Rurouni Kenshin (Samurai X)


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Name:Rurouni Kenshin (Samurai X)
Contains:
checked Comedyun-checked Mechschecked Drama
checked Violenceun-checked Shoujo 
un-checked Hentaiun-checked Explicit Sexun-checked Brief Nudity
Running Length:? mins.
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Rurouni Kenshin (Samurai X)
Rurouni Kenshin review

(Remember, if this review is helpful or well-written, please give me a good rating (down below)! Thanks for your support! *^__^)

Without a doubt, Rurouni Kenshin is the best anime I've ever seen.
Also one of the most unique, in that the quality of the show itself varies depending on the season, or story arc. Unfortunately, not all of season three has been completely released on DVD yet, so while I'm waiting, I'll talk about the first two. First, though, we need to touch on the basic story:

Kenshin, once known as Battousai the Manslayer, one of the greatest warriors in the days of the Revolution, has sworn off killing. He's become a wanderer and wants to use his sword to protect others and repent for his actions of ten years ago.
However, he finds that it's not very easy fighting for his ideals with a reverse-blade sword (the blade is on the opposite side, meaning that the sword won't kill) when he's sworn off fighting, especially when other former Revolution fighters, upset with the new Meiji government, continually try to throw Japan into a state of chaos by launching attacks and making the people wonder about the security of the fairly new government...

First arc:
Generally, we're very light on the action here, and because of this, a lot of "hardcore" fans of this series (or of the OAVs) will tell you the only good story arc was the second one. They're very, very wrong. These first 27 episodes may have had little in the way of a continuing storyline, with no storyline being carried over for three episodes or more, but it made up for it in getting you attached to every character you meet.
Kaoru's the somewhat temperamental, but hard-working girl, Yahiko's the gutsy little kid who tries to take on more than he can handle, Sanosuke's the cool "tough guy" type that fangirls tend to love, and Kenshin... Well, Kenshin has more facets of his personality than I think I could explore here.
In most anime series, if you wanted to just see 1-3 episodes just to say you watched it and got a feel for the characters, you could. After all, sadly, in most series, you could probably explore each character's personality in a single episode. For Kenshin, however, I can think of at least four episodes that one would need to watch just to scratch the surface of his character.
As for the storyline: As I said, there's really no continuing storyline for the first 27 episodes. That's not to say that the 1-3 episode-long plots aren't without their merits. There's obvious character development that continues throughout the season, with or without a major 27-episode plot. Also worth noting are the sheer historical facts the creators used when making this series. Just take a look at the liner notes needed on each and every Kenshin DVD release to explain some authentic Japanese history: This is extensive and impressive stuff, enough so that, were it not for a few of the more unrealistic parts of the anime, one could believe that this had all actually happened.
Again, don't overlook the first season of Rurouni Kenshin just because of what people may say about the second. Quite honestly, if you jumped into the second season without watching the first, the second just wouldn't have the emotional impact that it does.

Second arc:
I find it hard to really review these episodes, just because they've been talked about by so many other people. More over, it's even harder to review these episodes without ruining everything.
Unlike the first season, the second season has an ongoing, developing plot. With 27 episodes of sheer character development coming into it, one would think no more is needed...
But again, Kenshin's character is deep and very, very realistic. No storyline in the first season delved too deeply into the side of his personality that's covered and dealt with extensively in this season. It was always explained that Kenshin had become a wanderer to help people and attone for his days at war ten years ago, during the Revolution, but as for what those days were like... It simply wasn't dealt with.
In this season, far beyond the first and, indeed, beyond any anime I've seen, emotion and realism are the issues. A lot of people love it for the action, and for that, I can't fault them. The action IS incredible, to the point where I do have to mention here that even people who take a neutral stance toward watching violence may find themselves flinching watching a few fights and a few hits; they CAN be brutal enough, at times, to do that.
Nonetheless, I believe emotion and realism truly are the most important parts of this season and of this anime: These are characters you will FEEL for.

Rurouni Kenshin is not just your average anime, regardless of what season you're watching.
Rurouni Kenshin is an anime where, instead of spending your time wondering how the hero's going to win in this episode, whether the hero's going to be okay... Physically and emotionally, because deep inside, Kenshin and all of his friends are characters you will care about. Trust me.

A list of my other 29 anime reviews:
Right here
All of the series I've reviewed are listed at the bottom of the Saint Tail review.

Overall Rating: 10
Animation:10 Plot:10 Humor:8 Sound Track:9
Weight: 40 (Reputable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=86883


Rurouni Kenshin (Samurai X)
Rurouni Kenshin is one of the best anime I have ever seen and read. It has something for everbody, action, adventure, romance, comedy, drama, you name it, Kenshins got it. When I first herd about it, I thought it was just another pointless samurai action anime. Then I saw an advertisment on one of my tapes and thought it look pretty good, I loved the song. So I decided to check it out and when I did I couldn't stop watching it. It is now my favorite anime. Rurouni Kenshin is rooted with a meaningful plot, almost everything that happens, happens for a reason, political, religous, or just presonal,every fighting seen has a reason (The only episodes that probably don't have meaning are the filler ones, but that doesn't matter cause those ones are usually in there for the comedy). It has a tremendous amount of comedy. some of the seens will make you cry cause there so funny. The characters are great, each have there own unique personality and dramatic passed, which makes it hard to not love the characters. The animation is superb, it gets better as the animator's drawing talent gets better. The sountrack is amazingly good. The music is what acually got me into Rurouni Kenshin, its hard not to like any of the songs. This is truely one of the best anime you can posably see or read in this lifetime. Mr. Watsuki Nobuhiro is a genius. Personally, I like the manga better than the anime cause the manga has the best arc in it and because the anime has alot of dumb filler eps. towards the end of the series (this doesn't bother me that much cause some filler eps are pretty amusing). Either way The show should have you glued to your seat and your eyes glued to the tv (or manga).

Overall Rating: 10
Animation:10 Plot:10 Humor:10 Sound Track:10
Weight: 17 (Trustworthy Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=107073


Rurouni Kenshin (Samurai X)
Rurouni Kenshin is the BEST!!

Overall Rating: 10
Animation:10 Plot:10 Humor:10 Sound Track:10
Weight: 10 (Trustworthy Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=364662


Rurouni Kenshin (Samurai X)
This is a very difficult series to rate as a whole, mainly because the last one-third of the series is really bad compared to the first two seasons (62 episodes). Normally long anime projects on TV have well-conceived structures and plot lines that are adopted specifically within the framework of these structures. (A good example of this would be Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon, whose 200 episodes are partitioned into five separate seasons, each of which has its own plot development, mid-season climax, and multi-episode finale to wrap it all up before continuing into the next season.)

However, Rurouni Kenshin's third season lacks such a substructure, resulting in an abrupt and awkward ending. This is probably due to the fact that the series got canceled in Japan after 94 episodes aired. There were to be more episodes featuring the return of Saito Hajime to the series, the immensely popular archrival of Himura Kenshin, but such was not the case as the master of Gatotsu makes his last appearance at the end of episode 62. Such inconsistency is a bit disturbing, since the first two seasons are beautifully done, and the 35-episode second season beginning from episode 28 is one of THE most exciting story arcs of all of anime.

Its not-so-impressive final season notwithstanding, Rurouni Kenshin is still one of the most popular anime series up to date, full of intriguing characters and heartrending plot lines. Action, romance, and humor are all there, plus some of the deepest philosophical themes and wonderfully accurate historical notes. This is certainly an action-packed series, although it doesn't shove machismo violence down your throat the way Dragon Ball Z does, and it leaves you plenty to think about even after all the fireworks are over.

The first season starts out with a bang, as the first episode -- one of the most popular among all RK episodes -- introduces our two main characters, Himura Kenshin and Kamiya Kaoru, in a most graceful style. Up to episode 27, the series alternates between up-tempo subarcs and some very nicely done filler episodes -- smoothly inviting the viewers to get to know each main characters in depth while setting up nicely for the rollercoaster ride of the second season.

If you think you have already fallen in love with this anime during the first season like I did, you have no idea you could actually get to love it even more during the second season. Kicking off with a mini-arc featuring great fight scenes between Kenshin and Saito, the second season invites you deeper to take a look at the nature of Kenshin's inner struggle, and the way he resolves it by meeting new allies and fighting new opponents. The ebb and flow of the masterpiece plot line will keep you on your toes for the entire 35-episode joyride... I'm telling you again, this is one of THE most exciting story arcs ever animated, Japanese or otherwise. Full of surprises and unexpected resolutions, this second season will make you breathe and sympathize you with its characters as each episode unfolds itself before you.

Which of course sets up the most disappointing third season, which is basically a collection of several sub-storyarcs. One thing you will notice is the recycling of the characters from the previous two seasons, and that's usually bad news, especially when they don't even play central roles in their respective storyarcs. About the only redeemable plot line appears in the Amakusa Shougo and Magdalia arc, as the change of scenery it presents makes it a little fresh. However, the other storyarcs are pedestrian at best, and sadly, in the end, you find yourself looking forward to the last episode, when the RK producers had to close out the series quickly and decided to throw out unsolicited hints at the future of Kenshin-Kaoru couple. It's a lame way to wrap up the series with superb first and second seasons, but maybe it wasn't possible to keep up with the excitement and flare of the second season.

This is still a very good anime series, every bit deserving of the fanatical love and support shown by its fans over many years. The casting of Suzukaze Mayo (a woman seiyuu, and a very pretty one at that) as the voice of Kenshin turned out to be a great move (although Ogata Megumi might have done a better job), and familiar voices of Tominaga Miina (Izumi Noa from Patlabor) as Yahiko and Ueda Yuuji (Urashima Keitaro from Love Hina, Tenkawa Akito from Nadesico) as Sanosuke provides a nice change-up from the otherwise unfamiliar voice of Kenshin. This is a very well-done series from the thematic and philosophical point of view as well, and if you're one of those anime fans who like those animes that leaves you with something to think about, you will enjoy Rurouni Kenshin at least as much as I did.

Overall Rating: 9
Animation:9 Plot:10 Humor:8 Sound Track:10
Weight: 10 (Trustworthy Vote)
Date:
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=338714


Rurouni Kenshin (Samurai X)
Humour, action, kawaii bishounens...what more could you want? ^^

Overall Rating: 10
Animation:10 Plot:10 Humor:10 Sound Track:9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=452697


Rurouni Kenshin (Samurai X)
wonderful movie

Overall Rating: 9
Animation:10 Plot:9 Humor:10 Sound Track:10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=401917


Rurouni Kenshin (Samurai X)
The best movie!

Overall Rating: 10
Animation:10 Plot:10 Humor:10 Sound Track:10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=359320


Rurouni Kenshin (Samurai X)
it is a good show over all

Overall Rating: 8
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
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Rurouni Kenshin (Samurai X)
One of the Best anime shows I have ever seen!

Overall Rating: 10
Animation:10 Plot:10 Humor:10 Sound Track:7
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=351559


Rurouni Kenshin (Samurai X)
Hey this is Tristan Win and i like to say this. Rurouni Kenshin is a great anime it has most of the things anime needs to be great. But the one thing that kill me about it is the opening song. That song is sooooooooo bad i have to mute it just to wach the show. If you don't know what i'm talking about then wach the show on cartoonnetwork at 11:00 eastern time on saturday.

Overall Rating: 8
Animation:10 Plot:9 Humor:6 Sound Track:3
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=346429

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