Spotlight Anime: Rurouni Kenshin MAL Anime Information Page: Rurouni Kenshin MAL Score – 8.47 (by 38957 users) Ranked - #102 Popularity - #50 For the next week I would like to have a discussion about the anime that focuses on the key elements that we here on MAL use to critically rate an anime: Animation, Sound, Characters, Story, and Enjoyment. I would like everyone to approach this thread as if you were going to write a review and structure your initial post like this: Animation - insert rating Sound - insert rating Characters - insert rating Story - insert rating Enjoyment - insert rating Animation - discuss any pros and cons of the animation styling used in the series, try to include some specifics. Sound - describe any of the things you liked or didn't care for in regards to the music and sound effects used in the series etc... If you are having trouble writing up a review or coming up with specific pros and cons, please don't worry. Just do the best you can with it and if you can only write two or three sentences about any of the 5 elements then that's OK. Not everyone here is currently at a level which will allow them to articulate their thoughts and opinions. After your initial post is made you can feel free to civilly discuss issues of contention. I am sure there will be many opinions expressed here that some of us will disagree upon and criticise and it is for that reason that this entire club exists. So I hope everyone has fun and I am really looking forward to watching this discussion unfold. RESULTS OF THE YOU DECIDE POLL Rurouni Kenshin was NOT inducted into the club Anime list: 6 Yes - 16.2% 31 No - 83.7% 33 Don't know this anime - 45.2% of the total number polled 3 Abstained - 4.1% of the total number polled |
santetjanAug 2, 2011 3:35 PM
| You do not beg the sun for mercy. |
| Yay finally! Before any of you decide to pick on season three, give it a rest! It was never supposed to be in it anyways. Now that's outta the way, I think Rurouni Kenshin should at least get 60% yes's. In terms of story, it was a pretty good adaption from the manga and everything that can be said about the manga can almost be applied to this anime's storyline as well. In terms of sound, I thought it was very well done. Some even epic like To say how the surface of the anime is sometimes misleading because it gives off a "light-hearted" mood when a lot of them are very deep will take someone with better literacy skills than myself. So I have included a clip that may give you insights on Kenshin Characters? Kaoru is cheerful and fun, I personally never cared about Yahiko or the other losers. Kenshin and Hiko were my favorite character. Not really sure if there are "villians" in this show. Saito was awesome anti-hero, Shishio wasn't really a bad person (okay so he killed a lot of people, but he just wanted to strengthen Japan. Good will misplaced) Kenshin's character had already been talked about and it was extraordinary well-done. None of your appreciated Hiko's awesomeness and wisdom, so I won't bother. Animation was a little let down, but hey it was old. The character designs were awesome however, something you won't see in today's anime. The only reason that I even gave it an 8 was because of season three and some minor filler arcs in season one which I think can be overlooked. |
| Even when I was in crowd, I was always alone |
Confucius said: Except that IT IS, so this is absolutely no excuse whatsoever.Yay finally! Before any of you decide to pick on season three, give it a rest! It was never supposed to be in it anyways. |
Lind_L_Tailor said: Confucius said: Except that IT IS, so this is absolutely no excuse whatsoever.Yay finally! Before any of you decide to pick on season three, give it a rest! It was never supposed to be in it anyways. Now all hope is lost... I am still going to vote yes because the first two seasons still had some merit worth inducting. |
| Even when I was in crowd, I was always alone |
| I watched this series on tv, many years ago. I tought it was brilliant and awesome. Recently I tried to rewatch it. Stopped on the first episode. |
 Waratte Oemashou Sore ha Chiisana Inori |
| Overrated for no reason! I've seen so many better samurai shows compared to this and they all managed to tell a better story in a shorter time. Big Fat NO. |
     |
| The comments are making me upset... |
| Even when I was in crowd, I was always alone |
Confucius said: The comments are making me upset...  |
| I've watched 25 eps so far, and while I like it, there are other samurai shows that I prefer over it. Unless somebody writes something reallllly convincing in the spotlight then I'll probably be voting "No". |
kokuro said: Overrated for no reason! I've seen so many better samurai shows compared to this and they all managed to tell a better story in a shorter time. Big Fat NO. Which one? I am curious. |
| Even when I was in crowd, I was always alone |
| @Yamakasi: 25 episodes isn't enough. The series doesn't really peak until the second season. I hope I can at least convince you to finish the series. @Confucius: I don't really remember hating the third season, i could see how some would think it wasn't as good as the first two, but I enjoyed some of the moral lessons that religion added to the story. Together the work is still one of the better Samurai epics. @Kokuro: I'm also very curious which anime Samurai series your talking about? I understand that this group tends to have a well deserved distaste for shonen series for their formulaic nature but, Kenshin is one of the better examples in the genre. I'm not sure if that is enough in itself to get me to vote yes either. There are some very good episodes that stand out in this series, example being the last episode of the second season I believe when Kenshin and Kaoru finally express their love for each other in the light of the fireflies very indirectly. That moment gave us a taste of what made Trust and Betrayal one of my all time favorites, but clearly it also highlights some of the many flaws that this is riddled with. There are also some very bad episodes that are clearly filler and hard to watch without fast forwarding, example for me would be basically the first ten episodes which were really mostly setting and character introduction. The light hearted slap stick aspect of the series does seem to be in complete contrast to the more dramatic serious style of it's sister Ova Trust and Betrayal, but this aspect does effectively make Kenshin's moments of clarity climatically more effective. From the yoda speaking kenshin, (speaking of English Dub) to the always annoyingly naive Yahiko and Kaoru moments, the flaws do add up and they do hurt the series. The interesting word usage of Kenshin can either be seen as endearing or basically annoying to no end. I tend to sway toward the first part, because it is a unique aspect that did grow on me and also highlighted moments where he was serious and spoke normally. Yahiko and Misao on the other hand are mostly just annoyances to the plot. They could almost be seen as filler characters. I don't see their purpose other than to further the plot through their naivety by always finding trouble for Kenshin. I suppose my gripes are really in the shonen elements, which Trust and Betrayal basically removed. Power ups, and formulaic plot designs are basically something that will kill any story trying to advance a plot in an interesting way. I did find that the historical aspect of the series, which explained the transitioning from the feudal Tokugawa bakufu to the Meiji-jidai was probably one of the more interesting aspects. The introduction of foreigners and their technology added another dynamic to the standard Samurai epic. Although this period is heavily reflected on in Japanese media and scholastic study, RK did do fairly effective job of capturing the feeling of the revolution in thinking that was occurring. The conflict between east and west could be seen as one of the strongest themes that this series attempts to examine. Basically I'm still on the fence. I really enjoyed much of the series, but also felt like it was too long and bogged down in it's shonen elements. I watched the series fairly recently, so my rating of 6/10 puts it a point under my standard for voting yes. But I can still be convinced if anyone else can can elaborate more on aspects that make this series a worthy addition to the relations list. |
Orion1Jul 26, 2011 6:42 AM
| @Orion1: For example: Samurai Champloo, Shigurui, Saraiya Goyou, Gintama, Romance of the three kingdoms (the puppet version even though it's not about samurais exactly but still close in themes) and etc. I even can say I enjoyed Sword of the stranger a bit more than this title. If you want examples of mangas much better than this: Shigurui, Samurai Executioner, Lone wolf and the cub, Gintama, Path of the Assassin and etc. |
|
| Sorry Kokuro, but your example of Gintama is better than a samurai series like Rurouni Kenshin, seems to me unwise. Gintama shounen series is also a long and overrated. Besides being a shounen parody charged of freak jokes. Compare and say it is a better example than a purely shonen series like Rurouni Kenshin...I think not so correct. |
nada_Jul 26, 2011 11:48 AM
| Elv1s, I think it's correct. When catering the environment of the setting, in terms of action and a lot of other aspects, from animation to character development, Gintama is clearly superior. Should I mention that everyone in my country has a deep respect and love for Samurai X (NOT RUROUNI KENSHIN). It aired on TV, every day after lunch and on the mornings and it was one of the focal points of the exposition to anime of my generation. However, this does not mean it has quality. I don't remember it too well anymore, as I never ended up rewatching it (the art put me off and I did not really want to rewatch it that much), but I remember that its quality was not consistent through the whole lenght of the series. I also remember the main characters were not really anything special. As for the story, all I know is that they refer Portugal in one episode, which leads to everyone being hysterical about it (imagine what happened when the population discovered Moyashimon...) I'm voting no. This is a childhood memory and, thus, it's quality is hidden behind a lot of happy memories. But from the episode I rewatched, I can't forgive it. |
Waratte Oemashou Sore ha Chiisana Inori |
kokuro said: @Orion1: For example: Samurai Champloo, Shigurui, Saraiya Goyou, Gintama, Romance of the three kingdoms (the puppet version even though it's not about samurais exactly but still close in themes) and etc. I even can say I enjoyed Sword of the stranger a bit more than this title. If you want examples of mangas much better than this: Shigurui, Samurai Executioner, Lone wolf and the cub, Gintama, Path of the Assassin and etc. Samurai Champloo. I can't even call Mugen a samurai, he is more like a pirate to me. I can't remember what his story was, so that's not good. As for Jin, his background wasn't expanded enough to say it is better than Kenshin's. Haven't seen the others, so can't comment ladyxzeus said: Elv1s, I think it's correct. When catering the environment of the setting, in terms of action and a lot of other aspects, from animation to character development, Gintama is clearly superior. Well of course the animation is superior, RK is from 1996!!! |
ConfuciusJul 26, 2011 10:29 AM
| Even when I was in crowd, I was always alone |
| @ladyxzeus Samurai X, yes. Here in Latin America also is know well, and many of us brings nostalgia, something like Dragon Ball. But in my case, I don't called so much attention, and I remember it vaguely. Yes, I also think the animation and characters from Gintama is clearly superior, but I think this is due to Gintama is more entertainment...than a history. I have seen only 11 episodes of Gintama,to much for me. So I could not opine in its entirety. The Rurouni Kenshin's story is like any shounen: fights and more fights. But follows a line, an idea, a plot...which in Gintama did not find how little I could see. Rurouni Kenshin after all is a shounen, Seinen no or other genre. Is not necesary a complex story and made for an exquisite degree. But as I said, I vaguely remember, and I will not do a re-.watch. So I abstain from my voting. |
nada_Jul 26, 2011 11:48 AM
Confucius said: kokuro said: @Orion1: For example: Samurai Champloo, Shigurui, Saraiya Goyou, Gintama, Romance of the three kingdoms (the puppet version even though it's not about samurais exactly but still close in themes) and etc. I even can say I enjoyed Sword of the stranger a bit more than this title. If you want examples of mangas much better than this: Shigurui, Samurai Executioner, Lone wolf and the cub, Gintama, Path of the Assassin and etc. Samurai Champloo. I can't even call Mugen a samurai, he is more like a pirate to me. I can't remember what his story was, so that's not good. As for Jin, his background wasn't expanded enough to say it is better than Kenshin's. Haven't seen the others, so can't comment Do you realize that you are comparing the characters of the two shows and not the shows themselves?! This is not a spotlight for kenshin, it's for the anime. @Elv1s You are free to have your own opinion of course but judging a long series like Gintama based on only 11 episodes doesn't really sound valid to me. I put the rest of the argument under spoiler cause it's rather unrelated to the spotlight here: RK on the other hand follows the old shounen formula most of the times and that bores the hell out of me since I've seen that formula so many times and the fact that it does this over more than 90 episodes makes it even worse. RK didn't have anything new to offer me. |
|
kokuro said: Do you realize that you are comparing the characters of the two shows and not the shows themselves?! This is not a spotlight for kenshin, it's for the anime. It's the only thing to compare since Champloo is episodic and none of the episodes stood out particularly. In terms of character(s), RK has the lead (as I have stated previously). Animation? Champloo has it because it is more recent (much more recent). Sound, you can argue, but I only remembered one track from Champloo and all the other soundtracks I could remember were all hip-pop and rap. The 'generic shounen story'? |
| Even when I was in crowd, I was always alone |
| If you have to omit a rather large chunk of the series based on the fact that it's (bad) filler material, then that should be indication enough to vote against it. |
Roxxy-Baby said: If you have to omit a rather large chunk of the series based on the fact that it's (bad) filler material, then that should be indication enough to vote against it. Well it's only 1/3, the 2/3s is still club material in my opinion |
| Even when I was in crowd, I was always alone |
| @Confucius: I wouldn't say that the third season was terrible, but it definitely fell flat into the blatantly shounen power-up category. @Kokuro: So is Romance of the three kingdoms even a Samurai epic? it's in China/Korea? I've seen the movie Three Kingdoms based of the original book. If the movie bares any resemblance then it's definitely not a samurai epic. BTW thanks for adding 9 more gigs and another long series to my hard drive. LoL As for Samurai Champloo, I really enjoyed the series but don't think it contains the same caliber of historical storytelling. Champloo's morals were watered down, almost anarchical compared to the clear messages that RK portrayed through out it's plot pertaining to the struggle between eastern and western culture. They were also very different in psychology and structure. Including the shonen structure that we both have a problem with. Even so, Champloo doesn't ever capture any particularly special moments that really evoked tangible emotion from me. It was a fun ride, but not really one that makes me want to jump back into it. RK on the other hand is able to break it's shonen mold from time to time with very dynamic characterization, something Champloo falls slightly short of. By the end of RK we can definitely say that we know Kenshin almost to a flaw. It's hard to choose between these two series because they are different. And there differences seem to be more grounded in subjectivity. Champloo's sound track for instance probably won't stand the test of time, while RK's already has and will continue too because it follows a more classical approach to the time period it's attempting to reflect. Animation wise Champloo, as confucius has pointed out, has the advantage of more advanced computer graphics. Art and character design? Well I think Champloo's art and character designs were clearly better. Story? Kenshin is the classic Hero archetype story. Champloo seems to be more the action adventure type meant for self discovery. I can't decide which of these stories are actually better, they both have some positives and negatives. I'm only on episode 21 of Gintama, but was really enjoying what I've seen so far from it. But I really wouldn't call it a period piece. It's a parody of a Samurai period series, therefore I'd disqualify it from comparison. While Kenshin does use comedy, it's still cemented in a specific time period and it's story is meant to be a trip through history almost as much as it's hero theme. Kenshin is the key to resolving the culture clash. Gintoki might even be seen as a mirror image of Kenshin, although also has his own moments of honor and Samurai morals. Shigurui: I'll give you this one. I think it's better too. I knew this one was coming. However since Shigurui is obviously a Seinen series it might be unfair to compare them. Saraiya Goyou: I liked it, it's pacing was great but it really fell flat on it's face with it's ending. Not because of the BL moment, but more because it seemed to be building towards a climax that never really came. Once again, SG is also a Seinen so I'm not sure if it's completely fair to compare them on the same level. As for manga, I specifically did not mention them because I haven't read RK's in order to make a fair comparison with other Samurai epics. Although if it is similar to the anime then it's fairly obvious there are some far superior works. If I had any reason to vote yes for Rurouni Kenshin, it would be because it is a good period piece series and exemplary for the shonen demographic. Is that enough? Are we being unfair to shonen and Shojo series? |
Orion1Jul 27, 2011 4:10 AM
Orion1 said: @Kokuro: So is Romance of the three kingdoms even a Samurai epic? it's in China/Korea? I've seen the movie Three Kingdoms based of the original book. If the movie bares any resemblance then it's definitely not a samurai epic. BTW thanks for adding 9 more gigs and another long series to my hard drive. LoL I haven't seen the movies, but I have read the original book and seen the old series. It's not really fair to compare the two not because one is 'Chinese' and the other 'Japanese', but because RoTK wasn't supposed to be an Anime in the first place. I haven't seen what the Anime is like, but I doubt it is better than RK (I wonder what funny adaptions they have made) Orion1 said: Kenshin is the classic Hero archetype story. Champloo seems to be more the action adventure type meant for self discovery. I can't decide which of these stories are actually better, they both have some positives and negatives. Honestly, even as an archetype, Kenshin stands out uniquely amongst the others. Orion1 said: Shigurui: I'll give you this one. I think it's better too. I knew this one was coming. However since Shigurui is obviously a Seinen series it might be unfair to compare them. Looks like I will be picking up this one. Orion1 said: As for manga, I specifically did not mention them because I haven't read RK's in order to make a fair comparison with other Samurai epics. Although if it is similar to the anime then it's fairly obvious there are some far superior works. vindemon64 said: Nobushiro Watsuki explores Kenshin's past, present and future to us in such great detail The anime adapted past and present. |
| Even when I was in crowd, I was always alone |
| It's not really fair to compare Kenshin with Champloo because one has red hair, other brown. I browsed into the series in my first anime craze along with the likes of Bebop, Trigun, Eva etc. and didn't want to score it since my memory of it was so slim and there was no comparison. Now that I've browsed into more anime and finished it's -so called good- 2/3 recently I'd say it's as mediocre as ever. I believe if Kenshin didn't come out in a period of abundancy, it wouldn't receive the infamous OVAs and would have blended in with the likes of Sengoku Basara. |
| In Riemann, Hilbert or in Banach space Let superscripts and subscripts go their ways Our asymptotes no longer out of phase, We shall encounter, counting, face to face. |
| True Kokuro. Probably I'll continue watching it in a future. But even if I have seen more episodes, the comparison that you did, me will still look like ineligible. Orion1 said: It's a parody of a Samurai period series. That's all. |
Elv1s said: . Orion1 said: It's a parody of a Samurai period series. That's all. It's a parody series that still singlehandedly does everything that a shounen do (and this case Kenshin) better. |
| In Riemann, Hilbert or in Banach space Let superscripts and subscripts go their ways Our asymptotes no longer out of phase, We shall encounter, counting, face to face. |
| Well, well. |
| Are we judging RK from our time because apparently we have "seen it all" and it is "old"? |
| Even when I was in crowd, I was always alone |
Confucius said: Are we judging RK from our time because apparently we have "seen it all" and it is "old"? No. |
Waratte Oemashou Sore ha Chiisana Inori |
| Unfortunately this entire thread looks hijacked since no one seems to actually be breaking RK down in any analytic manner. I'm getting the feeling that opinions here are based off either memories from a long time ago or incompletion. This series is a new classic and does have some merit. Hatred for Shonen series should not be the basis of any good argument against this series. As of yet I've yet to see an argument with specific examples as to why this show shouldn't be inducted. @Kukuro: You did make some pretty good points as to why Gintama should be on the list. And you are right pertaining to how analyzing other samurai series isn't actually relevant to whether or not RK should be inducted. It's pretty sad to see one of the better shonen series treated in such a way but I'm not surprised. |
| Even the title "Rurouni Kenshin" is so meaningful. |
| Even when I was in crowd, I was always alone |
| @Confucius While your passion and conviction in defending RK is commendable, I think the way you're going about it is doing more of a disservice to the series. You might want to tone down the fanboying. You can argue FOR a series in a better way and while your opinion may be unavoidably colored to a certain extent by your love for the series as mine is, try to sound less biased and more objective. Citing character and manga reviews to beef up your case is also another thing against you because we're talking about the anime here. It's essentially asking people to vote for the anime because of it's potential as can be seen from the manga. Unfortunately, the anime did not reach this potential. The only time I can safely say this argument would be valid on both anime and manga is with FMA. If RK was given the same treatment then I would have no problems giving it a yes. As it stands, I would say very much a yes to the manga, but I'm definitely leaning towards a no for the anime. I hope you don't think of this as an attack to your person, just how you're expressing your opinion and trying to shove it onto others. Nothing I hate more than blind fanboying. That said, I have to say formulaic as it is, it's STILL one of the better shounen series out there and my love for Watsuki is that he writes the kind of shounen *I* love. It may not be the greatest, but it IS one of the better ones out there. Is that enough to vote for it? Well to some, maybe. For me, much as I love it, and I love it dearly mind you, I'm leaning towards a no because I believe in judging a body of work in it's entirety and this one is just not whole enough and does not do the manga justice. I wasn't too keen on the filler arcs, but I liked the Feng Shui aspect and will take it for what it is, an original anime arc that's just ok. |
I am a wanderer Miss Kaoru, and it's time for me to wander again |
| Even when I was in crowd, I was always alone |
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