Rurouni Kenshin
Reviewed by Dan Peterson |
| Synopsis |
| I suppose I am getting a bit monotonous with my Gundam/Shonen Jump reviewing…but I swear I do watch other anime! Anyway, I guess it’s time to jump back into a Shonen Jump review, and this time we’ll take a look at Rurouni Kenshin. Basically, the show takes place in the Meiji restoration (a very cool, awesome, and exciting era in Japanese history for those of you who are interested in samurai and don’t know anything about it) after the Meiji government has taken over. An assassin called the “hitokiri battosai” helped the Meiji government in this revolution and was the number one manslayer, but now he has forsaken his ways as an assassin to become a rurouni, or wanderer, and protect those close to him. But enemies from the past aren’t that easy to evade, and throughout the series ghosts from Kenshin’s, the battosai’s, past come back to haunt him in increasingly dangerous ways. |
| PLOT: 85% |
| First of all, let me preface all my comments in this section and in all others with the fact that I am currently reading the manga for Kenshin, and seeing as the manga is always better than the anime (with a few exceptions), I will probably end up giving Kenshin lower ranks than it deserves because it pales in comparison to the manga. Anyway, the main difference between the anime and manga lies in the filler added in the anime to flesh it out. The main plotline is pretty much the same, but filler is definitely added to some parts. Sometimes this filler is welcome in fleshing out characters we love but don’t get to know as well as we like (Sanosuke, for example), but other times it’s just distracting and detracts from the main plot. Overall, though, when the show hits the main plotline, it’s one of the best shows out there. |
| CHARACTERS: 90% |
| I love Kenshin characters! My personal favorite is Sanosuke, a street brawler with a past involving the Sekiho army. In a show with themes of guilt and atonement running through it, the characters usually fixate on their past, which would be annoying in a show where every character’s past wasn’t somehow tied in to massive bloodshed, betrayal, and loss. Even the bad guys are amazingly well-developed and have cool backstories, from the dark and brooding Aoshi to the Shinsengumi captain Saito Hajime. When it comes to these characters, Kenshin gives us a whole lot to love! |
| ART: 75% |
| Once again, love the manga, not so keen on some parts of the anime because of it. The artwork in Kenshin leaves a bit to be desired, though it could be worse. The show was actually aired, I believe, about a decade ago, so it’s not the most cutting-edge of animation styles, but it feels solid and bright, if a little cutesy at times. |
| SOUNDTRACK: 65% |
| I am totally ambivalent about this soundtrack. There are some songs that will get stuck in your head, but most of them aren’t ones that you’d want in there in the first place. It’s a good show, but the soundtrack does leave quite a bit to be desired. |
| CONCLUSION: 80% Overall |
| Definitely worth your time. |
|
