Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan - Tsuioku-hen

When mankind's savagery surpasses his fear of death, there is little hope for those who wish to live honest lives. Beneath a full moon, a young boy witnesses the murder of the bandits who had enslaved him, and is then christened with a new name by the man who rescued him. This boy is Shinta, now known as Kenshin Himura, and he is destined to become a swordsman. The softness of his heart does not befit the occupation, but his desire to protect the innocent is absolute.

Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan - Tsuioku-hen details the origins of the man who would bear the name of Hitokiri Battousai long before he swore his oath not to kill and before he earned his reputation as an assassin. The young man's heart is divided between justice and corruption, while the fate of a nation rests on his actions.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Himura, Kenshin Main

Suzukaze, Mayo Japanese

Saitou, Hajime Supporting

Suzuoki, Hirotaka Japanese

Shishio, Makoto Supporting

Hiko, Seijuurou Supporting

Ikeda, Shuuichi Japanese

Yukishiro, Tomoe Supporting

Iwao, Junko Japanese

Yukishiro, Enishi Supporting

Sasaki, Nozomu Japanese

Okita, Souji Supporting

Hibino, Akari Japanese

Tatsumi Supporting

Uchida, Minoru Japanese

Katsura, Kogoro Supporting

Seki, Tomokazu Japanese

Takasugi, Shinsaku Supporting

Takagi, Wataru Japanese

Campbell, Charles Producer, ADR Director, Recording Engineer

Naruke, Yoshinori Producer

Furuhashi, Kazuhiro Director, Episode Director, Storyboard

Hata, Shouji Sound Director

Reviews

Aug 13, 2008

TheCriticsClub

Recommended

There's a universally accepted truth as far as anime shounen stories go: nine times out of ten, the manga is better than the anime adaptation. While that is the case with Rurouni Kenshin as a whole, what Studio DEEN did with Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuiokuhen can be called nothing short of a masterpiece. In the manga, Nobuhiro Watsuki describes Kenshin's past that's full of strife and hardship, but with a touch of comedy to help tone down the entire seriousness of the situation. Studio DEEN abolished what little comedy Watsuki went with and, along with flawless animation, a unique art style, and a beautifully composed soundtrack ... by Taku Iwasaki, Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuiokuhen is an ideal example of as close to perfection as one can get.

Art/Animation - 9

Taking a step away from the style of the Rurouni Kenshin TV series, Tsuiokuhen takes a darker and more grim approach to its presentation. The first and most notable change from the TV series is the depiction of the various sword styles and their employment in the scenes, as well as realistic blood splatter. While the TV series emphasizes the effect and abilities of the techniques of these styles, Tsuiokuhen brings realistic swordplay into its story. Another noticeable changeover is the expressions of its characters: although in the TV series these characters are serious but still have comedic tendencies, all this is removed in these OVAs, leaving a serious tone for its story. In addition to these changes, Tsuiokuhen also has more of an emphasis on its setting through its animation. It is undeniably Japan under the Tokugawa Regime, the banners of the Samurai, rags worn by the slaves, and everything down to the buildings and clothes.

Sound - 9.7

This anime’s music soundtrack is both beautiful and intense. In addition, combining sword fights that sound like real sword fights, attention to sound effects, and the voice actors chosen, Tsuiokuhen’s sound is nothing short of brilliant. The voices of the characters are just another reason as to why this anime has a grim depiction as many are cold and basically emotionless, while other characters have either normal voice expressions or even upbeat tones. With such great story, characters, and animation, Tsuiokuhen could have easily loosened the reigns in the sound department, but instead this show doesn't stop short. The great sound selections really finalize and add polish to an already great show with the final result being a true masterpiece.

Characters - 10

Tsuiokuhen provides the foundation for what becomes one of anime's most likable and well developed characters in Himura Kenshin. A focus of this anime is Kenshin's growth as he transitions from adolescence to adulthood and his struggle as he comes to terms with his role in the world. Newcomers to the Rurouni Kenshin scene will be introduced to a wide variety of unique characters who play a prominent role throughout Kenshin's life. Fans of the historical/samurai genre will see familiar faces in Soushi Okita and Hajime Saito of the Shinsengumi. The swordmaster Seijuro Hiko also serves as a counterpoint to Kenshin's idealism with his jaded take on life and his belief that a sword is merely a tool for murder. Those already familiar with Kenshin as the vagrant samurai with a reversed blade sword will be treated to a glimpse into the background of the Hitokiri Battousai, his relationship with Tomoe, and the events that shaped Kenshin and gave direction to his life. Cameo's by Makoto Shishio and Enishi Yukishiro will seem more noticeable and somewhat nostalgic for those who have seen what they become and the role they play in Kenshin's future.

Story - 10

The story of Tsuiokuhen depicts the past of Himura Kenshin and how he became known as Hitokiri Battousai, all the way to the origin of his cross-shaped scar and his vow to never kill again. It shows Kenshin's trials and tribulations during the Bakumatsu and, as readers of the manga are familiar with, his relationship with both Yukishiro Tomoe and her little brother, Enishi. The beauty of what Studio DEEN has accomplished here lies within the dark, brooding and emotional way they went about narrating the story. Contrary to the aloof way the TV series was, Tsuiokuhen went with a more mature outlook, easily evident with the excessive blood and gore shown in all of the battles. And with telling the story in only 4 OVAs, the story never seems to slack, but stays intriguing from start to finish.

Enjoyment - 10

Tsuiokuhen manages to combine a high level of violence with a very dramatic historical storyline, which is quite an accomplishment since many shows often go overboard on either the gore, the action, or the narration. Here Studio DEEN has done a great job portraying the story in a very gritty, down to Earth style that lends seriousness to the historical and dramatic aspects of the show. At the same time, the violence is very raw, brutal, and shocking to the senses, but while there are fantastic sword fights, the focus remains on the purpose behind them. Combined with a subtle but chilling soundtrack, this lends an air of maturity to the show and contributes to the tumultuous and unsettling environment Kenshin has become a part of. While this OVA isn't very lighthearted, it is a very unique blend that will likely please most viewers and makes Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuiokuhen a must see for any anime fan.


OVERALL - 9.74


This review is the final result of a review team composed of members from the "Critics and Connoisseurs" club. The team members were:

BlackMagic - Who wrote the Character and Enjoyment sections and combined the individual review parts together into a whole.
BURNlTHElPRIEST - Who wrote the Art/Animation and Sound sections.
vindemon64 - Who wrote the Introduction and the Story section.

Here are their individual scorings for the Anime:
Category - BlackMagic, BURNlTHElPRIEST, vindemon64

Art/Animation - 9, 9, 9
Sound - 9, 10, 10
Characters - 10, 10, 10
Story - 10, 10, 10
Enjoyment - 10, 10, 10

In the club wide poll held for Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuiokuhen it received an average overall rating of 9.09

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Jul 7, 2007

mistress_reebi

Recommended

Also named: "Samurai X: Trust and Betrayal", this is a prequel to the anime series 'Rurouni Kenshin."

One word for this anime: Amazing! It's so good that it's hard to decribe. This is one of the only anime series that will make the viewer's jaw drop to the floor and be filled with emotion. Those who are Rurouni Kenshin fans will love it; those who are new to the series will still like it. It's a drama and may not be as interesting among younger viewers and is more mature than the anime. Those who are sensitive to extreme violence and blood may want to turn ... their heads during some scenes.

The first episode is a little jumpy as it skips from past to present, which to non-Kenshin fans may be confusing. Besides the jumpiness, the plot is excellent. For a drama, the pacing isn't thin and slow and is perfect for the setting. The story to Trust and Betrayal is far more enjoyable than regular series. (which is enjoyable to begin with) The characterisation is somewhat shown in the series, and could be developed further. One learns that Kenshin is turning into a merciless manslayer when he slices a man in half, killing for the first time, and shows no emotion after. However, the other character's personalities aren't as developed.

The artwork is realist compared to Nobuhiro Watsuki's original concept, but is artwork at it's finest. Those who aren't into realist artwork will still find this series interesting to watch. They used computer three-dimension graphics, mostly in the backgrounds, but still kept unto the traditional animation. For traditional animation, it's one of the best.

The music will make one go in awe with it's use of a fulll orchestra. It creates moods and themes that also make the viewer full of emotion. The music is a main factor in making this OVA unbelievable, but it was already magnificent to begin with.

They hired the best actors in both casts for this anime. The Japanese Kenshin voice (Mayo Suzukaze) is a little too girly for the role and the English Tomoe voice (Rebecca Davis) is too emotionless it sounds like she is reading the script. The voices have a different tone than the regular anime series, which is a nice change. The OVA voices are realistic and set the drama tone, while the anime has exaggerated voices that are too cartoony. Even the Kenshin voice is different, but it's hard to decide which voice is suited better. (J. Shannon Weaver in OVA, Richard Hayworth in anime) The Landlady had the best acting performance in the English dubbed, but the acting was still great. More emotion could be used in characters, but the voices matched the characters.

This OVA has to be the most underrated anime known in the anime world. It was never a "fad" or a trend as most popular series start out, which is somewhat sad because this anime deserves attention. (Although fads are always hated in the end which shouldn't happen to this OVA) Everything about the OVA is wonderful from the music to the artwork. Anyone involved with this OVA worked extremely hard in putting effort and it clearly shows. This OVA should be on every anime fan's shelve.

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Aug 4, 2020

A7MD224

Mixed Feelings

Funny

Pre-review:
I’m currently reading the manga and reached ch.163 (prior to the events which this OVA covers from the manga). Words can’t express how disappointed I was as I watched this. I wanted to experience Kenshin’s past in anime format w/out spoiling myself from the manga because I generally prefer anime over manga as it is more immersive and engaging. Most of my criticism will be due to the short length of this flashback. (I know it’s like 15 ch.in the manga, which is short also, so the manga isn’t excluded from this critique)
Before going any further I will SPOIL some of the chapters featured in ... the manga and the ENTIRETY of this OVA:

Characters and their motivation:

Every character featured in this OVA –aside from Kenshin- are bland and uninteresting. Now, let’s talk about the main cast (will be further explained in the writing section). Himura Kenshin is first presented as a child who went through a tragedy at a young age when seeing all of the three women, who bought him as a slave and took care of him after his parents died, get slaughtered by a group of bandits and got saved by Hiko that’s when he develops an ambition of saving the weak from the oppressive thugs by learning swordsmanship.
Tomoe, this bland character has no interesting quality in her at all. Her only existence is to act as a foil one for kenshin’s main story of atonement, and has two purposes to achieve which is to act as a love interest for Kenhin and to get revenge from Kenshin who killed her future husband.
Now the supporting cast, Enishi is Tomoe’s brother who hates the battousai because he ruined the future life of his sister so he wants to get him killed. Honestly, Tomoe’s death ruined Enishi’s character for me because Kenshin didn’t kill her deliberately or something of that sort, he wanted to kill an old man and she jumped in so she got sliced meaning Enishi’s reasoning now to kill Himura is non-sense and even if it is justified why didn’t he kill him when they were in the same place and (how) didn’t Enishi saw Kenshin’s remorse due to Tomoe’s death. Katsura Kogorō has nothing going for him nor the spy and I don’t even know why he betrayed them. Hiko, Saitou and the others play their role perfectly (JK) -a master and a formidable opponent against Kenshin- nothing more and nothing less.

Writing:

Beginning:

It starts out as I said in the character of Kenshin and it sets the tone for what this OVA will go through and it achieved it perfectly.

Story arcs:

There is only one which is the love relationship between Tomoe and Kenshin and that’s a problem, first there is no more than that and second it’s not executed as well as many people claim it to be. First point: It was a wasted potential that there was no training arc b/w Hiko and Kenshin, which doesn’t add any depth to the relationship b/w the master and his pupil nor do we learn anything that happened to Hiko in the past to what led him to be a swordsmanship to let us care about him nor does he have anything interesting in his personality which makes stand out so he appears as a plot device just to make Himura strong, whether it is in the Bakumatsu or the Kyoto arc. Another story missed out is that of Saitou’s group we never spent time to learn their motivations and ideologies other than being police which serve as opponents to the Ishin shishi. Now the main focus story of this OVA, the Love relationship between the main characters. What makes it so weak is that there is no redeeming factor for any of the two for each other, for example what makes Tomoe love Kenshin? IDK, it’s not like he saved her in any shape or form, it’s quite the opposite he killed her childhood friend who would later on become her future husband the next month of his assassination. The only thing she finds good about him is that he is good at heart but because he has been as an assassin tool for a cult to achieve their goals, that’s why he became like this…. you know Tomoe just because you sympathize w/him doesn’t means he is excused for what he did against your childhood friend. As for Kenshin, this boggles me even more, why did he love herr? We got 2 eps of them barely talking to each other and she didn’t offer anything useful to Kenshin like giving advices or anything and the point where he mentions that she helped him to get a new way life and become less of a hitokiri and more of a normal man. No you (Himura) dummy, you only got to see that life because of the downfall of the Choshu clan that made the leader ask of you to go away from Kyoto, and the businesses you made as earning money was an advice from the spy and he persuaded you to sell those medicines and not Tome. Farming plants as a way to live your new life, is a thing you suggested to Tomoe and she agreed on doing it. Kenshin you already were thinking of not killing people even before you knew Tomoe so that change of you that you claim it is thanks to Tomoe is a lie.

Characters dialogues/interaction:

It is a mid one honestly. You had those big words when those military swordmen talked to each other and kenshin’s interaction with Tomoe which was hella boring since you don’t feel the chemistry b/w those two, they have the same dull faces when they hated/didn’t care for each other and when they loved each other. In addition, there was kenshin’s monologues which honestly are the saving grace of this category.
Character development:
Kenshin’s development is extremely well-done. We always see him have a psychological conflict within himself, he always wanted to save the weak from oppressive people so he got into the Ishin Shishi (after he got proposed by Katsura Kogorō )to create a new age of peace but the way he do things is contradictory to his beliefs since he kills a lot of people he is assigned to assassinate, and he always had this feeling of not fulfilling what he wanted to achieve actually and at the end he realizes that what he had done was wrong and he is in the path to atone for what harm did he cause to a lot people’s lives.
Tomoe…. Has no character development aside from hating to loving Kenshin. And I already discussed that she is uninteresting

Ending:

The ending was good on its own but the pay off was not good for me. As Kenshin finishes his last mission, he goes off in his path of atonement.
World building:
During my read in the whole manga we never actually see the actual relationship between the shinsengumi and Ishin Shishi aside from being enemies or anything related to this setting, so I thought we would get-at some point- a good flashback about that and it would be this. Granted it’s a historical setting so if you don’t know about the Bakumatsu history -like me- then you are screwed. You are expected to go into this knowing that, so I can’t discuss it since IDK much about it, but that doesn’t excuse the OVA to go half-assesd about it. You don’t ever understand why the Ishin Shishi do what they do and why against the government.

Production/Presentation:

This is one of the best production of Anime I’ve seen. The musics were fire and hits at the right places, the animation is superb. No complaints

Enjoyability:

I didn’t really enjoy it too much. Since the relationship between the MCs aren’t compelling and their interactions are borderline boring and it is the only thing we had (as a story arc), everything else was kept at a minimum.

My Final thoughts:

I was really disappointed with this OVA seeing a lot of tens and a lot of people praising the love relationship between the MCs and I think it is a mediocre one. If you ask me what anime has a good love relationship, I would say Okabe and Makise (from Steins; Gate) is one of them.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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	Poll: Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuiokuhen Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 ) ManU-Alchemist - Jun 2, 2008	76 replies	by hikikodokumori »» Oct 6, 12:25 PM
	Poll: Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuiokuhen Episode 4 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 ) hznu - Sep 16, 2008	193 replies	by Archean-Return »» Aug 13, 12:34 AM
	Poll: Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuiokuhen Episode 3 Discussion ( 1 2 ) ManU-Alchemist - Jun 17, 2008	57 replies	by catmancatplan »» Apr 16, 5:23 PM
	Can I finally watch this after seeing the 2023 remake or I have to still see the Kyoto arc? Cestlavie_ - Dec 16, 2023	13 replies	by LoveLikeBlood »» Feb 17, 5:17 AM
	Similar tragic romance yoru987 - Aug 13, 2023	5 replies	by AkiraMiyazaki17 »» Aug 17, 2023 8:20 AM

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