Ranked #306

Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan - Seisou Hen

Now Rurouni Kenshin is probably the best samurai manga story I have read to date, and I was pretty satisfied with the anime adaptation, so now I decided to check out the other anime versions, because I put it off for too long and to prep myself up for the recently announced new anime coming out in some time.

I decided to watch the 2 episode ova that acts as sort of a closure to the series, and well... My mind is a little mixed up after watching this.

*This is just my personal impression of this ova, if you do not agree, that's fine and I'm not trying to troll, I repeat: I'm not trying to troll anyone*

To be fair, I did not personally think of this ova as a bad anime, in fact it's very good, aside from a bit of melodrama overdose (And I'm usually a big sucker for melodrama), the story does a great job at being a real tear jerker, and an emotional powerhouse that would have shaken me to my core if only it wasn't Rurouni Kenshin and was a different, original anime all together, I would've actually ended up loving it.

I appreciated to finally see characters like Enishi in animated form along with some of the series greatest moments and battles, that was a great service to the fans, but... That's it, I couldn't enjoy it as anything other than that, why?

Because, Himura Kenshin, the Hitokiri Battōsai, the famous fictional man slayer with a heart of gold, the Rurouni Kenshin himself, it really had nothing to do with him.
What I saw was dying shell of a man, stricken with an unexplained disease, that was there to replace the Kenshin fans all know and love.
Just what happened to the Kenshin who laughed and smile, where were the oros? No oro, just a soft spoken man that simply wants to die, just wandering around, trying to make everyone depressed, and is unfortunately successful at doing so.

Out of character doesn't even begin to describe it, I honestly felt betrayed, and even cheated out of supposedly watching Kenshin in, no arguments about it, the best animation I've ever seen from Japan.
But that's no compensation to me, and I doubt it was to the fans of the series as well, because what is the point of a series when the main character wasn't even actually present for the spotlight, if this was Durarara, it wouldn't matter, if this was Baccano, it still wouldn't matter, why? Because there's no actual main character in those series, all of the characters drove those series, but this is Rurouni Kenshin not those anime, and the titular character is the driving force of this particular story, it had everything to do with him, but in here, in this ova, it was just depressing that it actually had nothing to do with the actual kenshin I read about and cheered for in the manga.

The series was a shonen romance swordsman story, not a freaking death of a samurai who spread his depression like a disease, like the disease this kenshin had himself, striping away every sense of humor the series had and everything it make people love about it, but only looked like the series it was trying to be.

In another view point, this would've felt like another dragonball gt waiting to happen, but the difference here is that this was an actual well executed sad story and not a cash grab mockery of a franchise everyone loves, especially when it comes to the production values.
I do not hate this ova, far from it, it's an amazing piece of animation that is practicably professional at making anyone depressed as they watch, I just completely disapprove of what I watched, and warn others who call themselves Rurouni Kenshin fans to not actually watch this, as I felt like it was a total alienation of the fans, but to everyone else, it's a great tragic story that has nothing to do with the actual story it was based off of, but definitely not the most recommended way to make more fans of the series.

OVERALL: To sum it all up, to me: This ova was like a funeral for a beloved character, that was still actually walking around and wasn't even in his coffin in the first place, and with all the BS the character Kenshin went through, he deserved to have a happy ending or at least a better ending, not this. read more

The Last arc of Rurouni Kenshin, it's all about the final days of a great man that is Kenshin.

Everything has been decipted well in this OVA, from the stunning sceneries and up to the stunning orchestral score that it has. The story is delivered very well. It contains flashback of some of Kenshin's greatest battles and is remade or should I call it "Remastered", with a stunning animation. It also includes some scenes/events which you won't find in the manga. The OVA itself will give you a timeslip of what has happened to Kenshin through all of the years he has spent during his swordsman days.

If you have seen the TV Anime, Rurouni Kenshin. This OVA is highly recommended and should I say that you "must" also see the OVA masterpiece Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuioku Hen for these are the best OVA's of our time. read more