While I love Kenshin, I think I prefer PMK because of it's greater historical accuracy. I mean...to know that most of the people there are really people? And that a lot of REAL historical points are covered in the storyline? How cool is that?
While I can't vouch for accuracy since of course, I'm just websurfing, but
several sites seem to indicate that real characters include:
Kondo, Hijikata, Saitoh, Shinpachi, Harada, the Ichimura brothers including Tetsu, Ryouma, Yoshida, Sannan, Okita...
That's probably over half the cast shown already.
Here's one of the better links...one of the sublinks on top will lead you to some of the info... it's good stuff...really interesting. Plus a picture of Hijikata!
http://www.fifay.biznethosting.com/fifay/
Personally, I find the movement of the graphics beautiful and the bizarre mixture between the bloody realistic violence of the times, and the more peaceful interludes in between from the perspective of innocent tetsunosuke really refreshing. (Besides, the characters do have to be mundane sometimes...I'm sure it wasn't battles every day) The interludes have been complained about by others, but it is really what sets this series apart from a blood bath. It takes time for character development and subtleness in developing plot. Things that happen are not blatantly obvious, little clues are dropped for us to let our imaginations burn wild =)
Not to mention little ironies that just happen....