冬の蝉

Fuyu no Semi is a Japanese anime OVA loosely based on the manga series, Embracing Love, which also aired on the Logo cable channel in the US. The story, set in historical Japan, follows two samurai from opposing political groups, one protectionist and the other globalist, who fall in love with each other.

During the late Tokugawa period, tensions between the bakufu and Chōshū clan are rising due to arguments over how to deal with foreigners in Japan. However, unlike the rest of the Chōshū clan members, Touma Kusaka wants Japan to develop good relations with foreign nations. To achieve this, he attempts to learn English behind his clan's back. A man named Keiichirou Akizuki decides to become Kusaka's teacher, but their relationship soon grows into something stronger, despite the fact that Akizuki works for Kusaka's clan's enemy, the Tokugawa bakufu.