Ikemen Sengoku – Ieyasu Tokugawa

Ieyasu was closest to Masamune among the warlords, his calm quiet demeanour is a juxtapose against Masamune’s wildness. It didn’t help that that little bit of romantic tension between him and MC in the epilogue suggested something is brewing despite his usual coldness. Let’s explore more about the story of Ieyasu who went on to form the longest running shogunate in Japan.

After saving Nobunaga from his would-be assailant, the warlords assembled to plot their next steps. Nobunaga believes that the best way to lure them out would be to go on an inspection around his fiefdom with his newest lover, the MC. MC tried to resist vehemently but her request fell on death ears. Obviously women had no status during the Sengoku period. MC sits in the veranda sulking when Ieyasu walked pass her. When MC told him that she didn’t want to be in this predicament as she had already tried running away and that she had no home to go back to, he coldly told her then to accept her fate to be used as a tool for Nobunaga’s war effort. She won’t be the first or the last to experience this.

After experiencing the potential death threats on Nobunaga and his crazed expressions defeating his opponents, MC realised that she cannot spend another day like this. She attempts to escape in the middle of the night during a heavy downpour. However before she got far away, she was assailed by a disgruntled samurai. Ieyasu swoops in to rescue MC from being cut down. (OK, I think I actually love his voice…). The ronin was no match for Ieyasu’s swordsmanship.

Ieyasu had been sent by Nobunaga to bring MC back. With nowhere else to run to, MC reluctantly followed him back to the castle. Ieyasu tells MC that if she really wanted to escape she should have done so with a proper plan instead of creating problems for them. After recounting how the ronin had recognised her as Nobunaga’s concubine, the warlords realised that the attack on her was directed at Nobunaga. Nobunaga decided to call off any further inspection with MC to her relief. However she would need to have a guard watching over her so he assigned Ieyasu for the task despite his obvious displeasure.

MC had no choice but to pack her belongings and move to his castle. When MC asked him why Nobunaga had picked him for the job, Ieyasu explained that the other warlords had been assigned with different task, while his was to protect MC while trying to discover who might have leaked information from within to the ronin who attacked her. After instructing his maids to show MC where she would be staying, Ieyasu made it clear to MC that he has no desire to be her friend and that the next time they speak would be when she goes back to live with Nobunaga.

MC made up her mind not to escape since it was futile with nowhere to go and no way of surviving in this period. She was getting bored out of her mind so in an attempt to repay Ieyasu for saving her, she started to help out in the household duties. This annoyed Ieyasu who asked her why she was doing the maid’s job. When she told him it was to repay him and that she wasn’t going to escape anymore, Ieyasu replied indifferently that he didn’t care what she did or did not do.

MC was determined to break down Ieyasu’s cold front so she found all ways to try and chat up with him, serve him food or greet him when he returns home but he goes all out to avoid her. She was getting really frustrated about not getting any response from him. The only time he had any sort of reaction was when he caught her making funny faces at a mirror which got him chuckling privately.

Hideyoshi and Mitsunari drops in for a visit to see how MC is doing. When they noticed that Ieyasu had been deliberately cold to MC, they suggested that Ieyasu teach her something to break the ice between them. Ieyasu offers to teach MC archery thinking that it would put her off but to no avail. So the lessons began.

Ieyasu was a strict tutor yet when it came to demonstrating the use of the bow, he was gentle with MC. When MC hurt herself, he told MC that she could just do nothing, and he didn’t understand why she was insistent on getting under his skin.

After a hard day’s training MC finally managed to shoot an arrow and she thanked Ieyasu profusely for being a strict and kind teacher. Ieyasu wonders what had hit MC on her head to think that he was being kind. However she kept insisting that he was kind so he retorted that since she wasn’t smart enough to curry favour him, he can only conclude that she is simple minded. Ouch. Later he goes to her room to apply medicine on her arm to reduce the bruising.

A message arrives from Nobunaga requesting for Ieyasu and MC to return to Azuchi for a war council. MC finds out that a ninja has been snooping around the castle whom she believes to be Sasuke. She sends out a smoke signal in Ieyasu’s backyard and sure enough Sasuke and Yukimura arrives not too soon. MC updates Sasuke of what had happened since they last met. He also told her that as a war would be breaking out soon, so he might not be able to get in touch with her for awhile.

MC returns to Azuchi with Ieyasu. She learns that Kenshin and Shingen are both still alive so the warlords will need to prepare for war. Because of this, Ieyasu has greater urgency to find the ronin who had attacked MC. After the meeting, Ieyasu tells MC to stop pulling a worried face as it didn’t suit her. It was his indirect way of telling her not to worry. Later they are joined by the other warlords who are excited to catch up with her. When they observed Ieyasu’s expression when he talks to her, they suddenly exclaimed in understanding which left Ieyasu blushing and walking away quickly.

Ieyasu doubles his effort to find the ronin so he hasn’t been around his estate for several days. MC continues to practice her archery and feed his deer Wasabi. During one episode the deer almost knocks her down in its excitement but Ieyasu appears to support her. The sudden closeness left her heart racing. While feeding the deer, MC noticed that Ieyasu is beginning to open up to her. He tells her that he’s found the ronin’s whereabouts so he will away on a mission to capture him. As such she will be staying with Mitsuhide in the meantime. The next day when Mitsuhide arrives to pick her up, he couldn’t help but tease the two awkward lovebirds much to Ieyasu’s embarrassment.

While waiting for Ieyasu to report, his aide arrives with dire news that their small contingent had been ambushed and Ieyasu was captured in the process. Nobunaga quickly organised his troops to rescue Ieyasu. MC requested to go with them and assures them that she will be useful. Soon they discover the hut where Ieyasu is being detained. He is tied up, beaten up but thankfully alive. As the place is heavily guarded, they did not want to alert his captors in case they kill him before they could reach him. MC manages to sneak Ieyasu a short sword which he uses to free himself before Nobunaga signals the attack. Realising that they are outnumbered and that Ieyasu is now armed with a vengeance, the ronins started to retreat.

MC hid in a bush while observing the fight. Unfortunately, the ronin who had originally attacked her found her and decided to bring her to the grave with him. Ieyasu arrives in time to save her (but of course). Ieyasu is surprised that the ronin were remnant of survivors from Imagawa, a village that he had destroyed. Meanwhile Kennyo observes the proceedings from afar. When he learns of MC’s importance to the warlords, he starts to devise a new plan to destroy Nobunaga.

After making sure that MC is safe, Ieyasu collapses from his injuries and remains unconscious for the whole of next day. MC tirelessly nurses him to prevent his body from overheating from fever. He finally wakes up 24 hours later however he is much too weak to do anything. Ieyasu is eager to return to battle with Nobunaga but the latter scolds him harshly. He tells Ieyasu that he has no place on his roster for injured warlords and commands him to focus on recovery.

MC sees a weakened Ieyasu trying to get dressed so she hurriedly stops him. In the process, the two of them tumbled onto the floor in a heap. Ieyasu tells MC not to stop him as he needed to join Nobunaga in his war efforts. He reveals that he had grown up in the Imagawa clan as a hostage. When he was growing up, he had been ill-treated and tortured until the clan was destroyed by Nobunaga. It was then he was rescued and brought to serve under the Oda clan. He was ashamed that after training so hard after all these years, he found himself back in their captivity.

MC comforts Ieyasu that he isn’t as weak as he makes himself up to be. In fact if he hadn’t told her about his past, she wouldn’t have known how much he had suffered and worked his way to become the warlord that he is today. Ieyasu is surprised to see MC crying over him, prompting him to gently wipe off her tears. He agrees to rest up and recover.

A few days later Masamune and Hideyoshi pays a visit. MC is surprised that Masamune is such a great cook which encourages him to flirt with her. This annoys Ieyasu greatly who gruffly asked Masamune to leave MC alone.

A few days later, Ieyasu is well enough to travel to Azuchi castle. When he returns, he informs MC that since the ronin who had attacked her have been caught, Nobunaga would like her to return to Azuchi castle. MC is saddened to leave Ieyasu. On the way back, she asked Ieyasu if she come by to visit him from time to time. He remarked that she must be really free to do that but doesn’t deny her request. He also gifts her with a swath of exquisite yellow cloth which she can use to sew a kimono of her choice. MC is delighted.

During one warlord meeting, Ieyasu reports that the Imagawa remnants who had captured him had been instigated by Kennyo, a monk. He was also the man who had plotted to assassinate Nobunaga. In other news Masamune reported that both Shingen and Kenshin have joined forces against Nobunaga. In fact Kenshin’s forces had threatened to breach one of the forts which needs fortifying. Ieyasu volunteers for the mission which caused MC to voice out her concerns. Despite Nobunaga’s own reservations, he agrees to Ieyasu’s request.

Outside the meeting room, MC lashes at Ieyasu for being so reckless, rushing into war right after recovering from such severe injuries. Ieyasu avoids the confrontation and asked her to concentrate on completing her kimono. He tells her to let him see it when it’s done. Hideyoshi tells MC not to stop Ieyasu. After his recent capture, he needs to redeem himself with another victory. It is simply the way of the samurai.

The night before Ieyasu is to head out to war, MC visits him with the completed kimono. While waiting for him in his room, she falls asleep. She wakes up to find Ieyasu gently stroking her hair. MC shows him the kimono she had completed which he compliments. She also gifts him with a hand sewn plushie of Wasabi as a lucky token. Ieyasu is dumbfounded by the gift but when MC tells Ieyasu that she will be waiting for him to come back, Ieyasu is no longer able to control his emotions and hugs MC. He tells her that she doesn’t need to say that because he has every intent to return to her. He also warned her not to complain if he loses the plushie during battle. As he continues to hug MC, Ieyasu whispered that this emotional reaction is unlike him but for just today, to let him be. MC aware of her own feelings for Ieyasu hugs him back.   

MC sends Ieyasu off the next day to a rather cold reception. He kept insisting that she didn’t need to see him off and quickly turns to lead the army to battle without looking back. He also engaged in a rather comical exchange with Mitsunari. It’s obvious he doesn’t like Mitsunari but all his barbed comments simply went over Mitsunari’s head. Is he just ignoring the snide remarks or is he just that dense? MC waits nervously for news from the frontline while she helps out with sewing duties.

Later she overhears that Ieyasu’s injuries have opened during battle. It was then she realised that Ieyasu had not fully recovered but insisted on leading the battle to regain his honour. Mitsunari readies himself to reinforce Ieyasu. MC begged him to bring her along. Nobunaga agrees provided she stays away from battle, only helping to tend to the injured. He acknowledged that having MC there would also ensure that Ieyasu would be less reckless as well.

By the time they arrive at the battlefront, Mitsunari observed that Ieyasu had already taken over the Oda fort and secured victory for them. However he continued to chase after the retreating enemy soldiers.  

Meanwhile hidden in the shadows, Kennyo observes the battle. He is puzzled that Kenshin has not come out to fight to turn the tide of battle. However when he saw MC among Mitsunari’s ranks, he concocted an idea that could be in his favour. He sent a spy to inform Kenshin that Nobunaga’s concubine is in camp and that using her as leverage would be the surest way to antagonise Nobunaga into battle.

That evening after the soldiers have returned to camp, she hunts frantically for Ieyasu. When she finally finds him, he scolds her for coming here to find him. He brings her to a quiet flower field. Despite his anger, he pulls her in for an embrace and kisses her gently.

Realising that Ieyasu is ok, she questioned his motivation for chasing after the enemy soldiers after they have secured the fort. Ieyasu said he had to use this opportunity to destroy the enemy forces so that he can return victorious and gain more power for his clan. Because of the abuse he experienced growing up, Ieyasu is driven by ambition to become stronger and stronger so that no one would be able to trample on him again.

MC cautions him about fighting non-stop as it won’t gain him happiness and that it pains her to see him driven by such manic desire. Ieyasu tells MC to go home and not bother waiting for him. He will not see her again even after he returns to Azuchi Castle. MC is heartbroken by this rejection, more so because she knows that Ieyasu doesn’t mean it.

The next day while everyone is out fighting, the camp suddenly came under attack by Kenshin’s troops. MC is abducted by two ninjas. When she wakes up, Kenshin tells MC that he intends to use her to lure Nobunaga to battle.

The warning letter arrives in Ieyasu’s hands and he is livid about MC being held ransom by Kenshin. He wavered between regret for speaking to her harshly the night before and not sending her home even earlier. In the end he tells Mitsunari that he plans to save MC alone so that it doesn’t implicate Nobunaga into any unnecessary wars which is exactly what Kennyo is trying to instigate.

Ieyasu meets Sasuke and Yukimura who offers to sneak him into Kenshin’s castle to help him rescue MC. Yuki doesn’t want to see an innocent party implicated in the war but is unable to be personally involved to betray his master. Ieyasu thanks them for their help.

Meanwhile, MC is locked up in a cell. While waiting for Nobunaga to act, she attracts the attention of both Shingen and Kenshin. The few days she spends with them made her realise that these so-called enemies aren’t evil, they were simply on the different side of the battle.

One day while Kenshin was chatting up to MC, Ieyasu interrupts with his rescue attempt. The two warlords break into a sword fight. With Ieyasu still recovering from his injuries, he was no match for the god of war. Kenshin inflicts the first strike on Ieyasu. MC calls out to them which distracts Kenshin allowing Ieyasu the opportunity to strike him, knocking him out.

Ieyasu frees MC from the cell and they escape together. MC apologises for causing Ieyasu all the trouble. He in turn apologises for not protecting her. As they go back and forth expressing their gratitude, Ieyasu tells MC that he is no longer able to control his emotions around her and that he was going to let it all out when they return to camp. They meet Yuki and Sasuke. Ieyasu apologises for hurting Kenshin; Yuki and Sasuke rushes to assist their lord and tells Ieyasu the next time they meet it will be on the battlefield.

That night Ieyasu tells MC that he found out from Sasuke that she is from the future which she will eventually return to. He doesn’t want to complicate their relationship knowing that their time together would be temporary. He tells her that he won’t be able to stop wanting to fight again and again until he reaches the top. MC tells Ieyasu not to worry so much and that she is happy just to be with him. Ieyasu finally let down his restraint and they had a long passionate night.

Dramatic Ending

The next morning Nobunaga arrives at the camp. Ieyasu shares that Kennyo had pulled the strings to incite war between the Oda forces and the Takeda-Uesugi alliance. He suggested forming a temporary truce with Kenshin to get rid of Kennyo first. Nobunaga agrees to go along with his strategy. Before he leaves he punches Ieyasu in the face for allowing his old injury to reopen while fighting. It was his brotherly way of telling Ieyasu that he was worried about him.

The meeting with Kenshin was set up for a few days later. Ieyasu and MC rides to meet him with Mitsunari. Along the way Ieyasu tells MC that the reason he fights so decisively and ruthlessly is because he doesn’t like bloodshed and simply wants war to end so that peace can be enjoyed by everyone. MC encourages Ieyasu with his vision, knowing that he would eventually be the one to unite feudal Japan and bring about 300 years of peace to the country.

The discussions with Kenshin went as planned. He agrees to a truce to take down Kennyo first but it turned out he was willing to accede mainly because he had taken a liking to MC. This caused Ieyasu to become exceedingly jealous and possessive. Nobunaga found the whole exchange between them very amusing, commenting that MC was really powerful to string along two great warlords.

Once Ieyasu is alone with MC, he tells her that Kenshin likes her which she found ridiculous. Ieyasu tells MC that she is actually very cute. MC blushed at his direct compliment. Ieyasu continues to harp on it until she agrees with his perspective to avoid being cute in front of other men as well. With that they share a passionate kiss in the field of flowers.

The next day, it was agreed that Ieyasu would return to Azuchi with MC and rally reinforcements for their upcoming confrontation with Kennyo. Meanwhile Mitsunari and Masamune who were fighting another battle elsewhere would hasten to support Nobunaga. When they were a day away from Azuchi, Ieyasu receives news that Kennyo had initiated combat with two times more troops than Nobunaga.

Although he was tempted to return to aid Nobunaga, Ieyasu knew that without the reinforcements from Azuchi they would be useless so he pressed on harder towards the castle. Unfortunately, they were soon met with another hurdle. Kennyo had sent an army of about 100 men after them. Ieyasu and his men were grossly outnumbered so he diverted towards an old fort to seek protection. While planning out their next move, Sasuke arrives to inform MC that a wormhole would conveniently open in the very fort they are seeking refuge in in a couple of days. MC would be able to return to modern day Japan and escape from the present predicament. MC was adamant about not leaving Ieyasu and Sasuke in this moment of danger.

When Ieyasu overhears that there is a way for MC to escape unscathed, he pretended to treat her coldly to chase her away. MC knew that Ieyasu would not treat her like this unless it was meant to protect her. After she was thrown out of the fortress, MC meets Sasuke who tells her the truth. MC decides to help Ieyasu instead by riding to Azuchi to get help, thus giving up the only opportunity for her to return to her present time.

After much hard riding, MC finally made it to Azuchi to deliver the news to Hideyoshi. He immediately rallied the troops and sets out immediately with reinforcements. By the time they got to Ieyasu, the fight had broken out. The enemy quickly faltered in face of overwhelming numbers. MC breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Ieyasu is safe. They had a momentary reunion where Ieyasu chided MC for being so reckless but later thanking her for saving them. After that he heads off to the frontlines to support Nobunaga’s fight against Kennyo.

MC returns to base with Sasuke. He shares that after she rode off, Kennyo had sent people after her. Ieyasu had to launch the offensive so that she could escape. He had counted on her coming back in time to save them, finally establishing some form of trust in her.

MC waited unnervingly for the battle on the frontline to conclude. Thankfully the Oda forces won a decisive victory and she received news that Ieyasu would be returning home. When they finally reunited again, Ieyasu apologised for pushing her away because all he wanted was her safety even if it meant never seeing her again. MC forgave him but told him that she has decided to stay with him. With that it was finally time for a passionate night again.

It was time for MC to leave Azuchi Castle and move in with Ieyasu. The other warlords tease MC but inwardly they will miss her presence. Mitsunari approaches MC to share that he wasn’t aware that she was in a relationship with Ieyasu (omg how dense can he be) and wanted to share his own feelings for her. Ieyasu arrives in time to drag her away before he could confess.

On the way out, they meet Nobunaga who teased Ieyasu for taking away his lucky charm. Ieyasu rebutted that MC didn’t belong to Nobunaga in the first place. Before they left, Nobunaga brought MC to one corner and told her to take care of Ieyasu for him.

Before they returned to his castle, Ieyasu requested for a walk with MC. He brought her to the same flower field near his castle, the same place she realised she had feelings for him. There Ieyasu and MC reaffirmed their feelings for each other. Ieyasu told MC that he will continue to fight for his vision, but this time he also wants to survive so that he can be with MC. MC promises that she will continue to get stronger so that he doesn’t always need to be reckless. With that, they kissed and embraced.

Dramatic Ending Epilogue

MC invites Masamune over to the castle to teach her how to cook Ieyasu’s favourite dishes. In his usual flirtatious manner, Masamune teases MC which Ieyasu chances upon. When he learns that MC is spending time with Masamune under his own roof, he stomps off sulkily. MC didn’t think that Ieyasu would be so jealous but Masamune tells MC that she needs to learn to be more sensitive of Ieyasu’s feelings.

When dinner is ready, MC goes to his room to call him. She sees Ieyasu resting with his head on his table. She thought he was sleeping but quickly learnt that he was still inwardly sulking while waiting for her. MC explains that she was just trying to learn how to cook from Masamune, and his favourite dishes no less. Ieyasu tells her that he knows and trusts her but it doesn’t stop him from feeling this way. They reaffirm their love for each other and didn’t have dinner until much later.

~ Fin

Review

I am beginning to see a pattern here when it comes to the story plot. Somehow Kennyo would always be the antagonist trying to pit Kenshin against one of Oda’s warlords. In Ieyasu’s story, we also learn about the Imagawa clan who had tortured Ieyasu as their hostage when he was young. Oda subsequently destroyed them but remnants of the clan had survived with the objective to seek revenge on Nobunaga, providing Kennyo with even more enemies to manipulate.

I feel that the story development for Ieyasu is pretty straightforward with no surprising twists. If not for the romance between MC and Ieyasu, it would have been a rather flat story about a young man’s relentless quest to regain his honour after a traumatic childhood. What made Ieyasu’s story colorful is his contrarian personality which I personally found quite endearing. There are tsundere types which one may find rather overwhelming but for Ieyasu’s case, it is pretty evident that he cares for MC but just doesn’t know how to put it across nicely to her. It’s all the more entertaining when it is MC who chases Ieyasu and him the one who runs away.

The turning point for me was when Ieyasu finally drops his defenses and hugs MC, and the subsequent monologue of his struggle to remain contrarian, or be truthful about his own emotions. I can never understand why people feel a need to say things that are opposite of how they really feel, isn’t it tiring, or perhaps it is a way to cope with rejection or not impose their real feelings on another person. Another highlight for me is getting to know the warlords from the opposing side better. Yukimura had acted as the bridge between the two forces in both Masamune and Ieyasu story. We also get to know Kenshin and how besides fighting, he had gotten so smitten by MC to the point of absurd.

I like Ieyasu’s character design as it showcased his introvert personality really well. I love his voice too! Ieyasu strikes me as someone I would easily fall in love with which is why despite the relatively flat storyline I enjoyed this route.

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