"Ken wa kyouki. Kenjutsu wa satsujinjutsu. Sore wa shinjitsu." 
"A sword is a lethal weapon. Sword techniques are killing techniques. This is the truth." 
-- Kenshin Himura 

During the end of the Tokugawa era, in Kyoto, there was an assassin called the 
"Hitokiri Battousai." It was his sword that paved the beginnings of the new 
era, Meiji. However, after the final uprising in Kyoto, he vanished. No one 
knew what became of him. 

In the 11th year of the Meiji Era, the "Hitokiri Battousai" resurfaces in 
Tokyo, not as the assassin he once was but as the non-killing "rurouni", 
Kenshin Himura. Kenshin has dedicated himself to no longer kill, but instead 
to protect. To help keep his promise without giving up the sword, he uses 
a "sakabatou", a reversed sword. 

He settles in Tokyo with Kaoru Kamiya, the 17 year old shihandai(master) of 
Kamiya Kashin Ryu Kenjutsu Dojo (Kamiya Kashin School of Swordsmanship.) 
Both Kenshin and Kaoru share the ideal of using the sword to protect, rather 
than to kill. While Kaoru had lost all her students during an incident which Kenshin 
helped her out of, she gains another. Yahiko Myoujin joins the Kamiya Dojo after 
Kaoru learns of his sad predicament, being used as a pick pocket for a 
local gang. Also to join are Sanosuke Sagara, a former "kenkaya" (a person 
paid by others to fight,) who had been part of a group betrayed by the 
Ishinshishi. While he wanted revenge against Kenshin, formerly the strongest 
fighter in the Ishinshishi, he realizes that Kenshin doesn't approve of 
the way the government used his group. After getting soundly beaten by Kenshin, 
he eventually becomes one of Kenshin's best friends. Finally to join the family 
is Megumi Takani. The only surviving daughter of a family of esteemed doctors, 
she was forced to make opium. She finally escaped that life with the help of 
Kenshin and the others, and works as a doctor. 

Just because he gave up being a killer ten years ago doesn't mean that the warriors 
he fought against have forgotten who he was. More and more, Kenshin finds he has to fight these people seriously. Jine Udo, Aoshi Shinomori, Hajime Saitou... whether it was for the sole purpose of killing the reputed strongest killer in Japan, or to finish a fight that started long ago, Kenshin finds it harder and harder to 
remain a peaceful, non-killing rurouni. 

When a fight turns serious, the Hitokiri which Kenshin had sought to bury long ago, reappears. When Kenshin gets that glint in his eyes, and his speech changes, he means business. He didn't earn the name of "Hitokiri Battousai" for nothing. 

Kenshin's inner conflict between rurouni and Hitokiri finally comes to a head when 
he is "asked" by the Meiji government to carry out an assassination. To protect the 
country from a possible demonic dictator, Shishio Makoto, Kenshin sets out to go 
to the one place in the world he vowed to. 

Rurouni Kenshin is a fabulous story full of interesting characters. There's not 
much in the romance, however there's plenty in the way of action and story. Some 
of the fights have the best action directing I've ever seen. While I feel some 
parts of the series can be easily skipped (mostly between #12-27, filler episodes,) 
the beginning of the series (#1-11) and the Kyoto series (#28-62) are MUST sees for anime fans that love action. The story does have a bit of comedy in the beginning, however the Kyoto series turns much darker and dramatic... with a lot more sword action. 

Kaoru's rating: 5 tanukis outta 5 tanukis (A Must See!)