Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan - Ishinshishi e no Chinkonka

I judge movies and tv shows based on its emotional impact on me, and needless to say this was one of the most beautiful experiences I have ever had with a movie.. Just plain outright amazing, a very impactful and inspirational film.. Just when I’d thought I’ve seen everything from Rurouni Kenshin, I find this movie.. The soundtrack was outwright beautiful and heartwarming, the animation was second to none, and the fighting sequences were some of the best I’ve seen from any Rurouni Kenshin overall. I am so glad this film lived up to my expectations, definitely a must watch.

This Rurouni Kenshin movie is filler, which is not always inherently bad, but worse than that a shameless rehash of multiple arcs of the anime series. Yet again are we introduced to the idea of the disgruntled samurai who fought in the Bakumatsu era of Japan who are not satisfied with the current state of the Meiji Government and the collapse of the Shogunate. We’ve seen such plot points numerous times in the anime however executed much better and with greater impacts on the characters. Multiple characters are not important to the plot but happen to be there, maybe just for fanservice and for marketing. ... Overall, the movie is very bland and at times boring, if you’ve seen the anime, this movie will feel very familiar to you, and skippable.

I was on the fence about watching this movie for a long time. I loved the show and the two specials, reflection and trust and betrayal. I can honestly say I wish I had never seen the movie.

Story: 7/10
The story was the only good thing about this movie. It fit into the plot and didn't feel out of place for a second.

Art: 4/10
Honestly, I understand it is pretty old but it doesn't match the art from the show at all. Of course, it's done by a different team so it wouldn't have the same art, but the quality in the movie is actually lesser than ... the show despite the fact it is more recent.

Sound: 3/10
I didn't feel like the sound was done very well at all. Some things had sound effects when they shouldn't and some needed sound effects. The voice actors didn't really fit their characters and I'm not sure why. They're the same from the specials mentioned above but it still didn't feel right at all.

Character: 1/10
I don't even want to get into this. Kaoru and Sanosuke didn't feel right at all and I'm not sure if it was their voice, artwork, speech, or a combination. The new characters didn't make me feel attached to them at all and I was actually happy most of them died or left.

Enjoyment: 1/10
I would give this a negative number if I could. I didn't enjoy one second of this. Nothing felt right at all and honestly this movie is a disgrace to the name Kenshin Himura.

Overall, if you want to watch it for completeness, then that's on you. I will never watch it again and I'm still contemplating whether or not it's worth keeping on my HDD. They could give me the movie for free and I would just send it back. If you loved the show and adored the specials, this will tarnish your opinion of Kenshin and his universe. If you thought the show was ehh or hated the specials, you obviously have no taste so this travesty is right up your alley.