Samurai X Review By aznwolfe
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	Audience:	13+
	Genre:	Action/Drama
	Contains:	Extreme Violence, Language
	Rating:	A

WOW. That's the first thing that came to my mind when I watched it. Just.. WOW. Samurai X is the OAV series based on the ever so popular Rurouni Kenshin. And if you haven't watched Rurouni Kenshin, you're missing out on a lot! It being the prequel to the TV series, viewers of Rurouni Kenshin will see more character development on Kenshin. Fans will finally be able to understand what Kenshin went through before he became a wandering swordsman. Don't expect Samurai X to be light-hearted or funny like the TV series. It is straight-out action and drama. Very DARK.

The setting is in Japan just before the Meiji Era, when the revolution starts to emerge. The story revolves around the life of a young man, Himura Kenshin, who has the powerful ability to kill quickly and effortlessly with his blade. The OAV shows the tragedies he encountered and how he grew to become such a powerful assassin. And we finally find out how Kenshin gets his scar! During the OAV, Kenshin meets a lovely young woman, Tomoe, and of course, she falls for him. And as the battles gets more intense, their relationship gets intense...

It's a pretty complicated 'movie'. The plot is very subtle and dark. Very depressing. But the animation was just beautiful. The fighting scenes are a marvel to look at (if you don't mind the bloody stuff). It is well animated and coreographed. The movements were smooth and fast. The sound and music were also a delight. The voices, subbed or dubbed, were both wonderful. The OAV consists of (I think) 3 videos. It is available on DVD and VHS. Everything fit everything perfectly. I can't really say anything bad about this movie except that if you don't like violence or blood, then don't watch this. O_o Otherwise, GO WATCH IT NOW!

Image not by aznwolfe. May 2002