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Synopsis
- Rurouni Kenshin
In the period of time when Japan was undergoing its transition into the
modern world (for you history buffs, this is after Commodore Perry's arrival
in old Edo in the mid-1800s), the samurai was quickly becoming an obsolete
piece of tradition that was hindering the new government's ability to solidify
its power. Using the Hitokiri (lit: man-cutters - professional killers), and
the conscript army, the government was able to put down the rebellious samurai
once and for all.
However, one of those Hitokiri, the most powerful and deadly of the lot,
the one named Battousai ... gained a conscience. The deeds he had justified in
the name of the new order had cost him his soul, and he could no longer serve
the government in his duty. He swore he would never kill again, so he became a
rurounin, a masterless wanderer who would use his powers to protect, rather
than kill.
In a time when law was not yet just, and the lawless were still strong,
only he was there to protect the innocent from those who would take away what
little freedom they had. And he used his real name: Himura Kenshin. Can
Kenshin hold his word that he would never again kill? Or will the onslaught of
new threats finally force him to become yet again the Hitokiri Battousai ...
one who relishes the sheen of blood on his sword?
Review
This has been one of the *hot* series in recent years, and it has reason to
be popular. With such a heavy premise and storyline, one would think this were
Ninja Scroll the TV series, but Rurouni Kenshin couldn't be further off that
mark. Kenshin is just plain silly! Oro? When the action hits a lull, he is to
be seen going into SD, or at least squished-face form quite often. This seems,
frankly, wrong, until you put it into the context of the character and the
series.
Kenshin is regaining his innocence. With each life he saves, or spares, he
seems to gain a bit of himself back. He's able to live a relatively good life
with the spirited girl Kaoru, and their growing collective of friends, like
the wild-tempered, but trustworthy Sanosuke, and the plucky pickpocket Yahiko
(who, yes, is initially annoying, but he has his moments). Almost every single
one of these characters, as well as a goodly portion of others, has great
characterization (and suitably tragic background), and many of the so-called
bad guys are really would-be-heroes who just happen to be working for someone
else. (Like the four underlings of Aoshi ...) You could be rooting for Kenshin
to defeat a character in one episode, and then find yourself rooting for that
very same character in the next.
Another thing this series has going for it is the plot, which, so far, has
been pretty darn good for a "popular" series. Not epic, by any
means, but with no blatantly obvious logic loss, except for a few battles
(which no normal human should ever survive - but this IS anime). But what
holds this together well is the drama and action, which are placed well
together. The background music is sufficiently well-done, highlighting the
mood when needed, and giving a very authentic-seeming historical sound to it.
The way of life circa 1860-1880 seems well-presented, and you wish you knew
more about Japanese history after watching this from a Westerner's
perspective. And the animation ranges from decent to slightly aboce-average
for a TV series. Not breathtaking, but certainly not bad.
About the only major gripe I have would be the theme songs. Frankly,
besides the BGM, Rurouni Kenshin music is mostly terrible. "Heart of
Sword" is good, but Judy and Mary's opening song "Sobakasu" is
almost unbearable. Nowhere near, say, Tokyo Babylon, but bad, all the same.
Later songs ("Fourth Avenue Cafe") are decent, though.
Plus the fact that every technique, no matter how ineffective or visually
powerful, has to have a ponderously long name that's apparently supposed to
mean something impressive. ("Hey, I've seen that technique before! It's
Crane-Eating-a-Large-Marshmallow-Fist!") It's minor, but it gets silly
fast.
Occasional, later in the series, the show does lapse into filler (as many
shows of this length are wont to do), but overall, Rurouni Kenshin does remain
an exciting, enjoyable watch. It's a lot of fun, and it appeals to
action-lovers and shoujo fans alike, surprisingly enough. Maybe that's because
it's more than a little like an 19th-century shounen version of Fushigi Yuugi,
intensely character-driven as this is. Kenshin himself proves to be actually
one of the more memorable characters of the last few years of TV shows, with
his motivations, and the conflict always present between the truly human
Himura Kenshin and his other self, Hitokiri Battousai.
It's a good thing Media Blasters picked this series up ... Sony's old
Region 2 trailers for Samurai X ("Sayanora, samarai!!!") are at once
the most sickeningly godawful and inadvertently hilarious excuses for dubbed
anime ever thought up in the West.
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