Rurouni Kenshin (1996) IMDb
Categorization |
Usually enemy-of-the-week action with largely static romantic situations, goofy in their domestic aspects. Some parts of this series and the larger franchise deepen into stories about the nature of warriors and the Meiji era. |
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Subject |
In 1878, a lone wanderer enters Tokyo. Though small and seemingly young, he is scarred and miraculously skilled with his gently curved sword. It has been forged edge-backwards, so the swordsman can uphold an oath never to kill. It unfolds that this man was once the Battousai, a legendary assassin from the revolution’s days of blood and fire, ten years in the past. One day, the wanderer is challenged by an old enemy who is sufficiently powerful and cunning to bring the assassin persona to the surface. His successor is about to conquer the nation, and so his quest for atonement grinds on. |
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Commentary |
Episodes 28 to 62 inclusive (“the Kyoto arc”) are outstanding work for its genre. Episode 63 and the rest of the series represent a return to the preceding enemy-of-the-week concept, and are not based on the manga, which the anime was outrunning at that point. They are interesting only for some relevance to the earlier good stuff and the history of Christianity in Japan. The exception is the last episode (95), which was originally created to wrap things up after the Kyoto arc. It’s largely independent of the 63-94 interval, and more relevant. Some historical connections are noteworthy, such as Kawakami Gensai. |
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References here: Gosick (2011), “Yamadeloid” (2015). |
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Interquel: Rurouni Kenshin: Requiem for the Ishin Patriots (1997) IMDb
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Prequel: Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal (1999) IMDb
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Sequel: Rurouni Kenshin: Reflection (2001) IMDb
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