Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan - Tsuioku-hen

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Alternative Titles

Synonyms: Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuiokuhen, Rurouni Kenshin: Reminiscence

Japanese: るろうに剣心―明治剣客浪漫譚―追憶編

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Information

Type: OVA

Episodes: 4

Status: Finished Airing

Aired: Feb 20, 1999 to Sep 22, 1999

Producers: Aniplex

Licensors: ADV Films, Aniplex of America

Studios: Studio Deen

Source: Manga

Genres: Action, Drama, Romance

Themes: Adult Cast, Historical, Samurai

Demographic: Shounen

Duration: 29 min. per ep.

Rating: R - 17+ (violence & profanity)

Statistics

Score: 8.70¹ (scored by 137,913 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #54²

² based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #877

Members: 276,515

Favorites: 6,277

Available At

Official Site

Resources

AniDB

ANN

Synopsis

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]

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Related Anime

Adaptation:	Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan
Sequel:	Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan

More characters

Characters & Voice Actors

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

More staff

Staff

Campbell, Charles

Producer, Recording Engineer, ADR Director

Furuhashi, Kazuhiro

Director, Episode Director, Storyboard

Hata, Shouji

Sound Director

Shimizu, Akira

Episode Director

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Opening Theme

"In Dreams" by Taku Iwasaki

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Ending Theme

"Quiet Life" by Taku Iwasaki

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 ...

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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.

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Aug 4, 2020

A7MD224

Mixed Feelings

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 ...

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Poll: Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuiokuhen Episode 3 Discussion ( 1 2 ) ManU-Alchemist - Jun 17, 2008	57 replies	by catmancatplan »» Yesterday, 5:23 PM
Poll: Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuiokuhen Episode 4 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 ) hznu - Sep 16, 2008	190 replies	by Jirokissaw »» Apr 11, 9:47 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
Poll: Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuiokuhen Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 ) ManU-Alchemist - Jun 2, 2008	75 replies	by RFXs »» Feb 9, 7:57 AM
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Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan - Tsuioku-hen

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Characters & Voice Actors

Himura, Kenshin

Saitou, Hajime

Shishio, Makoto

Hiko, Seijuurou

Yukishiro, Tomoe

Yukishiro, Enishi

Okita, Souji

Tatsumi

Katsura, Kogoro

Takasugi, Shinsaku

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Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan - Tsuioku-hen

Alternative Titles

Information

Statistics

Available At

Resources

Synopsis

Background

Visit MALxJapan MALxJapan -More than just anime-

Related Anime

Characters & Voice Actors

Staff

Opening Theme

Ending Theme

Reviews

Interest Stacks

Recommendations

Recent News

Recent Forum Discussion

Recent Featured Articles

MoreTop Anime

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