i love the action scenes of rurouni kenshin. they are what attracted me to this anime in the 1st place. however, i feel that the anime gets draggy after the kyoto arc, the stories seem to be a bit repetitive. i agree that the low number of replay scenes is definitely a plus point. i find the manga much better compared to the anime...
Rurouni Kenshin tv Review
Ten years after the beginning of the Meiji Era, a wandering samurai came to Tokyo. This man, known as Himura Kenshin later on, ends up living in a Kamiya Kasshin dojo and teach kendo for a living.
However, his life is not as simple, as turmoils arise from time to time, unfolding his true nature as the famous Hitokiri Battousai, the greatest killer of the Bakumatsu. However, vowing never to kill again, he tries as hard as he can not to draw his sword until the critical moment comes, and so far, manages to escape his bloody past.
Until the day when an old menace, in the form of Shishio Makoto, the successor to the Hitokiri Battousai, threatens the peace of the new Meiji Era. Shishio and his Juppon Gatana are ready to start a new revolution to correct the evils of Western influence, and forced Himura Kenshin, along with his new friends, once again raise his sword to protect their loved ones.
Credits: niomea
Story & Characters
Two years has passed since the great war between the Isshin faction and the Tokugawa dynasty, better known as the Tokugawa era. During that period, lived a perfect kendo swordsman known as Hitokiri Battousai; few has lived to tell the tale, but it spread like wildfire from the few who knew of his fearsome skill. The beginning of this tale tells alot abot the outcome; a powerful swordsman unparalleled in skills and fights for justice... clique. But no. Rurouni Kenshin is not that simple. His history has already set a fixed path for him, and he finds it difficult to bend from his old, merderous ways, especially when men from his past confront him, men who refuse to lay down their swords as it was the samurai's code of honour. This is where Rurouni Kenshin shines; to change or not to change. This is an awesome tale about a lone man's will to change for the the better despite age old traditions; not any age old tradition, but one which involves violence and bloodshed.The politics in this series is very well done as well. Samurais who believe the Meiji government is corrupted form a strike against them, and are a force to be reckoned with. Kenshin's decision to help the government may seem to break the Samurai's code, but that is the core of the beauty of this series.
Rating:
Art
Character wise, the focus lies greatly on Kenshin, and those who survived after the Tokugawa era. Extra characters like Kaoru, Yahiko and the rest do play a part for Kenshin's change of heart from his old ways, but that's all about it. They are not prominent enough in their actions and speeches, which in the end, all of the best parts go to Kenshin and his interpersonal conflicts embedded uopn him by various men who shared a simillar destiny. Another plus point to the characters are their designs; they play a purpose, to suit the character's personality to the design. A brillant job as far I'm concerned.
Rating:
Sound
The music is spectacular at its opening themes. "Sokabatsu" a.k.a "Freckles" has a nice little beat to it, "Half" is unique in its own way; "Kimi No Fureru Dake De" has the coolest tune in the entire series, ever. The sword fights in every battle resonate very well; clashes are dramatic enough to keep the eyes glued on every little move. Sometimes, where guns are present, the gunshots may sound a little muffled, but at least they are not as irritating to the ears like real gunshots would. The ending themes, however, failed to make the impact to end the show in a classical samurai style would, thankfully, it is good enough to make the cut.
Rating:
Presentation
Presentation is where Rurouni Kenshin shines. Action scenes are highly detailed, every leap, every strike it took into account forms the basis of its epic history in the Japanese animation industry. Every move and style is respectable in the sense that it can be logical to a certain extent, as well as being able to capture the audience's undivided attention. The scenes devoted to talking and speeches by the characters are adequtely placed between each battle scene, not forgetting the funny parts in each section; when Kaoru becones a crazy bull and Kenshin's eyeballs puff up to the size of basketballs. Really funny stuff.Pacing in this series is well placed, we don't have to wait a long while for a scene change in this series. The character's personalities also blend well together with the atmosphere, although the setting is dark most of the time. The best part about this series are the low/no number of replay scenes; not flashback scenes, mind you, which ca be very annoying at times. This is the most distinguishing factor of Rurouni Kenshin, allowing itself high regard in Japan's manga culture, also spread widely to other parts of the world. Despite some violent scenes which may not be suited for all ages, otherwise a must watch.
Rating:
Final Verdict
7.1667 (above average)
Reviewed by CopyMaster, Apr 26, 2005
Comments
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nuttdragon May 01, 2005
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dunric0325 May 05, 2005
I feel that RK would have been a much greater series if it had stuck to the manga story (which was impossible as the manga was not done when the anime caught up to it). When Kenshin first fights Saito is still one of my favorite anime fights ever. The music is also a good point I believe. While unfitting in places it always seems to apply to the dramatic scenes. Too bad the series ended the way it did.
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rukasu44 Nov 10, 2010
I'm reading the manga, I'll watch the anime later, it seems to be pretty nice
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UberDog Mar 23, 2015
Good and simple review, can't argue against the ratings you gave it though.
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