Saizo, and Sekai are the most popular of the Sanada Ten and tend to get the most airtime. That's true in this show as well.
• The mysterious burglar in Kyoto is referred to as the ghost of Ishikawa Goemon. Goemon was a legendary ninja executed for trying to assassinate Toyotomi Hideyoshi. 
• During their first battle, Saizo calls Sasuke a "Kouga," meaning a Kouga ninja.
  

Also, I must mention the opening theme, a shamisen instrumental composed and played by Agatsuma Hiromitsu. His Tsugaru-shamisenI, an oversided instrument accompanied only by drum, provides an propulsive and compelling opening to the show. The ending theme is a tranquil (and rather boring) ballad extolling the nobility of the Sanada 10.

This set of episodes was translated by AonE, although the filename credits DigitalPanic as well, and the conventions changed in subtle ways. For example, the AonE team assumed (incorrectly) that the dates were Western calendar dates and changed "10th month" to October, etc. I've tried to bring these three episodes in line with the first six. The translation of episodes seven and eight is credited to cazoo; I don't know who translated episode nine. I retimed to the new raws, edited, and typeset. Nemesis and Uchuu QCed. The raws were encoded from R2J DVDs by an anonymous friend.

This is the last of the reworked episodes. The concluding episodes will have new translations. You can get these episodes from the usual torrent site or from IRC bot Orphan|Arutha in channels #nibl or #news on irc.rizon.net.

Late breaking news: Humbug. Fumble fingered the file names, so please change {DVD} to (DVD) in all three episodes.