History Film / Gohatto

* PrettyBoy: Sōzabur&#333 is slender, smooth of chin, highly androgynous, and has long luxurious hair that extends fetchingly over his forehead. Other characters describe him as "beautiful". He's quite aware of this, steadfastly refusing when Yamazaki, his commanding officer who is wary of the effect he has on the other men, orders him to cut his hair. The only thing cutting against this is that, for all his androgynous pretty looks and his lush hair and his rather effeminate manner, Sōzaburō is also a highly skilled swordsman, one of the best in the group.

* {{Bishonen}}: Sōzaburō is an absolutely perfect example of this trope. Slender, smooth of chin, highly androgynous, and with long luxurious hair that extends fetchingly over his forehead. Other characters describe him as "beautiful". He's quite aware of this, steadfastly refusing when Yamazaki, his commanding officer who is wary of the effect he has on the other men, orders him to cut his hair. The only thing cutting against this is that, for all his androgynous pretty looks and his lush hair and his rather effeminate manner, Sōzaburō is also a highly skilled swordsman, one of the best in the group.

* {{Bishonen}}: Sōzaburō is an absolutely perfect example of this trope. Slender, smooth of chin, highly androgynous, and with long luxurious hair that extends fetchingly over his forehead. Other characters describe him as "beautiful". He's quite aware of this, steadfastly refusing when Yamasaki, his commanding officer who is wary of the effect he has on the other men, orders him to cut his hair. The only thing cutting against this is that, for all his androgynous pretty looks and his lush hair and his rather effeminate manner, Sōzaburō is also a highly skilled swordsman, one of the best in the group.
* CureYourGays: While homosexuality in general is no big deal, it eventually becomes clear that Sōzaburō and his girlish prettiness are undermining unit cohesion among the Shinsengumi. In an attempt to head this off, Kondo orders Yamasaki to take Sōzaburō to a geisha house and get him to have sex with a woman. The attempt is a failure, as Sōzaburō shows no interest in the geisha at all.

* {{Geisha}}: In this film they are quite clearly {{High Class Call Girl}}s. Sozaburo is offered a geisha to have sex with in the hopes of making him less gay, but he isn't interested.

* VirginInAWhiteDress: Gender-flipped, and particularly appropriate for the androgynous Sōzaburō. While the other men of the unit always dress in dark-colored hakama, Sōzaburō is often seen in white. Additionally, dialogue states that he's never been with a woman and it's implied that he's never been with a man either. After he definitely has sex with Yuzawa he spends most of the rest of the film wearing the dark hakamas.

* CureYourGays: While homosexuality in general is no big deal, it eventually becomes clear that Sōzaburō and his girlish prettiness are undermining unit cohesion among the Shinsengumi. In an attempt to head this off, Kano orders Yamasaki to take Sōzaburō to a geisha house and get him to have sex with a woman. The attempt is a failure, as Sōzaburō shows no interest in the geisha at all.
* DecapitationPresentation: Sōzaburō lops a disgraced samurai's head off, then ritually presents it to Kano.

* InnerMonologue: The audience is treated to Hijikata's inner monologue a couple of times, like in the opening scene where he takes note of the look that Kano gives Sōzaburō and wonders if his boss is attracted to the boy.
* IntroDump: In the opening scene, Commander Kano asks second-in-command Hijikata who the two new recruits are, and Hijikata gives Kano and the audience a huge amount of exposition telling both men's name and life stories.

* OminousFog: For the final violent confrontation in which Sōzaburō is supposed to kill Tashiro (on Kano's order), the ground is wreathed in fog.

Nagisa Oshima's last film and the only one he completed over the last 27 years of his life (declining health after a 1996 stroke being part of the reason). Music/RyuichiSakamoto composed the score.

Nagisa Oshima's last film and the only one he completed over the last 27 years of his life (declining health after a 1996 stroke being part of the reason).