Ryo

Following the destruction of his village and the death of his parents during an English naval attack, the son of a samurai enters military training alongside other orphans. His abilities attract the attention of Ryoma Sakamoto, who renames him Ryo and hires him as a bodyguard. Set against the backdrop of political unrest in 1866, Ryo works with Sakamoto to fight for the future of Japan, eventually facing the samurai Hijikata Toshizo on the deck of a flagship.

This animated short was produced by GONZO and directed by Koichi Chigira, who previously directed Brave Story in 2006. The screenplay was written by Chigira and Junichi Takaoka. The voice cast includes Aoi Yuki as Ryo, Ai Kayano as Oryū, and Keiji Fujiwara as Sakamoto Ryōma, with additional performances by Shinya Takahashi, Takanori Nishikawa, and Toshiyuki Morikawa.

The film has received a moderate reception from audiences, holding a rating of 5.4/10 on IMDb based on 72 votes and a slightly higher score of 6.6/10 on TMDB from 18 votes.