After a long absense due to (ongoing) internet problems, I am sorry
to say that I do not have much new information (regarding actual
historical facts). Some of you may already know this, but . . .
There is a manga series published by Shonen Jump called Gintama; it
is an extremely strange mix of aliens and the bakufu. O.o The
Shinsengumi do have a part, but some have slightly different names (I
know for a fact that Okita Souji has become Okita Sogo). They first
appear in chapter 5 (Hijikata, Okita, and a mention of Yamazaki).
More of an appearance in chapter 6 (Okita, Hijikata, and a few random
members). Beyond that, I have no clue. ^^; From what I can tell,
there are even some wackified Ishin Shishi.
Scanlations are at
http://stoptazmo.com/gintama
There is also an online read of chapter one only at
http://www.readmanga.com
In either volume 5 or 6 of Negima (another manga), there is a mention
of the Shinsengumi, plus one of the characters dresses in a variation
of their uniform. The translation notes in the back made a mistake
though; they seem to have mixed the Shinsengumi up with the Ishin
Shishi.
For those who rather "decode" kanji bit-by-bit rather than try to
understand an online translator, there is a site that translates one
(or sometimes a few) kanji at a time, also giving multiple meanings.
I don't have the link for the translating page, but it should be easy
to find. A warning though; sometimes the translator interpretes it
differently that you'd expect ("Tennen Rishin Ryuu/Style"
becomes "Nature Riku Style"). But, given the names of certain people,
it will also spit out their birth and death dates. =3
http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/wwwjdic.html
And finally, for those who have an interest in older history, there
is a book called Taiko, mainly about Toyotomi Hideyoshi. It shows the
relationships between lord and retainer, between lords of different
provinces, etc; basically the feel of the time period. In relation to
the Shinsengumi (sort-of . . . ), the book details the downfalls of
the Imagawa and the Takeda clans, both of which the Inoue family
served at that time.
--Jia-xin