Rurouni Kenshin Review – Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan

Rurouni Kenshin is back and its coming to the big screen with a limited theatrical release via ODEX Philippines and SM Cinemas. And unlike the 90s / early 2000s anime series, this new series is called Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan and features new animation, new voice cast and a more streamlined storytelling approach.

The series features the voices of Soma Saito as Kenshin Himura, Rie Takahashi as Kaoru Kamiya, Makoto Koichi as Myojin Yahiko, Taku Yashiro as Sagara Sanosuke and Saori Onishi as Takani Megami. And lucky for us Pinoy anime fans and enjoyers of geek lifestyle, ODEX International brough over two of the seiyus from this project namely Taku Yashiro and Makoto Koichi.

We don’t have photos or videos because the folks of ODEX International asked us not to share or repost so no chance of hearing Yashiro and Koichi do their voices for the project which was pretty cool.

So going back to this Rurouni Kenshin review, the short answer of this is that it’s a good watch especially if you haven’t seen the original anime series in all its glory on Studio 23 or ABS-CBN or even GMA then you are in for a treat. If you have seen the original, which many of us have, then you’ll also be in for a treat because of the notable stuff they added in.

The version you’ll be seeing in theaters contains a total of four episodes with the first episode being the fateful meeting between Kaoru Kamiya and the Rorouni/ wanderer Kenshin Himura which spirals into a plot by a bunch of shady guys out to get the Kamiya dojo and Kenshin steps in at the nick of time to save Kaoru. Then there’s the introduction of Yahiko and how Kenshin sort of forces the orphan to be Kaoru’s student and finally encountering Sanosuke Sagara who he had to fight first and beat down to become an important ally especially when we enter the Shishio arc.

But you have to really enjoy the simplicity of the manga’s first few stories as its typically one and done while leaving enough breadcrumbs for the bigger plot to unfurl in future episodes.

The animation quality here is excellent. If the animation will be consistently be this good then I am definitely waiting for the future episodes to be released next month. They polished up the designs too for the main characters and redid some important scenes like that introductory fight that involved Sanosuke and those drunks, it looks tons better although I venerate the original version, this one is slightly better especially with modern eyes looking at it and not some dumb kid in the early 2000s/ late 90s.

Sidenote, me and a friend went on discussion how live-action Sanosuke was given injustice, back then I would have argued that actor Munetaka Aoki was cast for his acting chops but now I have to agree. We needed pretty boy Sagara in the movie not rough and tumble uncle Sagara. At least we have the new series to get that fix.

The scenes with Kenshin are also some of the strongest in the theatrical release and for the anime series as well. With better animation quality we get more emotions than the OG anime. They get to animate the anger and those dead serious eyes of Himura better. Better animated Battousai and gentle Kenshin are separate moods thanks to this release. Again I write this with major respect to the RK/ Samurai X series from yesteryear.

Just like how Demon Slayer Kimetsu No Yaiba to the Swordsmith Village arc ended, this theatrical run will also end just when things are really heating up. Some may hate this but I totally understand although my wallet will echo the sentiments of moviegoers. But at least ALL viewers will bring home a number of Rurouni Kenshin goodies like shirts, posters and limited edition acrylic stands featuring the main four characters like Kenshin, Kaoru, Yahiko and Sanosuke.

Honestly speaking, you will be walking into a screening of the upcoming anime series’ first to fifth episode with a massive cliffhanger that may or may not anger you with how it was cut. We didn’t even get some neat little teasers, they could have at least ended with that and not an abrupt cut. But just like Kenshin’s journey that has a “beginning” (that was a One OK Rock reference by the way), it has an ending but its the journey that really mattered because this new “RK” series is just gorgeously rendered. And its also gallons more bloody especially when we meet Kenshin’s past as the “Hitokiri” Himura aka Battousai the Slasher.

Special thanks to SM Cinemas and ODEX International