on homophobia and misogyny in Japan. Instead it comments on desire and the suppression of individual desire for the greater good, suggesting an individual vs. the collective dilemma. The film examines the destructive nature of desire within the Shinsengumi and presents it as a criticism of modern Japan forcing individuals to suppress their desires for the sake of the collective. Historical inaccuracy abounds in this film to draw attention to the main theme of shūdō as a form of desire. Though the