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.

***Please do not read this if you have not seen this and/or do not like spoilers*** Thank you.

Samurai X: Reflections - the good and the mostly bad

So what's my beef with the third Samurai X OVA? Well, for starters, it's never a real positive when the creator is not involved with development of a new story (with George Lucas as the exception, as exemplified by the SW prequels). Also, I know people praise the animation as being far superior to the TV series, Rurouni Kenshin, but I wasn't a big fan of the new character designs. I'm all for high-quality, better action, more violence ... when appropriate, but don't strip the characters of the cool looks that made them unique.

I am very grateful for the OVA having animations of the parts of the manga that were never realized by the show (to which it COULD have been done if the third series followed the manga, versus coming in with some totally random and meaningless storylines - but that's a whole 'nother rant I could get into...) especially the Enishi battle, but that too had a lot of problems. And here we go!

The good:

Original voice actors
(BTW, anyone who watches anime with the English dub - you do realize you're not a true anime fan?)
Short of death, productions should NEVER try to substitute their actors - EVER. Hearing all of the original cast can't begin to express my pleasure at knowing production did their job.


More realistic and tender actions by the characters
I loved seeing Kenshin and Kaoru actually touching hands, sharing a kiss, and simply taking the time to stand next to one another while looking out across the horizon, etc.

Flashback re-animations
It was a real treat seeing previous situations brought to life again, such as Kenshin's fight with Jineh, the montage of battles with Sojiro and Shishio, and including important figures like Hiko Seijuro, Shinomori Aoshi, and Saito Hajime.

Yukishiro Enishi brought to life!
The Jinchu arc of the RuroKen manga is my favorite, by far, because it is the most personal story of Kenshin's and the one in which Kaoru is spotlighted as his great love. So seeing Enishi moving and talking and fighting was a huge deal for me, even if the moment only lasted some minutes.

The bad:
Character designs... "Hated it!"

As stated, I did not like the character designs for the OVAs. Hey, I'm all for the realism and a new look, but can't we make Kenshin still look "sharp" and Kaoru prettier? Even Tomoe looked really generic and beyond hairstyles, the two ladies could be interchangeable. BORING. And something in the way about Kenshin made him less attractive - as Kenshin or even as any anime character.


M.I.A. - Saito and Aoshi!!
WTF! We get one glance from Saito in the dojo flashback and you spend all this time on the Jineh fight, but you don't bother to animate ANY of the battle between Saito and Kenshin?! This battle could have been done in a montage fashion without any dialogue, but where is the Gatotsu!
And then we get a faraway image of Aoshi when he, Sano, and Kenshin return from Shishio's lair - again, NO Aoshi interaction AT ALL! And hello! Where was Misao! I realize people may not like her, but I liked the fact she loved Aoshi and didn't have feelings for Kenshin.

Tweaking Kaoru's "Reflections" - especially versus Enishi
I understood that some of the events were changed from how things transpired from the manga or even the TV series, when recollected in the OVA, but some things altered so much, I find it unforgivable. Yes, you can skip the faked death doll as that would be too long and confusing to get into, so I was fine with Enishi straight-kidnapping Kaoru. I even enjoyed the fact they kept in the little exchange of understanding that Kaoru had for Enishi's pain in losing his beloved sister. But what about the final Enishi vs. Kenshin battle!?!

There is no real reason to change the entire events of the Enishi vs. Kenshin battle on the island. Here was the perfect opportunity to show the fans all the major characters in RuroKen even if they never speak or are shown battling the "Four Gods" from the manga. I loved this part where Kenshin allows his comrades to shine in their respective artform in battle - Saito/katana; Aoshi/kodachis & martial arts; Yahiko/shinai; Sano/fists. Instead, Kenshin arrives alone - not even Yahiko and Sano are allowed. What a complete waste.

And then, they completely altered the concept of the "truth" that Kenshin had found within his heart that brought him out of the self-imposed living hell he fell into once he thought he'd lost Kaoru. That truth was that no matter what, Kenshin would always pick up his sword to help someone in need - that is his way to find atonement for his past, and to carry on the sacrifice Tomoe made for him to live on. So WHY the hell would Kenshin offer up his life to Enishi? He is completely tossing aside the truth he found for the sake of one person when his goal was to save as many because dying is too easy - living is what is hard.

They could have bypassed the gun fight problem by still letting Kaoru stand between Enishi and Kenshin at some point, but to have Kenshin not only fall to the ground to offer his life up, but to lie there and not even react when Kaoru fell over him to protect him from Enishi's sword? Wrong, wrong, wrong!

And now, we step into the realm which completely pissed me off the first time I saw this OVA years ago that made me want to throw this DVD away. (Actually, I was going to sell it until I stumbled across some images of Enishi online that made me realize this "flashback" was on this disc. Whew!)

The mighty UGLY:
The major problem here is that not involving Watsuki in the creative/development department meant missing his desire for Kenshin, as evidenced by the open-ended but happy place Kenshin and Kaoru found themselves at the end of the manga.
Watsuki's own feelings about the OVA ending was that, "Kenshin went through so much crap and deserved a happy ending." And what did these OVA people do instead?

- Kenshin decides to help his country by assisting those devasted by war and disease throughout Japan, so he leaves behind his son, Kenji, and his wife, Kaoru, for weeks upon weeks.
- Then, Kenshin has some kind of incurable disease (some surmise it is leprosy) and they decide to further this depressive them by letting Kaoru sacrifice herself by contracting the disease as a sign of love and devotion. (Um, YEAH.)
- Finally, Kenshin using his last bits of energy returns home to Tokyo to at least die in Kaoru's arms, to which only then his cross-shaped scar finally disappears because he has found his peace and happiness in death. And based on Kaoru's health, she is soon to follow Kenshin aka Shinta to the grave.

WHAT THE F*CK people! What upsets me about this ending is how far from the truth of Kenshin's character this OVA Kenshin has proven to be.

For instance, at the manga's end, his truth is to stay alive and protect the helpless. However, in the end, Kenshin has found some peace by starting a quiet life with family. He evens gives up the sakabato as a symbol of having moved on past the concept of living and dying by the sword.
I found Kenshin's desire to help the sick and destitute while he himself is sick and forsaking responsibilities to his own kin as being incredibly selfish and narcissistic. WHY? Because, the idea that one man, who has already done so much would continue to try and save the world, is a man who is acting as a martyr - even acting like God. He should let the era continue on. He should not try to affect the outcome for every generation. That is egotisical. He is supposed to help those he sees in front of him, not the memories of his past, etc., as expressed in the Jinchu arc. But that is all thrown out.

**huff, huff, huff** ... OK. I'm calming down now.

But there really was no need to let us see Kenshin die, let alone in such a pitiful and painful way, after "all the crap" he went through. We don't need to be given any kind of "realism" for a beloved character. There's nothing wrong with "happily ever after." There's a reason Cinderella and Prince Charming ends with the wedding and a kiss. We don't need to find out that 10 years later, they have a kid and marital problems, whether that be the truth or not, you know? Give us our joys.

I gotta stop ranting - I'm getting annoyed and losing focus. Plus I'm tired and cranky and there is still work tomorrow morning.

Basically, I totally dismiss Reflections from the official RuroKen canon and will adhere to the manga as Kenshin's true ending.

Naturally, this is all my own personal ranting opinions, so it is what it is.

Seisouhen (Samurai X: Reflection) takes place after the TV show of Rurouni Kenshin, but in the style of Trust and Betrayal. The story is sort of an alternate-ending to the manga, and shows Kenshin struggling to bear his guilt

The art style is very well done, and the animation quality is top-notch. The background art is beautiful.

The music and sound are delicious, especially the music, which is some of the most emotionally satisfying I've ever heard. It is all orchestrated, very well composed.

The main problem in this is the story. The script is quite frankly terrible, and the story suffers from how it is told. ... It mainly consists of multiple flashbacks highlighting emotional scenes from the anime and manga. However, since fans of the anime and manga won't like the changes, these scenes are left as melodramatic and confusing to the audience that would appreciate this OVA more. There is a certain lack of subtlety to the emotions, and they often come across as forced.

For fans of the TV series and the manga, this is not recommended. The characters are very different than they are depicted in the show and manga, and the storyline is altered. This OVA is more suited for fans of the acclaimed first OVA, Trust and Betrayal.

I have recently become a fan of the Rurouni Kenshin franchise and binge-watched the first two seasons of the anime within days. The writing in the 2nd season was divine! I expected more of the same with the OVAs despite having no involvement with the creator. Not what I expected! Trust and Betrayal needed the dark telling to convey how Kenshin used to be, but Reflections should have shown the happier times. He's moved past his former detached self, and seeing how his goofiness came about would have been refreshing.

Story:
If Reflections did not tie itself to the Rurouni Kenshin name, I would like this story. ... Everything is depressing, and the dialogue fits in with a soap opera. The dark color schemes should have tipped me to that.

This OVA uses flashbacks to push along the story, which I didn't mind. I like seeing old scenes re-drawn in this style.

The ending makes me eye-roll a bit. Characters that dramatically run then die in each others arms? I don't mind cheesy romance at times, but these characters deserved honorable deaths. Dying from a disease does not make anyone weak, but it felt forced. Them dying in battle or by natural causes (bombed by an enemy, drowned, sacrificed, etc) would have made better sense to me. I want to tear the love scene to shreds, but I won't touch it. I will just say I felt conflicted. I liked seeing the two of them in love, but not to that melodramatic extent. Is no happiness allowed? I wish there could have been one scene with Kenshin playing with son, and then a scene of when their relationship first became strained.

I do not like this trope I see in shounen sequels, where the dads become deadbeats and leave the kids to become filled with angst. You can be a shounen hero and be in your kids life! Those two things can be simultaneous. I would have thought better of Kenshin. Family and friends should have been very important to him.

What I did like in this special was Karou calling him Shinta, the focus on romance, and the kiss scene. I did not like anything else.

Also, I understand why they snubbed my favorite character, Saito. These were Kaoru's reflections of Kenshin, and Saito doesn't hold much relevance to her life like him. Misao's got an irritating personality so her not being in this either didn't bother me.

Characters:
I don't like the new perspectives taken on by the characters. Even in the flashbacks, they were out of character. The worst offenders are Kenshin, Yahiko, and Karou. It would not have been bad to have some humor, in fact, it could have made the story bittersweet. To see our favorites laugh only for the sad end to come would hurt more.

Karou had none of her feisty personality. I felt she would drown in her tears one day. The iconic speech Megumi gave her is what made her want to stand by Kenshin's side and not weep for him another day. I know her fighting style isn't quite comparable to the sword-fighting of enemies on Kenshin's level, but could she have not tried to fight back or escape? I guess she wanted to test Kenshin's love too during the Enishi scene.

Kenshin lives his life in this movie as if he sees the ghosts of everyone he killed. Maybe he already did, but it shows here. I don't think Kenshin would walk around in life so sullen. If anything he would probably put on a happy face not to distress anyone, except those closest to him who could see through it.

Sanosuke may have been the only one who stayed in character, but that could have been due to his short appearance.

Yahiko really matured, but in those flashbacks, he should have been more bratty.

Sound: [Concerning the English Dub]
No complaints about music.

The voice acting sounded very monotone and conveyed no emotions besides gloom. I would have picked a different actor for Enishi. I don't think that voice meshed well with him.

Art:
This style is definitely attached to realism. I like it. The anime's cartoony look would not have worked well with the tone. A mixture of the New Kyoto Arc look and this one combined would have been nice to see.

Overall:
I did not like this and don't plan to re-watch. I did like older Kenji. Despite him being a clone of his father, down to learning from Hiko. I upped the score solely for the Kenshin and Karou kiss we weren't privy to in the original series. It's just my wishful thinking, but it would have been really nice for Kenji's girl (a rehash of Kaoru) to be Aoshi and Misao's daughter.

Leaving aside the fact that the ending itself is a big disappointment; this anime has little to contribute to the actual story. It starts out well enough, but it soon fades into a series of flashbacks and repetitions that take up the majority of the anime.

This is a summary of events that happened with Kenshin and Kaoru, focusing on Kaoru's point of view, but her thoughts are not elaborated beyond what we have already seen in the series. A few small details were changed in the flashbacks, but the contradictions are not huge.

The art and sound are good. The character designs and animation is ... similar in style to the prequel OVA with a more realistic look than the series. The tone is also similar to the OVA and lacks the humor of the series. The story is supposed to be serious and somewhat tragic, but it quickly grows monotonous.

However, if you're a fan of Kenshin and Kaoru or its been a while since you watched the series, you might appreciate the flashbacks, otherwise you'll be tempted to fast forward until the OVA returns to the present time.

On the positive side, though the OVA wastes a lot of time in flashbacks, it does eventually reveal what happened between Kenshin and Kaoru and the real end of Kenshin's wanderings.

**THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN A FEW SPOILERS**

After finishing Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan and feeling dissatisfied with how abruptly the anime had ended I came in with high hopes that this would be able to fix the ending but it did the opposite of I wanted and made it worse than the ending in the original anime.

Story: (5/10)

The story of Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan - Seisou-hen begins with a time skip and Kaoru recalling Kenshin saying that he needs to leave to someplace and she saying that she will wait for him to come back. One of my first problems with the ova was ... how they suddenly shows how Kenshin somehow obtained a disease from war and is now dying from it but then for some reason Kaoru also wants to get the same disease that Kenshin has to show her love but to me that is very stupid thing to do. Another problem is how it does not have the original creator on board to work on this ova which to me usually means that the ova won't do very good because of how it doesn't have the original creator's writing to capture the magic the original anime had but there are those rare times where that there is something that isn't made by the original creator and is good but this is not one of those cases. I felt like the pacing of the movie seemed a bit odd at times and while the story shows all original anime's important events which was cool to see, it left out some other important events that happened. My final problems with the story is how the whole part with Enishi felt very rushed and the way the ova ended and how it didn't feel as effective as it could have been.

Art and Animation: (7/10)

The art is definitely the best thing about this ova. Even though I prefer the more goofy art that the original anime had, I still like these character redesigns and I found the backgrounds to be really nice looking. The animation in this is as equally as good as the art. The animation is very good during the action scenes and seeing the improved animation during the past events of the original anime is nice to see.

Sound: (5/10)

The soundtrack isn't anything memorable. All the old voice actors were back and they did a good job and the sound effects were average.

Characters: (4/10)

The worst thing about this ova was definitely the characters. As much as I love the characters in Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan this ova made the characters terrible. All the characters except Kenshin and Kaoru were all shoved to the side and were given barely any screen time which was very disappointing because it didn't give these characters satisfying conclusions. I felt like the romance between Kenshin and Kaoru was weak, even in the original anime I thought that their relationship was weak.

Enjoyment: (4/10)

I didn't enjoy this ova very much. I liked the art and animation and how the important scenes in the original anime had been animated with better animation.

Overall: (5/10)

Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan - Seisou-hen is an ova that didn't give a satisfying ending to the anime and I wouldn't recommend this.