Introduction | Character Guide
| Story Guide | Image Gallery
July, 23 2003 - Originally published in the pages of Weekly
Shonen Jump Japan in 1994, Rurouni Kenshin was created in Manga form by Nobuhiro
Watsuki. Rurouni Kenshin could possibly be the best animated and manga series with its
story, action, humor and art style. The series
spans over 28 manga volumes 95 episodes and 2 OVA specials.
Rurouni Kenshin is at heart a romantic story between a wanderer with a tragic
past and a lonely swordswoman who runs a dojo all by herself. Don't let the
romantic side of the story blind you from the what Kenshin is: an awesome
storyline with awesome characters.
Set in the 1870's after the Meiji Revolution, the plot revolves around Kenshin
fighting to preserve the peace Japan. Like all those who fight for the good of a
country, there is always someone who challenges that ideal and many times
Kenshin will face powerful adversaries who want nothing more than to achieve
their own selfish ambitions; even if it means killing a few people. Kenshin
won't allow that: he protects the weak in order for them to live peacefully and
will sacrifice his life to do so.
Like most successful animes,
the Rurouni Kenshin series' most important attribute is it's characters. While
many of the minor characters suffer from being generic and uninteresting, the
main and supporting characters are very detailed and have great depth, with each
having a unique look and style. And they are all cool too; characters like
Sanosuke, Saito, Hiko and Aoshi are an important part of the series and I can't
imagine what the Kenshin saga would be like without them. The story is the
second most important attribute. Although the quality starts out at a decent
pace in the
Wandering Swordsman arc,
things pick up in the second and third arc as characters progress, more
interesting characters appear, and more intense battles take place. Lets not
forget the 3rd most important attribute: the battles. I'll admit, watching
battles in the anime took a little getting used to at first because of the
intermittent dialog among the other characters during the fight. But after
watching it a few times, I can see why it's important. Hearing the other
characters talk about fight gives you a better understanding of what's really
happening during a battle as most of the action is either too fast to see on
screen or too complicated to understand. It never detracts from the action and
it never gets in the way of the pacing of the story. And even though this series
has a very serious tone, there is a good amount of humor added for good measure.
It's all done quite well, and is elegant in a way unlike any other anime.
Both the anime and the manga
are excellent, although I have to give a slight edge to the manga due to the
excellent artwork and style. I cant get over how detailed
Watsuki's art is... it's
that good! I am amazed at the level of detail for each character. That doesn't
mean the anime is not excellent, however! I can't imagine the animators doing
better than what they have already done. Animation and art is always rock solid
in each episode, never really changing in quality. The first 2 arcs of the anime
follow the manga very closely (the third arc was never animated and episodes
63-95 are anime only; read more on the
Jinchuu arc for more
information) and besides adding a few extra comical parts in the first arc, the
episodes are pretty faithful to Watsuki's
original story. The music and sound are also pretty well done, with the Japanese
voice actors doing an excellent job. I know many of you have watched the dub on
Cartoon Network and as decent as the English dub is, it can't hold a candle to
the original Japanese dub. In fact it shouldn't be watched that way! The only
true way to watch the Kenshin anime is with the original Japanese dialog. The
difference is like night and day!
Conclusion: Rurouni Kenshin is quite possibly the best series of all time. If it
were not for the anime original episodes,
Kenshin would have been the best anime series. Still, episodes
1-62, the 1st OVAs and manga volumes 18-28 are a must see. You'd' be a fool to
miss out on this series; go out there and get em.
Data Specs
- Genre - Adventure, fighting, humor,
historical / Asian sword fighting theme
- Episodes/Chapters -
Anime: TV episodes - 95, OVAs - 5, Movies - 1
Manga: graphic novels - 28
- US Distributor -
R1 DVD: TV series - Media Blasters (ALL), OVAs- ADV (ALL), Movie - ADV
Manga - VIZ/Shonen Jump USA (graphic novels - 0/28)
- Coverage Status: Complete -
Anime: Japanese subtitled TV series - (ALL), OVAs - (ALL), Movie
Manga: Graphic novels (RAW Japanese Jump Comic) - (29/29)
Want more information? Below I have a few guides to the
Rurouni Kenshin Saga. I have tried my
best to make this guide spoiler free, but I was not able to accomplish this
totally. There are some mild spoilers in them so be forewarned!
