Reviews Rurouni Kenshin (Anime Review)

"To kill or not to kill, that is the question?" Actually, it's the question Kenshin Himura faces everyday.

Kenshin Himura is a wanderer with a cross-shaped scar on his left cheek.. He picked up a reverse-blade sword and swore never to kill again and for 10 years, he has done just that. But now it would seem his past is cathing up to him. 10 years ago, Kenshin Himura had a different name. He was know as Battousai the Manslayer. He killed countless men in the idea that he making Japan a better place. He was fighting to help the weak. What made him change from being a ruthless manslayer to pacifist?

Towards the end of the Meiji revolution, Kenshin has to play the role of a young woman's, Tomoe, husband and ends up falling in love with her. He has to play the role for he killed her finacee, which is where he recieved the first part of the scar. He then kills Tomoe and while she's dieing, gives him the second piece of the scar. After that, he sword never to kill again.

The series picks up 10 years later, as I mentioned previously, with Kenshin as a wanderer. He meets Kaoru Kamiya when she accidently suspects him to be the Battousai, which he is, who's been killing people in the town, which he's only just arrived in. At then end of the episode, Kenshin chooses to stay with Kaoru at the dojo. The next few episodes introduce the other main characters of the series. Yahiko Myojin, a young pick pocket who's saved by Kenshin and starts learning swordsmanship from Kaoru. Sanosuke Sagara, a fighter for hire who is hired to fight Kenshin but fights him for his own reasons. Sanosuke blames Kenshin and the rest of for killing his troop. In the end, they become friends.

Throughout the series, Kenshin fights what seems to be invincible opponents, each one harder and meaner than the next. He overcomes overwhelming odds and triumphs in the end. He battles the Battousai within himself throughout the series as well, trying to hold on to his "no kill" policy while taking on his opponents. You seem him become the Battousai a few times within the series, coming close to killing his opponents but somehow is able to snap out of it.

This series holds great fight scenes with a lot of drama mixed in. It even brings in some humour, though it's usually in his everyday life, but every once in a while in a fight. The drama fits pretty well within the series, helping the fight scenes make more sence than useless brawls. The humour keeps the story alive as well, keeping it from going dull.

The soundtracks and voice acting are very well done. The soundtracks change just about every 30 episodes. They also incorporate them within the fight scenes, making them more dramatic. The voice acting for both Japanese and English series are also well done. For the English series we have Richard hayworth as Kenshin, Dorothy Melendrex as Kaoru, Lex Lang as Sano and Elyse Floyd as Yahiko. For the Japanese series we have Megumi Oyade starring as Kenshin, Miki Fujitami as Kaoru, Yuji Ueda as Sano and Miina Tominaga as Yahiko. Every actor portrays their character remarkably well, keeping them interesting the whole way through the series.

The anime comes with 94 episodes(95 if you count the last episode which wasn't aired), two games, 4 OVA's and several soundtracks. The games are in Japanese and are produced by SONY. The OVA's have very different art style's than the anime but that doesn't hinder their anything. The OVA's follow the series which helps you understand alot about the series you may have missed. The soundtracks are done by various artists and are very good.

Personal Opinion
The series is very entertaining. My personal favorite and one I highly recommend. The story holds historical aspects as long as fantasy bringing together a great show. The fact that involves martial arts, especially the sword arts, draws many viewers to see it.

Plotline: 9.0/10.0
Characters: 10.0/10.0
Soundtrack: 8.0/ 10.0
Voice acting: 9.5/10.0
Graphics: 8.5/ 10.0

Overall Rating: 9.0/10.0

 

Ahh! Thats a great review Hitohiro. I like how you tell the overveiw without getting to in depth, and even tell a little of the perspective of to kill or not. awsome!

Oh by the way this was my 200th post! *does a dance* yah lol

 

Very nice review. Information was great for the show. It showed your opinion. Excellent.