RURONI KENSHIN
What happens after all that cool feudal shit
Review by: Stan
Length: 95 episodes
Genre: Fighting, action
Watched: 1-76, dubbed
As if you needed MORE proof that Cartoon Network has lost their ever-loving minds, not only did they decide to keep the interesting-yet-ultimately-mediocre Yu Yu Hakusho on their "whateverthehelltheyarecallingitthesedays" Saturday night block. But they let one of the few anime of this type that is actually GOOD slip through the cracks for reasons that defy the very laws of logic. Straight-up, Rurouni Kenshin is by and large better than Yu Yu Hakusho in every possible way. I dare say it's even better than a vast majority of fighting anime out there (though not quite on the level of the mighty Get Backers).
Plot Synopsis: The war-torn lands of feudal Japan have come to a close with the advent of the Meiji Revolution. In this peaceful world, one man wanders. He is Kenshin Himura, and he was notorious during the wars of the Meiji Revolution as Hitokiri Battousai (or "Battousai the Manslayer"). But in the wake of newfound peace, Kenshin made a vow to never kill again and has become a wanderer, using his reverse-blade sword to protect the people of Meiji-era Japan from those who threaten them.
Artwork: Top-notch stuff. The character designs will ring several bells of hardcore fighting game fans (Kenshin resembles Moryia from Last Blade, Cho looks like Benimaru from King of Fighters, Kaoru looks like Kasumi Todo from King of Fighters. According to my research, Kenshin was released in 1996-ish, most of these games came out a couple of years before, but I’m not trying to imply any real connection. The resemblance is likely coincidence and nothing more. But hey, I like fighting games, so it isn't a problem for me. The settings are largely traditional Japanese with some western influences (as western culture was infiltrating Japan at the time). Everything is presented with a good amount of clarity. My only complaint is that maybe one or two episodes somehow look weird in comparison with the others.
Music: A mish-mash of traditional Japanese instrumentals, orchestral arrangements, upbeat jazzy numbers, and even a few rock-inspired pieces. The ending themes are pretty cool, but I will warn you in advance that the first two openings will make you want to stab out your eardrums with a sharp pencil as they are too damn cheerful and sugary-sweet in their sound for a series of this nature (so much so that it actually deters from the overall presentation). But overall the soundtrack is solid, not one of my favorites, but still pretty good. This is as good a place as any to mention that I did watch the dub. The dub quality was quite good, much better than most.
Characters: I'm going to steal a line from Craig in his Get Backers review and advise that you "get comfy before you start reading this section". This is a long series and a lot of characters come and go while others come and stay. I'll try to hit most of the major players the best I can without extending this to 2+ pages. The main character is Kenshin Himura, who was a bad-ass samurai who could kill you by looking at you. Now he's very kind and polite and doesn't kill anymore, yet still fights with a reverse blade sword when he needs to and can revert to a quasi-badass mode when he so desires. The weird thing is that Kenshin treats Battousai the Manslayer like a separate persona, like some kind of split personality. He's one of those idiotic idealists, desperately struggling to keep his oath and not let his killer instinct resurface. His struggle with this is one of the central stories. He's a good lead as he's actually a MAN (not some kid like in other series) who's been through a lot of crap. Kinda reminds me of Solid Snake or Sam Fisher. But his self-righteousness, over-politeness, and annoying tendency to reiterate himself can grate on my nerves. Kaoru Kamiya is a struggling dojo owner whom Kenshin meets in the first episode. He takes up residence there and Kaoru serves as the female love interest for Kenshin as the series progresses. She's got spunk, determination, and can hold her own in a fight. Yahiko is a young kid that is added to this group. He starts out as a young punk who works for the Yakuza. Turns out he was forced to and he's actually of a samurai decent and has fierce pride. Kaoru takes him in as his student. Sanosuke Sagara is a "Fighter for Hire" who...uh, fights for money. He meets Kenshin when someone pays him to take him out. Sano holds a grudge against the Imperialists that Kenshin fought for because Sano belonged to an Imperialist sect when he was young. They were betrayed and Sano lost his father figure, Captian Sagara. Seeing Sano fight is a sight to behold, as he wields the Zanbatou, which may very well hold the world record of "Largest Big-Ass Sword in All of Anime". If there exists a larger blade, it more than likely belongs to a mecha. Megumi is a slinky doctor who joins up with them a few episodes later. Aoshi Shinamori is the leader of the Oniwaban group, a group of ninjas that also fought during the Revolution. Aoshi has a lot of style about him and fights with twin kodachis (short swords). Hajime Saito is a rival of sorts to Kenshin and fights with a rapier-esque sword and is quite possibly the most entertaining character in the series, if for nothing else his philosophy of "Aku Soku Zan" (Slay Evil Immediately). The last guy I wanna cover is Kenshin's master, Seijuro Hiko. A polar opposite to Kenshin, Hiko is a bona-fide sake drinking, ass kicking samurai. It's a shame that his coolness didn't rub of on Kenshin. I could go on all day about the characters, but I showed you the main protagonist and his company, I'll leave you to discover the rest as well as some of the whacked out villains on your own. Safe to say this is your classic group of people with special combat abilities, and some of them are quite original indeed. Examples include Cho, the sword collector who uses a blade so thin that it is used as a whip and Kamatari, the scythe wielding girly-man.
Plot: Good for a fighting anime. There are around 4 or so story arcs. The first is basically Kenshin and his friends wandering, fighting various bad guys along the way and serves as little more than exposition and a chance to know and love the characters. The second is "Legend of Kyoto" which is actually a MAJOR "hero group vs. villain group" kind of deal. Then there is "Child of God" which offers a nice "eastern beliefs vs. western Christianity" story. I haven't seen the final ones. The cool thing is a lot of the setting, characters, and to an extent some plot events are nested in actual Japanese history. This series can serve as a great history lesson in some parts, and this sets it apart from other series in the genre. Also, the plot and dialogue are interesting enough that you actually want to WATCH it instead of just fast-forwarding to the fun hack n' slash stuff.
CHICKS!: Lots of nice babes on display here, and there really is something for everyone! Let's see, we've got Karou for those guys out there that like their chicks a little on the tough side at sometimes and a little on the sweet side at other times. She seems like the ideal girl: fine, loving, sexy-as-hell, can handle her own, what's not to love? The thing is that she can be a bit of a flake at times (a perfect time for you horn dogs out there to try to scam your way into some easy sex). Still, I could work up quite a sweat just WATCHING her doing her sword workouts (make of that what you will). Megumi... ahhh miss Megumi, you have me under the influence of your drugs. The way you slink about the room is downright intoxicating, and your voice gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. Shura, the pirate lady who Kenshin meets in the first arc, kicks ass and is my pick for this series' hottest chick because I'm weird and apparently have some "being dominated” fetish, if the other anime chicks I like are any indication. Good thing she's a pirate, 'cause I would most definitely be in red-hot pursuit of that booty! Misao is a hyperactive ninja girl with a somewhat revealing, totally impractical ninja outfit (although, if she were to stand next to Fatal Fury's Mai Shiranui, she would look downright Amish). Despite the lack of revealing skin, I still love her due to her uber-glompable nature. Too bad she had the hots for Aoshi, but then again, that's why God invented fan fiction (insert evil laughter here).
Overall: If you're tired of Ninja Scroll and the like and are hungering for something feudal that's not really feudal at all, if you want a good fighting anime with historical references, or if you just want a nice blend of action, drama, humor, and flat-out entertainment, Rurouni Kenshin will not disappoint you. This is definitely one of the better anime I've seen in my lifetime.
IN A NUTSHELL
+ Cool artwork
+ Historical References
+ Inventive Characters
- The opening songs
- Kenshin can be such a tool sometimes
Rating: 8/10
Note: images used in this review were taken from the site The Rurouni Kenshin screencap archive.
Return to Index