Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan

Rurouni Kenshin is one of the more well-known 90s anime series out there, and I'd heard lots of great things about it. On that premise, I decided to begin watching it.

RK can be divided into three major parts. The first part, the first 30 or so episodes, is basically an introduction-type of thing, where we get to know the characters and learn about them. It's not any continuous story here, just a new event every episode, or maybe small 2-3-episode arcs. Every time, Kenshin and/or Sanosuke ends up saving the day, or Yahiko manages to prove himself just a little bit more. It's not extraordinary ... in this part, but it's still very good - I'd give it a 9.

The second part, which is from episode 28 to 62, is where the story finally begins to develop. Now it's a continuous story, much like what most shonen anime series does. It is in this part that Rurouni Kenshin shows its best side, and there's a lot of pasts to look on, tons of emotions and resolves to change, and great action. Te pacing is just right too; it's not too fast, nor too slow. Everything about this part is perfect story-wise, if you ask me. This part also has an ending (since the remainder of the show is filler), which you may or may not like. Everyone, including the bad guys, get their story wrapped up, and for me, that's fine, but not everyone may share my opinion. All in all, I'd give this part a 10, and the story ends on a 10.

The remaining 32 episodes are filler as far as I've heard, and I haven't watched them yet. I don't think I will, since I thought the story ended so nicely; it'd kinda ruin the end if I watched more.

The animation is very good - considering the time it was made, that is. The coloring is a bit dull, and drawing style of the eyes and hairs of the characters is a style I don't really like a lot. However, aside that it's really good - the environments are lovely, and at times the animation is really smooth, even when comparing to anime of today. Lighting effects are good too, but I noticed one or two failed attempts in that department. One more thing - during sword fights, I got a bit let down every now and then. They don't always show when the sword hits someone. Instead, a a blue beam of light is shown and the character who's been hit is flying from the impact. It may create a "final blow" effect, but I didn't like it that much, really. All in all, I'm settling on a 8 score for the animation.

Character-wise, Rurouni Kenshin is a real masterpiece. The characters - even some of the bad ones, have pasts which have deeply affected how they act in the present. These pasts which serves as a motivation for their present actions adds depth to the characters, and it's easier to sympathize with them - even the bad ones. In addition to that, there's tons of character development; Yahiko evolving as a swordsman, Sanosuke turning from a fighter-for-hire into a person for fights more for his friends, bad guys questioning their being bad, and not to mention, Kenshin fighting against his past as a manslayer. I'm pretty much tied between 9 and 10, so I'll leave it at 9.

The soundtrack is, in my opinion, awesome. The background music is moody, fits right in with the setting of RK, and the songs are awesome. However, this is highly subjective, so you'll have to experience it for yourself. Unfortunately, the fansubs I watched didn't have the OP and ED themes included, so I just had to listen to them on Youtube. None of them really appealed to me, but you might think otherwise. Again, it's subjective, so you'll have to listen for yourself. Sound effects are good; from explosions to swords clashing against each others to cicada chirping. The voice acting is very good too, and I really enjoyed Kenshin's voice and his "gozaru". Due to not liking the OPs and EDs, I'll settle on a 9 (I've only heard them once, so for me it wasn't a big problem).

All in all, I really enjoyed RK, and take my word: If you like shonen, RK is a must-see for you. Which means, most of the anime fans out there should see RK.

To 'Not Helpful' voters (and you 'Helpful' voters too): Feedback greatly appreciated =)

Rurouni Kenshin - an amazing anime taking place during the Japan Revolution - is an amazing story first written by Nobuhiro Watsuki in 1994 and first aired as an anime in 1996. If you're one of the older anime fans, chances are that you probably have seen this anime already and give it the respect that it deserves. If you are one of the younger anime fans out there and haven't heard too much about Rurouni Kenshin (also known as Samurai X in other countries outside of the United States), I urge to immediately to get your hands on a copy of the ... anime somehow and start watching it, you won't be disappointed if you are into samurai.

The story is deep, intricate, emotional, and touching. Everything from romance, action, suspense, and even some thriller in included in Rurouni Kenshin. There are a total of 95 episodes to Rurouni Kenshin, however, only the first 62 (the first two seasons) are only worth watching because the third season is all fillers. The first two seaons depict the story of Himura Kenshin, also known as Hitokiri Battousai, and his motley bunch of friends in Sagara Sonouske, Myojin Yahiko, and Kamiya Kaoru. Without giving too much away, the first season is based on his stay with Kaoru Kamiya and how he keeps his vow of not to kill. The second season is where the plot develops and we are introduced to a little bit of Kenshin's past.

To some of the younger fans out there, the animation may seem a bit older and not as new as some of our recent anime like Death Note and Full Metal Alchemist, it still is drawn with very exceptional quality and after the first few episodes, you find that the style perfectly suits the time frame in which the story takes place.

Taku Iwasaki has done a beautiful job with the soundtrack to Rurouni Kenshin as during each and every part, there is the perfect song that fits the scene. This is especially the case during the second season as Iwasaki unveils a multitude of amazing pieces of music that you will undoubtedly look to download.

You will either hate the characters or love them. The character development during the anime is portrayed very well. An example of this is the development of Yahiko from an innocent child to an exceptional swordsman throughout the show. The only qualm people may have is the lack of romance between Kenshin and Kaoru. Though its hinted at very slightly during the first two seasons, there is not much between them. All of Kenshin's rivals also have unique personalities and Nobuhiro Watsuki has done an excellent job with them.

The only reason I advise you to avoid the episodes 63-95 is that they are pointless fillers. By the time the second arc had ended, the Kyoto arc, the anime had caught up to the manga. So as with all animes, they stopped animating the manga and aired fillers so the manga could develop. However, by the time the manga finished, the fillers were so terribly bad that Rurouni Kenshin had to be cancelled.

That is why after episode 62, I urge you to find the manga and start reading it from Volume 18 to enjoy the amazing story of Enishi and the Revenge Arc. It is there where the true story of Kenshin is continued and completed, and not with the later episodes.

Overall,
I rate episodes 1-62 a 10/10 because they follow the manga very well..
I rate episodes 63-95 a 6/10 because even though they are pointless, some of the fillers do have good back stories and battle scenes..

A final overall rating of a 9/10 is due to the anime, Rurouni Kenshin (the manga I would give a 10 ^_^). There is no doubt in my mind that if you are looking for an anime with a little bit of everything and looking for an anime that involves mystic sword styles, amazing battles and an "oro-ing red-headed samurai," look no further.

March 2003. That was when the Rurouni Kenshin anime first premiered on Cartoon Network’s Toonami block. I looked up the original year expecting to feel old, but somehow 2003 doesn’t seem that long ago. It’s actually almost exactly 13 years. I grew up on this show, and one way or another I’m willing to bet the same could be said of most people still visiting this MAL page. Rurouni Kenshin gave me the hope that I too could be a samurai in a modern world unsuited for one. That hasn’t worked out very well for me.

Rurouni Kenshin stars its titular protagonist, Kenshin Himura, a former ... assassin who became legendary for his skill and body count during the Bakumatsu wars of Japan. Years later, Kenshin becomes a rurouni (an unemployed samurai) and wanders the country now seeking to atone for the lives he’s taken by helping others, and vows to never kill again. He soon meets up with Kaoru Kamiya, the manager of her own dojo. After Kenshin saves Kaoru’s life he’s given a place to settle down in and protect. The two are later joined by the young child of a family of samurai, Yahiko Myojin, and a roughish street fighter named Sanosuke Sagara who mainly battles with his fists. This main four accompany Kenshin as he fights other lost souls from the Bakumatsu who often seek to challenge the new Meiji government who threaten their archaic sword-wielding way of life.

With the manga beginning in 1994, Rurouni Kenshin became a flagship title of the “battle shonen” subgenre that was now truly beginning to acquire momentum, and the franchise is now considered a staple classic of the entire genre. Getting into Rurouni Kenshin now is rather interesting, as it holds this historical evolution inside of its own story. Rurouni Kenshin begins as not fully a battle shonen, being more like that earlier hybrid of action-adventure where fights were frequent but typically short, simple, and bookended by longer exposition or downtime. As the series progresses it changes and benefits from becoming increasingly about the fight themselves as special fighting abilities become more common, villains stick around longer and violent conflicts are hyped, and the pacing changes to nearly non-stop action as entire episodes become centered around the battle ahead.

One way of looking at this progress is that it means Rurouni Kenshin “starts slow” and doesn’t reach part of its full potential in the early stories. This would be true for the manga or anime, but it’s the anime that really suffers from this crawl. Given that the manga was still in development when the anime began, the producers started preparing filler material early on. Shorter stories and plot details from the manga were stretched out to get more of an episode out of them, and many original episodic stories were also introduced between following the manga’s events. Not only this, but parts of those original manga stories were arbitrarily changed, such as Kenshin’s fight with Sanosuke, and nearly always worse off for those changes. The anime also tries to appeal to a younger audience by censoring much of the violence and darker imagery depicted in the manga, an example here being Hannya’s back story.

Despite many of these frustrating concessions, the original storylines of the manga are present enough to still make the anime’s beginning engaging as long as you’re out of the stretches of original filler. The soft-spoken, peaceful Kenshin Himura is a very unique protagonist for shonen anime. The typical shonen protagonist is a young boy, or at the very least someone who begins weak but has a lot of potential to become more powerful or grow as a person. Kenshin is nearly the opposite of this, being a fully developed adult whose philosophies on life are already finalized by his vow to never kill again, and he’s instantly implied to be the best swordfighter in Japan and routinely demonstrates that fight after fight. Kenshin feels almost invincible at points and lives up to his legacy, but how does the action maintain dramatic tension if the match-up results always seem so obvious? The answer is by giving Kenshin two serious handicaps. One is that Kenshin fights using a blade where the sharp edge is on the opposite side so as not to easily kill his opponents and betray his vow, and the second is that vow itself. Kenshin is forced to hold himself back from full strength to prevent killing anyone, which levels the playing field somewhat between his opponents. As Kenshin is forced to face stronger enemies he’s routinely challenged to revert to his merciless killing ways to stand a chance. Because Kenshin does not change much as a person throughout the series, the progression of watching him is centered on revealing more of who he actually is. That is, his personality as a cold assassin. Kenshin also doesn’t spend the series learning new attacks but instead slowly reveals ones he already knows. Kenshin’s fights stay interesting as he’s forced to find openings to incapacitate his opponents instead of killing them, which would actually be far easier.

Kenshin’s love interest is very obviously and immediately Kaoru Kamiya. The original title of the manga was “Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story”, but anyone who recommends this series as a romance would have to be out of their mind. If anything, Kenshin and Kaoru’s relationship is the poorest major part of the storyline. Kaoru’s romantic interest in Kenshin begins almost right after they meet, and from then it doesn’t really evolve beyond this unrequited gushing of Kaoru over Kenshin and falls into a generic anime stasis. Kaoru struggles maintaining agency in the story because nearly all of her thought processes involve Kenshin in some way, and she is almost never, ever seen contributing to major fights. This only gets worse in the anime due to its countless light and comedic filler episodes revolving around Kaoru’s feelings towards Kenshin and his “hilarious” misunderstanding of them. She becomes almost annoying in the anime because of these additional jokes making her character even shallower, and her breakdowns over Kenshin possibly becoming the killer he used to be can cross over into trite melodrama. Given that Kaoru is trained in the art of the sword to the point of teaching it, it would’ve been nice to see a character who’s around at nearly all times actually contributing to the fighting around her. Instead she’s seen as too weak and is never really given opportunities to prove herself in the first place. This also would’ve given her more personal stake in what’s going on rather than nearly all of her actions being centered around Kenshin. It’s disappointing that one of our main characters is one of the show’s few females who can fight and she does nothing with it, instead usually being relegated to cheerleader status and an irritating ditz.

The first 27 episodes of the anime are a mixture of filler episodes and mild to moderately altered adaptations of the manga’s arcs. The best of these arcs is the one that stays truest to the manga, which is the Oniwaban/Megumi arc. This is where the show’s transition to battle shonen begins, with a variety of opponents who use weapons other than swords and specific techniques rather than raw strength and agility. With the exception of the arc’s final fight against Aoshi and the subsequent climax these battles are fairly short and not that interesting, but they are fun to watch now that our opponents are intriguing and have surprising fighting styles to show off. Despite this satisfying arc, the rest of the first season ranges from average to downright boring. Its canonical manga stories are mainly short introductions to characters and the Meiji era setting and culture the series is set in, and we’re prevented from getting to the really good stuff by a bevy of terrible filler that threatens to destroy the quality of the series as a whole.

Rurouni Kenshin isn’t just full of filler, it’s full of some of the worst filler I’ve ever seen. Filler that’s so bad and mishandles the base material so much that it insults the characters and cheapens the surrounding canonical storylines. I’ve already brought up how the lighter tone of the anime and the filler’s focus on comedy relies on Kaoru’s shallower traits and develops her as a worse character than she actually is, but the same goes for everyone else as well. Yahiko is turned into a whiny spoiled brat because there’s more to work with there when it comes to comedy than a stubborn inspiring samurai, and Sanosuke may not be very bright but he’s turned from a badass into a doofus as he’s constantly insulted by Kaoru and Yahiko. The attempts at comedy are the most painfully generic and lazy jokes you’ll come across, as literally the same gags are spread out in filler across this 94 episode series. Kaoru is a bad cook! Yahiko is always complaining and calling Kaoru ugly! Sanosuke is a freeloader! All of this hundreds of times as you’re also forced to put up with extremely dull original storylines that can revolve around main characters being frustratingly stupid (Yahiko stealing Kenshin’s sword), or they revolve around simplistic, awful original characters that only show up once. The typical filler plot is some random helpless idiot needs to be encouraged by Kenshin’s group to not give up at doing whatever, and these episodes can involve the group trying to help a circus girl blast off out of a cannon or Kaoru pinching a sumo wrestler on the ass. And the filler villains are usually the most cartoonish, relentlessly evil brigands that would make a real serial killer look like a more reasonable guy.

The filler in Rurouni Kenshin fails to retain anything that made the original story captivating. For starters, the action (or any excitement at all) practically doesn’t exist in the filler. The series’ excellent ability to capture the grace of the time period its set in by its semi-realistic tone that contextualizes the super-powered characters into something believable is upended by the anime’s constant appeals to children with no regards to quality as it’s doing so. Rurouni Kenshin’s filler is almost always excruciatingly boring, and I’m almost stunned that the anime’s writers could even bear to write around 50 episodes of such trite stories for a living and would never be encouraged to try harder for the sake of their own entertainment. Even something like Dragon Ball Z’s filler sometimes tried to do the base material justice by making its own supervillains and staying close to what the main stories were about. If you’re wondering why I have this series as a 6, then it’s because the anime’s filler is actually what makes up a majority of it and it’s worth a 3 if not even less. But enough about numbers, because it’s time for the part anyone who’s seen the series before was waiting for me to get to.

After about 10 enjoyable episodes of manga adaptations and about 17 mind-numbing episodes about Kaoru being ugly and a bad cook, it’s almost (not) worth it to fully experience the revitalizing whiplash of the series instantly taking the kid gloves off. A mysterious man named Saitou Hajime shows up at the Kamiya Dojo searching for Kenshin. It turns out Saitou is a former member of the Shinsengumi and an old rival of Kenshin’s from the Bakumatsu. Saitou challenges Kenshin to see if his abilities have weakened since he’s settled into a more peaceful life. The anime’s production and sense of direction finally comes alive in this scene, as Kenshin’s warm crimson visage is dominated by the icy navy blues of Saitou that exude from his cold personality and cover the entire screen for the duration of the fight. Yahiko appropriately seems to mimic the perspective of the young audience during this fight as he shouts “I knew it! Kenshin can never lose! Kenshin is invincible!” right before his hero is cut down by Saitou with the same ease Kenshin has been defeating his previous opponents. Kenshin is barely spared, and Saitou insults him afterwards by saying Kenshin Himura as "the wandering samurai" will be of no use to him and the police in the upcoming battle for the nation of Japan. Another man said to be the closest to Kenshin in skill, or possibly better, during the Bakumatsu is raising an army to overthrow the Meiji government. The psychotic Makoto Shishio and his gang of underlings are threatening the country from within the city of Kyoto, and Kenshin leaves for Kyoto as his friends chase after him to make sure the Kenshin they know isn’t lost in the fierce battle ahead.

This is the beginning of the Kyoto arc, and this arc is the sole reason why the Rurouni Kenshin anime has obtained classic status, and it’s a perfect beginning to boot. The creators address the audience and tell them things are going to be different. There’s going to be more violence and blood, and even major characters could die against a villain that’s said to be too much for even the man who just beat Kenshin to handle. The stakes and threat level are higher than ever before, and the new sub-villains are set up early on to give as much anticipation of their battles as Shishio’s himself. Aiding that anticipation is everyone in this arc having unique fighting styles which reach their full potential through more dynamic action sequences than seen before.

Kenshin’s journey across Kyoto introduces several new characters. The aforementioned Saito is a fantastic addition to the series and probably my favorite character period. Saito’s eclipsive moral compass makes him a great character to demonstrate the ethical borderlines of maintaining a samurai code of justice in a more rigid judicial government. He’s a true anti-hero in a series that had previously been defined by righteous do-gooders, and his complete misanthropic disdain for everyone else around him makes his personality starkly stand out and he has both some of the funniest and most dramatic lines in the series. His begrudging companionship with rival Kenshin and the less-skilled Sanosuke makes for a highly entertaining dynamic. The female ninja Misao also contains much of the series’ best attempts at humor, and her relationship with the Oniwaban group is an excuse to bring former opponent Aoshi into the Kyoto arc and make it even bigger. Misao is also never shown being as helpless as Kaoru, and even Kaoru and Yahiko get literally their one important fight of the entire series in the Kyoto arc. Kenshin’s former master Seijuuro Hiko is brought in to establish more of Kenshin’s past as well as some actual growth, and Seijuuro’s every action becomes significant as he’s a monolithic type who’s implied to be the strongest fighter in the series but prefers to stay out of the action as much as possible.

The Kyoto arc just does everything right and is exactly what Rurouni Kenshin had the potential to be. The pacing is brisk and the story filled with large obstacles the heroes must overcome at a moment’s notice, such as Shisho’s army advancing on the city of Kyoto or his heavily armored battleship threatening Japan from the seas. The growing cast is full of universally good additions, and they are divided evenly across this big adventure and are all given at least one special moment to shine. Later shonen works could take lessons from how to effectively manage a big cast of characters as well as Rurouni Kenshin does during the Kyoto arc.

The production team stops cutting corners here and adapts the manga more faithfully, and the increased amount of effort is palpable in the greater quality not just in the writing but in the animation as well. Fights are extremely dynamic with more constant camera movement that darts around the frame, and the characters themselves move very quickly and fluidly with no noticeable framerate skipping. The main reason the Kyoto arc is such a joy to watch is because everything’s always moving. There’s a kinetic soul to this entire production that the rest of the series completely lacks that makes this story, its characters, and its action breathe and come to life. When the studio plays with color like in the aforementioned Saitou fight, all of the story’s events feel more dramatic. The speed and intensity of matches is emphasized wonderfully, and Rurouni Kenshin’s Kyoto arc is the golden standard of 90s shonen anime productions and it even transcends the basic story it adapts from the manga. This all peaks exactly where it should in the final fight against Shishio which is a serious contender for the best match ever in a battle shonen anime. In addition to the scenes often rippling from the humidity caused by the torrents of flame surrounding the arena, the studio also plays with aspect ratio at parts to give a broad widescreen perspective that recalls Rurouni Kenshin’s original influences from samurai films and makes the scenes as intense as those classic film moments.

The Kyoto arc is full of the heart the rest of the series doesn’t have and then some. It has the courage to go beyond the original manga story’s quality and understands the story and its implications well enough to be able to successfully accentuate them into something more powerful but nonetheless faithful. The characters reach the peak of their established personalities and every single one of them grows in some way from the challenges they face. The action is enthralling and absorbing. Everything comes together in this big arc and none of it flounders to deliver a perfectly satisfying experience that deserves to stand the rest of time as a blueprint for a fully-realized battle shonen arc.

Things were looking good for the Rurouni Kenshin anime now that the team was taking it more seriously, but the anime had now gotten too close to the manga to have anything new to adapt. You know what this means: more filler. But after a few episodes of the same terrible junk from the first season, something promising is done as the team decides to write more serious original storyline arcs. They clearly learned something from covering the Kyoto arc and putting so much more effort into it, and I was open for the possibility that the team could finally write filler that did the base story justice even if it didn’t reach the same heights. There’s very little information on Rurouni Kenshin’s post-Kyoto arcs so I had to find out for myself if they were any good. As it is now, most people haven’t even seen anything past the Kyoto arc and still shower the series with perfect scores (this ought to be a federal offense). The anime also makes a strange decision to change the animation and art a bit after the Kyoto arc, but it’s so minor and subtle that its “uncanny valleyness” just makes it even more off-putting whenever the changes stand out. Regardless of how minor the style change is, it’s lower quality than before and these final filler episodes are full of a lot of very still frames with little movement.

Rurouni Kenshin’s first filler arc is… actually tolerable. The storyline come up with here is about the religious persecution and exile of Christians from Japan and their return to take revenge on the country. It’s actually an extremely clever way to stick to Rurouni Kenshin’s historical setting but not settle on the same stories of swordsmen alienated by the new government. It’s another story of disenfranchisement caused by old grudges but with different motivations and different types of characters. The main new character is Shogo Amakusa, a sort of prophet to the Christian movement who claims to have sword skills blessed by God. He fights using the same style Kenshin was taught which makes him an acceptably threatening follow-up to Shishio, and there is ethical conflict regarding their religious motivations as Shogo and his group are willingly taking advantage of their followers’ beliefs for the sake of revenge, even though it may be justifiable for their religious freedom.

Shogo is accompanied by his own gang of villains similar to Shishio, and they also each have distinct character designs and powers. Where this arc particularly falters though is the action goes back to being very simple and dull. The choreography is basic again, the animation goes back to being cheap, there’s no tricks with color or perspective to give the fights that same energy, and the fights don’t build up suspense as they’re all settled in 3 to 5 minutes. It’s a massive disappointment that shows the team hasn’t abandoned their laziness, even if the basic promise of these qualities is more than they’ve done previously. The actual plot is somewhat interesting as Kenshin is given a very serious handicap I won’t spoil, and most of the villains this time around are victims who need to obtain religious freedom but don’t want more violence. Sanosuke is actually the best part of this Christian arc, as he becomes an actual deuteragonist and a major player to the plot with his (actually somewhat touching) relationship with Shogo’s sister, Magdalia. He’s actually focused on in a bigger ratio here than he was in the Kyoto arc. While this arc is ultimately rushed (for literally no reason since they just make more filler after) and doesn’t execute well the same things it copies from the Kyoto arc, some parts of it actually work to a degree and there’s a basic foundation for a good story set up which is more than I can say for the rest of the filler. It’s by -far- the best filler story in Rurouni Kenshin, but that’s less of a testament to how good it is and more of an example of just how little the rest of the series tries. I got a baseline enjoyment out of this arc but as a stand-alone story it’s not good enough to the point where I would recommend anyone watch it.

At this point I was relieved to see any improvement in the filler quality and thought the team might continuously evolve in future filler arcs, but instead the exact opposite happened. Subsequent arcs got increasingly shorter and the characters even worse. After several stupid comedic episodic filler like brought up earlier the team decides to make one of their terrible two filler ideas into a mini-arc. This time it’s the one where Kenshin and co. encourage some pathetic sap to achieve his goals, so you get several episodes of a wimpy nerd crying about swinging a wooden sword being too hard. There’s no threatening villain in this part or anything, just a total bore and flavorless story.

The next arc begins immediately as a group from Europe called the Black Knights have come to Japan seeking an ancient treasure called the Divine Elixir which is said to be able to cure any illness. Ignoring the fact that putting a magical MacGuffin in a historical setting at this point is stupid, the Black Knights are basically the illuminati with a medieval fetish who secretly plan to control the world from the shadows with the money they get from the elixir. The Black Knights we see are a main trio that wield a lance, an axe, and rapier each. This is actually a very solid idea that the original manga itself could’ve used, as the characters being western is a perfect excuse to bring new weapons and fighting styles into the series. Don’t get your hopes up to see any of those fights brought to their potential though, as like in the Christian arc every fight in the Black Knight arc is short and unexciting to watch (though the final is borderline okay). The Black Knight arc isn’t a total pain, but it’s quite worse than the Christian arc because the plot has no momentum whatsoever. Many of the episodes focus on adventure and exploration over any action, and there’s a lot of the characters just wandering around and trying to figure out clues to the elixir. And as we expect, the filler writers are not good at creating entertaining dialogue to carry these slow moments.

After one brief filler episode that’s actually okay just because it dares to develop a certain main character without the manga’s guidance, another mini-arc begins that’s the finale of the series. And what a finale it is, because this is the worst one yet and the most egregious core concept. The Feng Shui arc revolves around magic. Literally magical spells that control dragons made of water and sudden blasts of wind. What an insult that so close to the end of this series they throw in magic that betrays the historical setting like never before. Rurouni Kenshin has always crossed the border of reality into fiction, but it made an attempt to disguise it with its serious tone and convincing explanations for its ridiculous powers. There’s a guy who breathes fire, but oh he does it by carrying oil in his stomach and using flint on his teeth as a spark. It may be total bull, but the idea of it is constructed out of the materials of the setting so that it doesn’t seem too out of place despite being a fantasy. There is no justification for magic because its very definition means it’s conjured from a place outside of reality, and it’s so fitting that the final idea to come out of the filler would remind of us of how poorly the series was understood. It’s not worth covering this arc more other than to mention there are no real fights and the final confrontation is two guys trying to overcome each other’s spiritual force or something like Dragon Ball Z. The anime series ended up being so mishandled that they didn’t even get a proper final episode done in time and the story abruptly ends after this boring arc. They could’ve cut these five episodes and come up with a better ending. They could’ve cut this entire “third season” and the series would’ve ended better. What’s even the point of doing filler if you’re not biding time to adapt the rest of the manga?

The series’ music is pretty solid all around. It’s often anachronistic with its frequent use of electric guitar, but it doesn’t sound out of place because the modern instrumentation doesn’t draw attention to itself. Guitar chords are slow and smooth, almost sounding like a flute and very organic. I think I still would’ve preferred to see a more classical score with more folk instrumentation that matches the setting, but they didn’t screw the pooch from the choice they made and the compositions can be quite nice. The opening and ending themes are good all around too, but only having three openings across 94 episodes is kind of tiring. I do like how they changed the second opening’s animation to include new characters, and the opening during the Kyoto and Christian arcs is especially cool because of the “flickering flame” effect over the arc’s antagonists. I grew to like it even more than the first opening, “Freckles”. Siam Shade’s "1/3 Pure Heart Emotion" is fucking awesome too, especially with its accompanying graffiti art animation.

For those not already familiar with it, the English dub is well done. The casting is what mostly stands out, particularly because I feel the same way about Mayo Suzukaze as Kenshin as many people do about Masako Nozawa as Goku. I realize Kenshin is meant to be effeminate and has a relatively small constitution, but he's definitely not an 8 year-old boy. I find it impossible to take Kenshin's original voice seriously, especially during his violent "battousai" phase, and it's enough that I'd take any dub over the original. Sorry folks. Richard Cansino carries a similar light, gentle tone with him that's more suitable for Kenshin's age. Not to mention his starker, sterner tone when Kenshin's personality switches stands out far more and further emphasizes the difference between each of his two halves while also being more threatening due to his more mature tone. The line delivery isn't always perfect depending on the assigned actor, however. Dorothy Elias-Fahn as Kaoru can be irritatingly shrill, and Lex Lang can be somewhat monotone as Sanosuke despite being a perfect voice. But Philece Sampler is hilarious fun as Misao.

When everything's said and done, Rurouni Kenshin deserves better than what this series gave us. Outside of the Kyoto arc, even the material it adapts from the manga is weakened. The filler is an insult to the canonical storylines and setting as well as being downright painful to sit through. If you want a number, I’d gladly slap an 8 on the Kyoto arc alone, but I’m not rating the Kyoto arc. I’m rating all 94 episodes. Even the score I’ve given it is generously curved in the Kyoto arc’s favor because of how the amount of terrible filler dwarfs the length of the Kyoto arc. With this recent trend of manga re-adaptations giving worthy revivals to old manga that was mishandled, I hope to the bottom of my heart Rurouni Kenshin will get the treatment it truly deserves. Funny enough, the outlier in how incredibly well the anime adapted the Kyoto arc here and made it better than it was before with remarkable animation, dynamic perspective, and color theming, makes me think a newer anime would be unlikely to match this series’ adaptation in quality. It’d be worth doing the manga in its entirety again however to improve the pre-Kyoto stories and finally take on what’s after them. Will it happen? Who knows, but I’m waiting patiently.

Maybe we who haven’t gone back and finished this anime until now have prevented a new one from happening. It seems like many people are perfectly satisfied with their memories of this show that’s actually extremely troubled, and it frequently ranks on “best of all time” lists. Ultimately though, this anime as a whole is not a classic, and I recommend no one watch it in its entirety. If you want my advice, then read the manga up to the Kyoto arc, watch the Kyoto arc, and then finish the manga. You could watch the pre-Kyoto stuff too because it’s not -that- much worse, but I don’t think it’s worth it. Let’s let it be known that Rurouni Kenshin needs to come back and become the anime series we wanted it to be.

Based on the actual Meiji Period of Japan, Rouruni Kenshin is a Shounen, Action, Adventure about a wandering samurai, "Kenshin". Even though he is a kind and friendly person, he carries a bloody past he wishes not to return to. This shounen anime starts of like any other as we are introduced to the characters the story revolves around (Kenshin) and we learn quite a bit about them. Also like the typical shounen anime, once all the main characters are together to form some kind of fighting team, it starts of with couple short random adventures. There's plenty of action and comedy here but it ... lacks substance and it is not until later on in the Kyoto Arc. That is when the story becomes truly interesting, with even more intense battles, drama and a decent array of characters to back it up.

The characters are great and well developed, which is the sort of thing you'll expect from a shounen action series, of this calibre. But the character that truly stands out is "Kenshin", with his 3 contrasting personalities; dopy Kenshin, noble protector Kenshin and manslayer Kenshin and it is interesting how all of this is crammed into a single character. However there are a few brat-like characters that can get quite annoying at times but it doesn't take much away from the show.

There were two things I had to consider when looking into the quality of the animation; the time it was made and how well it depicted scenes. The animation quality of RK is exactly what you'd expect from something made in the 90s however when it comes down to it, it is really good especially during the action sequences. It is able to show the true intensity of the intense fights however those kinds of fights happen to rarely in RK.

The music on the other hand isn't all that special and there are only a few noticeable good tunes that go well, with the situations. The OP and ED themes are a range of catchy and annoying tunes however you'll definitely find some of them really enjoyable and hard to get out of your head. Another thing I just have to mention is that RK is one of those few anime that even a Sub anime fan like myself, actually prefered viewing the Eng. Dub version (uncut).

Overall RK is definitely one of the classic Shounen anime series that every shounen anime fan must watch. There a great deal of action, comedy and drama; with a superb story to back it up. The characters are also well developed and bring forth some really emotional moments but some are just plain annoying. Also little things like stupidly thought-up enemies and the huge number of cheesy moments reduce the overall quality of this fine anime. Another thing that badly affected the series was that it ended with a bunch of fillers but if you don't get bothered by all this, then you'll definitely enjoy RK.

^_^

One of the more popular anime of the older generation out there is Rurouni Kenshin. If one is a fan of more of the retro productions or even for the more modern ones, most people have heard of this highly spoken of anime. I myself am more of a modern viewer; however, I gave Rurouni Kenshin a try and was surprised at the depth and entertainment this anime gave.

Synopsis:
Rurouni Kenshin is a series about a wandering samurai named Kenshin Himura. Before the current era, the Meiji era, Kenshin was known by a different name: Battousai the Manslayer. During the revolution fought to bring out ... a new era, Kenshin slayed many men and was one of the most feared among the assassins. His name was infamous among all of Japan. Now, in the Meiji era, Kenshin wanders to protect people with his sword.

Story: 9
The story of Rurouni Kenshin had an intriguing plot that provided comedy, suspense, and tons of action. It is a shonen manga after all, so the action was one of the greatest assets to the story.The first 27 episodes are single episode or around 4 episode arcs. These mostly consist of Kenshin meeting new people, new enemies, and new allies. Each arc will show you more and more of just how strong not only Kenshin is, but also his allies. Although the arcs are short, there is plenty of plot and a lot of EPIC action. Whether its Kenshin or one of his allies, like Sanosuke, there will be some impressive fights.

What makes Rurouni Kenshin LEGENDARY is the massive Kyoto arc. This arc consists of episodes 28-63. This arc is where the heart beating action takes place, and an intriguing plot that will have you going to the next episode before the ending animation even starts. This arc has epic battle after epic battle. It also contains the most heated fight I have ever scene in any anime. A fight so intense that my heart was beating a mile a minute. I was actually short of breath in the anticipation throughout the fight. Not just action, but the Kyoto arc is filled with plenty of drama and tender, touching moments as well. It was the perfect blend of action and drama to keep you glued in.

The final episodes, 64-94, were just filler episodes. They were alright and did have some good elements in them, but they, in my opinion, failed in comparison to the main story. These consisted of mainly 1 episode entertainment episodes and around 5 episode story arcs. In truth, I actually liked the one episode stories better than the arcs. Although they did give some entertainment, they had no real connection to the main story.

Animation: 9
For a 1996 anime, the animation was actually pretty good. The fight scenes were beautifully drawn and the characters were all different. Some of the best animation of the anime was actually the backgrounds. They were simply stunning and made you feel as if you were actually seeing ancient Japan. Whether it was the beautiful sakura trees, giant mountains, or ancient Tokyo, the animation was all purely done and strikingly depictic.

Soundtrack:10
The soundtrack it one of my favorites among the anime I have seen. The background music is well chosen for each situation for you to feel sadness, anticipation, or even calm. It makes you feel the rush of battle, or the peace of just walking down the streets, and of course that emotion felt during those dramatic moments. In all. its a well rounded soundtrack that makes you feel all emotions in all moments.

Characters: 10
Rurouni Kenshin is a masterpiece when it comes to its characters. Each character was unique in their own way. They all had their own personality that brought tears to your eyes in laughter or silent out of fear. It was actually hard to pick my favorite character at times because I actually liked most of them. They all had their own dramatic pasts that sculpted this unique personality you see before you. There is plenty of character development, enough to keep you intrigued and guessing what a character will do in a certain situation. One thing this anime had was really amazing villians. The main villain of the Kyoto arc, Shishio, is now one of my favorite villains of all time. He is truly evil, and is epic while being it. Each villain was unique and expressed their different attributes. They were vile, sympathetic, epic, and ingenious.

Overall:9
Rurouni Kenshin is an anime that you can enjoy. If it weren't for those last fillers, this would definitely be a 10. It has many of the things one looks for in an anime: Action, Suspense, Drama, Romance, Comedy. It has some stunning animation for a 1990's anime and an all rounded soundtrack. For an older anime, this is truly a diamond in the ruff. For people who love retro anime, this anime is definitely a must watch for your collection. To the modern people, give this a try. Whether you need an epic action anime or something with an amazing story, Rurouni Kenshin doesn't disappoint.

Absolutely horrible. I don't know what can make a series so unwatchable while its OVA and movies were fantastic. The lame excuses of jokes that this anime try to come up with makes you want to hop off a cliff. Kenshin totally does not possess the aura of a fighter but rather a klutz and fails at being funny. Even during the fights, it is just ridiculously stupid. E.g. forgot the name but there was this one villain who has a blade that reeks of the fats of the victims that he slaughtered in the past that when he fights his blade becomes coated ... with fire. I don't even know what to say to that, it's beyond retarded.

Your deeds of the past is something you won't be able to evade, neither ignore in any way: it will always come back gnawing at you. This is the tale of Himura Kenshin, who once was a ruthless assassin in the past, in his quest of finding redemption from his previous actions. Rorouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan is a magnificent, well crafted samurai based anime with fantastic characterization and story, which is so rare to find these days. However, it is profoundly clear that the anime falls apart in the last third of its duration, due to fillers.

~Story~

The story of Rorouni Kenshin takes place in ... Tokyo, former Edo, in the 11th year of the Meiji era 10 years after the Meiji restoration. Himura Kenshin, now a vagabond, turned his back on the revolution that took place in Kyoto in its turning point, his travels leading him to Tokyo. There he encounters a kendo master, former thief, brawler and doctor, where he is able to find solace, but not without facing the enemies that constantly surge from his past.

The narration of the story is well executed. The first third of the anime is dedicated to the introduction of all the characters, while at the same time developing them, in addition to providing corresponding background stories. This part is mainly of episodic nature, yet some small arcs are present as well which gives good insight of the desolation of the samurai in the Meiji era due to the prohibition of using swords, as they find themselves out-of-place and struggle to survive. This was particularly well done in conveying these to the viewers, as you could really feel and understand the atmosphere and harships the people were going through.

However, where the anime truly shines is in the second part, the Kyoto arc. This is where the anime as a whole makes huge improvements which is easily the main reason why it is so highly praised. It is filled with plot twists, intricate and well executed narration, as well as providing well fleshed out villains with coherent motives and dark pasts. All the different characters and events come together as a joint to later conclude with fantastic ending. The pacing was well done too, neither too long nor too quick.

There fights are fantastic, but there are naturally flaws in it as well. Sudden power ups happen quite often as well, which is a little disappointing considering the high level of story telling; dialogues can be at times lackluster in the standalone episodes. But this is nothing compared with the last third of the anime, which is mainly composed of fillers. Fillers aren't bad on its own, yet they were very poorly written. This comes as no surprise, as the anime caught up with the manga. This doesn't excuse this however: it is plagued with bad narrative and story, in addition to having terrible characterization. It also floats away from focusing on feudal Japan, and starts introducing a lot of mythical non-sense, as well as a sudden unnecessary influx of foreigners that have no purpose other than to stretch out the story, in addition to boring fighting scenes. This mainly concerns episodes 63-94, and I would recommend anyone to avoid those. There some amusing moments, yet it isn't worth sitting through the remainder of the story.

~Characters~

The cast of characters in Rorouni Kenshin is large, yet appropriate for the setting. Audiences are introduced to vagabond samurai's, high-ranking governments officials, revolutionaries in hiding, you name it. As mentioned earlier, character development and fleshing out of those is one of the redeeming qualities of the anime.

Himura Kenshin clearly undergoes the biggest character development, and fleshing out: he evolves from a cold and ruthless assassin to a man who vowed to never kill again. Nevertheless he struggles to maintain his composition, as being pushed to the limit by his foes he tries to avoid reverting to his older self. There is little background story provided for Kenshin, yet little bits of his past are shown, which nevertheless keeps the reader intrigued and the want for more. His past is more extensively explored in "Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan - Tsuiokuhen", which should be your next watch.

Kenshin is not the only one that undergoes development; his near friends such Sagara, who evolves from being a simple thug to a more brightful person, or the evolution Yahiko in his sword skills. These are not that impressive in comparison, yet good to see. There is however the main female lead, Kaoru, and this character undergoes little to none character development which is very disappointing. She is your typical forceful and easily angered tsundere girl who serves no purpose in the story other than providing some comedic relief, and generating tension from some of the fights.

Villains are no exception either: these are in fact were very well crafted, each with their own motives, while at the same time providing a background story to enhance the credibility of the characters. This is naturally only for the first 62 episodes of the anime, as the last third the villains characters worsen as story progresses. Some of the fights can be a bit silly, in the respect that inexperienced people can win from top-notch warriors, yet this was a small drawback.

~Animation and sound~

The animation quality of Rorouni Kenshin is certainly very well executed, especially considering it was done in the late 90's. The battle choreography was well done, fluid and detailed, yet it must be said that some fights can be rather uninteresting because of the usage of the same techniques. Backgrounds are well drawn and detailed, easily conveying the atmosphere of the 19th century Japan. Character design are easily distinguishable from each other, yet the female cast shared similarities with each other.

The soundtrack used was one of the best, if not the best, I have listened to so far. These are well used in each different scene, especially when it begins with the more serious parts of the story. The viewer truly feels the atmosphere and tension in the air the story takes place in. I must mention that in the standalone episodes some of the OST's were overused. The voice actors performed their roles well, with characteristic dialogues and usage of words of the era, which at times could get a little bit annoying, as for example the case of Kenshin with his constant "gozaru".

~Enjoyment~

Rorouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan was overall a fantastic experience, with a fantastic story and narrative full of plot twists, in addition to having very good character development and fleshing out of these. The soundtrack used was great and very important to convey the overall atmosphere of the anime. This anime would have easily been a great show, was it not for the fact that the last third thwarted the anime too much. I personally would recommend anyone potentially watching this anime to avoid episodes 63-94, and proceed with Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan - Tsuiokuhen for the background story of Himura Kenshin. I highly recommend this anime to anyone with a slight interest in history of Japan or samurais in general.

Thank you for reading.

Ahh, "Rurouni Kenshin", one of first really long series that I'd watched. A series that at times epitomises the best of fighting shounens while at other times perfectly demonstrates the pitfalls of adapting popular, long running shounen manga.

"Rurouni Kenshin" is the story of Himura Kenshin, a wandering Samurai with a dark past. One of my strongest first impressions of this series is how similar it is to "Trigun", a show I'd already watched. In particular, there are strong parallels between Kenshin and Vash, the main protagonists from their respective shows (no prizes for guessing which is from which). They're both insanely strong vagabonds who refuse ... to kill, and who like to hide their strength under an air of goofy incompetence. There are stylistic similarities too, like the heavy use of electric guitar in the sound track (although "Trigun" took this further). But since "Trigun" came after "Rurouni Kenshin", if there's any ripping off going on, it certainly isn't "Rurouni Kenshin" that's doing the ripping.

But enough about "Trigun", lets talk about "Rurouni Kenshin" instead. "Rurouni Kenshin" is split into three parts. The first part, subtitled "Wandering Samurai", sets up the show as a promising one; "Legend of Kyoto" sees it rocketing into a terrific and stupidly addictive show... only to have it come crashing back down earth in "Tales of the Meiji". In many ways, its rise and fall is quite characteristic of long running shounens.

"Wandering Samurai" gives the show a good starting point, introducing a cast filled with interesting, infectiously likeable characters. I did however, find one aspect of it to be particularly irksome - its goofy humour. I know that Kenshin is trying to hide his true strength, but still, his whole act of going goggle eyed and uttering "Oro?" every couple of minutes wears thin rapidly. It gives the series a silly feel it could have done without.

In addition, the action for the first few episodes are boring. They generally involve Kenshin jumping high into the air, followed by a flash of light, and then a scene showing his opponent(s) lying on the floor knocked out cold. But after a while, they improve, as more skilful opponents appear and the fights become more than just a matter of Kenshin one hit KOing cannonfodder. The mini arcs that span several episodes are especially good, as they generally have the strongest adversaries for Kenshin, and also longer and more complex plot, usually involving a couple of exciting cliff hanger moments.

As the series progressed, "Rurouni Kenshin" becomes more and more like something that's not too distant from a show of the superpower fighting genre. But it seems reluctant to join this genre completely, and tries to find middle ground between over the top special moves and pseudo-logical explanations behind them, and I'm not too keen on the result. I mean, some of the explanations behind the techniques on display are bordering on absurd. For example, there's one guy who swings his sword so fast he creates a vaccum with which he can cut people without actually touching them.

But anyway, by the time the "Legend of Kyoto" arc started, I've gotten used most of those minor irritations. With the start of this second part of the series, "Rurouni Kenshin" kicks into a much higher gear. Triggering it all off is a showdown between Kenshin and Hajime Saito, an old adversary from the shadows of Kenshin's dark past. Hajime Saito is one of the most badass characters ever, and that explosive encounter is one of the best choreographed fights ever, certainly the best in the series.

The "Legend of Kyoto" comprises a single, long story about Kenshin being sent after Shishio, a man who is linked to Kenshin's past despite them never having met. This arc is a prime example of a fighting shounen at its very best: the story is full of twists and turns, the build up of tension before the fights are incredible, and the fights themselves are seat gripping stuff. The whole arc is ferociously addictive, and I found myself going through perhaps the highest number of episodes of anime I'd ever watched in a day (while procrastinating on the thesis I was supposed to be doing for my MSc).

Perhaps it was because I watched too much in too short a period, but I found my enthusiasm starting to wane ever so slightly towards the end of "Legend of Kyoto", and its end nearly came as a relief. Part of this is probably due to the fights - they'd started to become repetitive and formulaic at that point. Fortunately, the arc ends without it becoming too much of a problem. UNfortunately, it wasn't the end of the problem, more like the beginning of the end, the beginning of the crumbling of (what was up to that point) an awesome show.

And so we come to the final part of "Rurouni Kenshin", "Tales of the Meiji". For me, along with like 99% of the shows fans, this part single handedly killed the series. But "Tales of the Meiji" actually made a good start, throwing out some quietly entertaining, episodic stories that brought about a refreshing change of pace from the long, exhausting intensity of the previous arc. The main problem is with the multi-parters - they were just poor re-hashes of the last section of "Legend of Kyoto"; it's almost the opposite of "Wandering Samurai", where the longer stories outshone the single episode ones. The worst problems with these long stories are the dull stories (they're more like set ups rather than proper stories) and even duller battles. Since towards the end of "Legend of Kyoto", Kenshin has been incessantly abusing this one overpowered attack of his; one that seems to work in pretty much all situations. Good for him, but bad for viewers. It's akin to some guy playing a fighting game and spamming a single broken move over and over again while his opponent is yelling "cheap!" at him repeatedly.

So why did everything go so horribly wrong? Apparently, it's because the anime followed the manga up to the end of "Legend of Kyoto" only. It's a classic case of the anime catching up with the with the manga, then, having run out of material and unwilling to let go of such a popular hit, started making up stories of its own. You can tell something is different about "Tales of the Meiji", and it's not just that it's sh*te: most of the stories in this part of the series involve people from foreign lands; Kenshin's opponents went from a bunch of swordsmen/ninjas to a bizarre mixture of knights, feng shui masters and God knows what else. There's also a glaring inconsistency when it comes to the battles themselves. The anime started introducing increasingly imaginative special attacks for the villains in order to make the fights more difficult for Kenshin. As a result, the attempt to retain a tenuous link with reality by way of some flimsy explanations on how the attacks works is often abandoned, especially since the nature of the new attacks don't lend themselves well to explanations, even absurd ones. Everyone just start pulling off exotic attacks because they CAN, and this doesn't fit very well with how the show worked previously.

With all the inconsistencies and staleness creeping in, "Tales of the Meiji" was a struggle to get through, especially the last few episodes. The final episode is confusing, as it comes out of no where, and goes nowhere as well; it's a rather random episode that just pulls out some flashbacks and highlights from the series. On a good note, it brought back memories of old skool "Rurouni Kenshin", and reminded me just why I loved it so much at one point. But apart from nostalgic value, the last episode seems kinda pointless and anti-climatic.

On the art and animation side of things, the style of "Rurouni Kenshin" can be a bit goofy and overuse the super deformity style at times, but it's great when it gets serious. Kenshin's transformation into "battousai mode" is very cool, as is the character design for Saito, who comes off as cold and deadly, especially when he gets into his various combat stances.

The opening and ending themes of "Rurouni Kenshin", although mostly catchy (I especially loved "It's Gonna Rain"), all feel out of place. The one exception is the ending track "Heart of Sword" which, in addition to being catchy, also energetically captures what the show is all about. The background tracks are not only easy on the ear, but also adds tremendously to the mood. The exquisite accoustic instrumentation combines surprisingly well with the electric guitar sounds, and the combinations give the OST quite a unique flavour.

At its best, "Rurouni Kenshin" is a great anime. It has a memorable, colourful cast, some awesome storylines and intense battles. But ultimately, it became a victim of its own success. It's sad to see the series suffer the slow and painful fate of "death by being overly milked as a cash cow". Adaptations where anime studios stray from the source material and comes up with good original material of their own do exist (the original "Full Metal Alchemist" comes to mind), but they're few and far in between. "Rurouni Kenshin" is a much more typical case of what happens. If you've seen this series, I'm sure you'll agree that the result isn't pretty. For those who haven't seen it, I strongly advise you to just watch up to the end of "Legend of Kyoto" arc, then stop and pretend that "Tales of the Meiji" never existed. Trust me, you won't be missing much, and this way, you won't be wasting away hours of your life just to look back on "Rurouni Kenshin" with a sour aftertaste in your mouth.

Overview:

Rurouni Kenshin is a historical fiction/action series set 11 years after the Meiji Revolution of 1867-1868. It is bound to remind literature fans a bit of Alexander Dumas' Three Musketeers, due to both series revolving around furious sword fights, clever plot twists, and highly likeable protagonists in a Romantic historical setting.

story 10/10

Kenshin Himura was once a ruthless soldier who killed hundreds of opponents and earned the nickname "Battosai the manslayer". 11 years after the war, he has become a wandering swordsman who refuses to kill and lives to repent for all the lives he took during the war. He refused fame and power ... in order to live a simple life and has become disenchanted with the Japanese government that he helped usher into power. Kenshin must use his superb swordsmanship to protect those around him and take down various bad guys. It is supposed to be an age of peace, but evil never rests and kenshin can't afford to either.

characters 10/10

Kenshin soon meets a wide range of interesting friends including the loud and rambunctious Kaoru (who runs the Dojo Kenshin lives in), the teasing Dr. Megumi, the hilarious Sanosuke, and the badass cop Hajime Saito. Together Kenshin and friends fight a number of devious villains including ultra nationalist/militarist and social Darwinist extraordinaire, Makoto Shishio. Shishio argues that human society should reflect the "Law of Nature" and should be highly stratified with the strong crushing and exploiting the weak. Attempts to create equality result only in weakness, which he despises above all else. Shishio is basically like if Tojo met Murray Rothbard in hell and together they fused into one massive asshole! Other characters include the awesome ninja Aoshi and too many others to name here. This is a colorful and very well done cast.

art: 8/10

This is an older anime, but is one of those select few that has aged fairly gracefully. The art is much more cartoonish than the more serious toned OVAs but actually I prefer the artstyle of the main anime. It looks much closer to the original manga, and lets me know I'm watching rurouni kenshin. The OVAs look like a totally different anime, and Kenshin is barely recognizable to readers of the manga.

Sound 10/10

Rurouni Kenshin has my favorite overall soundtrack in all of anime! I'm not kidding! This soundtrack really has it all. Exciting fight music, tear jerking drama music, comedic silly music, all the way across the spectrum it is superb.

Enjoyment 8/10

I should explain that Rurouni Kenshin should be split into 2 parts. The part that actually follows the manga, and the god awful filler that follows the Kyoto arc. The filler is poorly executed, lazily animated, and just looks like no one on board the staff gave a flying fuck! The terrible filler drags this enjoyment rating down a notch.

Overall 9/10

Rurouni Kenshin would have gotten a 10/10 if it had simply ended with the Kyoto Arc, but that god damned filler 3rd season leaves the viewer with a bad taste in his or her mouth. I deducted 1 point for that reason alone. I would highly recommend this anime for men and women of all ages. Just don't watch any of the episodes after 62!!! You will thank me for saving you the time and agony!

(NO SPOILERS! If you have not seen the Prequel to this anime there will be no spoilers either)

This is my first review in a while and my last one was not very popular so I'm going to do this review as best I can. First off, if you have not seen this show at all including its prequel do yourself a favor, watch the prequel first, it will give you a much better experience watching the show after. Also, if you have seen the prequel and have not but are going to start the main story know that 10 years has passed and Kenshin ... is not very serious which may take some time for someone who watched the prequel first to adapt to.

Story- This story is about a wandering Samurai who has a dark past and refuses to kill because he wants to repent for past sins. His weapon of choice is a reverse blade sword meaning the inside of the sword is sharp and lethal and the out side is dull and full of blunt force. He meets a girl (as always) and she wants him to stay with her at her dojo and of course he accepts. The first couple episodes are mainly for character development. You meet Kenshin and Kaoru and the Doctor and his granddaughters. Then you meet Yahiko who becomes Kaoru's apprentice and then Zano/Sanosuke a bounty hunter who changes his ways. The whole first season is about mini arcs with really important villains and some great fights. The filler is good filler, it provides character development which makes it enjoyable. The humor is really good and also makes the first season very good. The second season is a masterpiece, more characters are introduced, there is a main villain, the story is complex and dark and those who have seen the prequel go "OH MY GOD!!!! I UNDERSTAND". Everything was going great and I changed my rating from 9 to a 10 and then the 3rd season came along. It is all filler. The first arc was a masterpiece but the rest was unneeded. The anime caught up to the manga so they needed the filler but then the show was cancelled and what ever happened after was put into Seisou-Hen the final OVA series to end the show. The story is genius for the most part but the last 20 episodes are pretty average so if I were you, watch up until episode 77 then skip to the special ending (episode 95) and you will be totally happy with yourself.

Art- Even though the art looks like a 90's anime, it works so well with the show. It is about imperial Japan in the 1800's, it's supposed to have a vintage look and it pulls it off so well. The battles are amazingly done and everything looks so phenomenal no complaints.

Sound- The sound was amazing!!!!! It was that old type of music and then the battle theme was great and the sad soundtracks amplified the feelings of the characters. The openings and closing were not that bad, they were actually catchy. I would have liked to get more than 3 openings though so if you are the type of person that likes different opening every 15 episodes might as well skip the openings after you had your fair share of the songs. I watched this in Dub because I don't like it when there is a woman voice for a character that is a grown man, I'm not sexist, I just want it to be somewhat realistic. Anyway, the Dub was great... kind of. Those who were important in the overall story or an arc of the story the Dub was great, pointless one episode characters had awful Dub. It was bad acting at the finest but it is something easy to overlook but you cant ignore it.

Character- The characters in this show are the ones that stay with you forever. Kenshin is the most moral badass I have ever watched on screen and I really thought those two traits could not go together but I was wrong. The side characters were just as enjoyable and added depth to not only the story but to the main characters themselves because of love interests and danger etc. There is plenty of character development even with the villains and the way the story is told and how the characters are portrayed show how in war there really is no hero and villain, everyone gets hurt and everyone fights for their beliefs and many of the antagonists have good reason for the "bad" they do. If I were to say a flaw, it's that Kenshin most of the time is overpowered. There are about 6 antagonists out of a hell of a lot more that give Kenshin a hard time so it gets old when you see Kenshin own people but in the same sense it makes the tougher fights seem even more epic.

So this was a long review, hope you stayed through the whole thing... To sum it up watch this after its prequel for a better experience, watch up to episode 77 if you hate filler and then skip to 95 but if you are engrossed in the show the episodes after 77 are not that bad, and be prepared for epic fights and characters that you would go through hell and back to protect. Rurouni Kenshin Meiji Kenkaku Romantan is the best samurai anime that has ever been shown in my opinion and is a must watch "That it is" (for those who have seen the show you know where that line comes from)

Man its been awhile since i watched this but i recently watched an amv of kenshin and i just felt inspired to write so lol:P

Synopsis

Rurouni Kenshin recounts the adventures of Kenshin Himura, a wandering swordsman struggling to begin a new life in the Meiji era. Once a feared manslayer, Kenshin has taken up a reverse-blade sword and pledged to use it only to protect others.

Review

During the war 10 years ago, Kenshin Himura was known as Battousi the Manslayer, the most-feared swordsman of the revolution, personally responsible for taking countless lives as an assassin for the Emperor. After the Imperialists were defeated in the ... war against Tokugawa, Kenshin has been attempting to assimilate himself back into society. His enemies aren't so willing to forget his violent deeds, however; and he is confronted at every turn by shadows from his past.

The section of the show leading up to the confrontation with Shishio, known as the Legend of Kyoto Arc, is the best-executed portion of the show, with sufficient action, plot twists, and new developments to maintain viewer interest.

Unfortunately, instead of ending on a high note, the show continues to linger on, feeling sometimes as if it is languishing on life support and no one has the gumption to pull the plug. The final 20-30% of the show feels somewhat unnecessary, and the writers rely more on simplistic action and corny humor to propel the story along. Despite this, there are some entertaining moments, but they are certainly diamonds in the rough.

The characters of the show are lovingly-crafted, displaying a healthy range of personalities. The main cast consists of a stubbornly-independent swordswoman, a wise-cracking brawler/slacker, a street urchin turned apprentice, a young shinobi, and a beautiful druggist. Over the course of 95 episodes we certainly have ample opportunity to get to know and love them, but there did seem to be some inconsistencies in their behavior.

For instance, Kaoru's sudden transformation from an assertive dojo master to a simpering, needy melodrama queen was a bit startling. Kenshin, on the other hand, almost seems to have split personalities throughout the entire series, morphing from legendary swordsman to bumbling homemaker in an unnerving fashion. As much as I liked aspects of Kenshin's character, the dichotomy of his personality was a bit overplayed. It is understandable that he struggles between a need to use violence and a desire to never kill again, but there's really no need to portray him as a socially-handicapped moron in order to make the point.

The enemies that our heroes must face also have the very consistent habit of turning from their evil deeds and joining the circle of friends. While this could be used convincingly in isolated instances, as the show wears on it becomes predictable and unexciting plot device. It is more than a little doubtful that even the most black-hearted of individuals could be so thoroughly rehabilitated by a few words from a known killer, but that certainly doesn?t seem to discourage them.

Regardless of these flaws, the characters are still very distinctive and enjoyable to watch, and this is one of the few shows that contain memorable secondary characters and enemies as well.

The battle sequences and sword techniques are a large part of the show, so it's fortunate that they are managed with such aplomb. For such a long-running series, most of the action sequences convey a sense of action and intensity, although some are certainly more well-animated than others.

I found some of the earliest fights to be the most skillfully done, containing more dynamic movement, fewer still frames, and, in some cases, more brutal action. Some of the later fights in particular tend to rely on Kenshin being beaten mercilessly until he finally finds the wherewithal to end the fight with a single blow. Another gripe I had was that the near-supernatural techniques used by Kenshin and others were often explained away in rather mundane terms, removing much of their mystery and appeal.

Although I'm no historical expert, the setting seemed convincing enough for the era, with a few obvious exaggerations and anachronisms. Throughout the animation is crisp and colorful, and the character designs are excellent. Some of the episodes feature varying levels of quality, with several looking particularly hideous, but this is not at all uncommon, especially among the longer-running shows.

The soundtrack quality was above-average, effectively blending the past and present into a moody and fitting musical score. The voice-work seemed to fit the characters well, but be warned that Kenshin's speech patterns can cause fits of rage. His habit of appending "that it is" or "that it does" onto almost every phrase he utters is an attempt at cuteness that is immensely frustrating.

Humor, action, and romance are all incorporated into Rurouni Kenshin's style, and the show manages to deliver on all counts, although it doesn't particularly excel at any of them. The action was no doubt the high point, and the warrior philosophies espoused by several of the show's characters were often thought-provoking. The comedy was consistently humorous, but I found little of it to be truly laugh-out-loud funny. Romance and drama elements were mercifully infrequent, and although they were sometimes moving and inspirational, they typically tended towards melodrama. Kenshin's personal conflicts marked both the most effective and most frequently-used dramatic theme.

Conclusion

Rurouni Kenshin has a variety of elements that appeal to a widespread audience, making it one of the best-loved anime series of all time, despite its flaws. Its colorful visuals, compelling theme, and lovable characters will leave an impression on any anime fan. It may not become your new favorite, but its quality and longevity cannot be denied.

story:
the story is very linear and follows a predictable format -- random encounters followed by their addition to the support group which stays stable throughout the entire show. kenshin's brandishing of a reverse blade in order never to kill again and his quest to maintain that vow and not revert to his old self becomes a crutch
plot device. the more subtle and appreciate aspect of the story which i liked especially because it was not so flagrantly touched upon was the romance budding between kaoru and kenshin. given that rurouni kenshin is a typical adventure/fighting anime, the story is comprised mostly of battles ... with fierce foes -- some of which are tasteless brawls, others suspenseful. 6/10

art:
as the anime proceeds, the quality of art definitely improves; however, before that, it is very hard to get used to the unkempt nature of kenshin's hair, sanousuke's disproportionate feet and the overzealous detail to the face like excessive wrinkles (needles to say, some of these problems do not even go away).
8/10

sound:
the sound is definitely a supplement to the anime; the music soundtracks are perfect for setting up the mood, especially for the battles and truly embody the sentiments of the fighters when they feel joy or sadness, defeat or victory. the only complaint would be that the same tracks are used again rather than creating new ones which could bore the viewers with a lack of creativity.
10/10

characters:
by far, the most detrimental aspect to enjoying the anime was the character development. the main female protagonist, kaoru, travels between the extremes of brash haughtiness and parasitic loneliness. it seems that her character is written not only to abuse kenshin when she feels comfortable (a typical cliche to veil her true feelings, no doubt about it) but also to weep uncontrollably at the sight of parting with him. when she is neither nor, she epitomizes the model individual, bringing great courage to everyone and showing no weakness. her emotional instability throughout the anime makes her very hard to appreciate as a protagonist;
her poor written character is only outmatched by the samurai boy, yahiko, who was a nuisance as well. yahiko has a deluded sense of self-righteousness believing that because of his samurai blood, he can be stronger as a swordsman and protect others. this is also supplemented by his bratty attitude towards everyone and his rash decision to intermittently involve himself in affairs which are much too dangerous for him. the level of his "strength" is unprecedented, apparently, as he learns to mimic kenshin's sword moves solely on observations and comes out victorious in many hard battles -- all of which are unbelievable and eyerolling-worthy.
while the other characters are not as obnoxious as the aforementioned two are, they do have their moments. while kenshin's struggle between taking life again and facing his past sins is imperative to the foundation of his morality, it is brought up too many times that his indecisiveness is both a contributing factor to the action and unpredictability but also to the viewer's impatience.
2/10

enjoyment:
as far as enjoyment goes, i was even browsing for other anime to watch as i watched this one. that is about how enjoyful it got for me. the sword fights are rather intense at times, particularly when the opponents are sizing each other up with psychological taunts. however, they can also be verbose and incredibly dogmatic about matters like kill or be killed. these discussions turn the fighting into a backdrop. i could not find myself sympathizing with the struggles the main characters had in their endeavors because of how poorly written the plot was written in that in the end the good guys succeed and get what they want in true moments of crisis. the imbalance between victory and loss made it predictable when people would die or the outcome of an event which make the overall performance boring.
4/10

overall...: (a disappointment)
6/10

Story - 10
The story in Rurouni Kenshin is set in the Meiji era of Japan. The story follows protagonist, Himura Kenshin, who begins as a wanderer. Throughout the anime, Kenshin's dark past is revealed, showing that he was a once notorious assassin, the Hitokiri Battousai. As a wanderer he meets a woman who owns a local dojo, a boy forced into theft, and a fighter-for-hire hired to kill him, who all come together to form some type of a family. The group faces many enemies, where usually Kenshin and Sanouske (the fighter-for-hire) fight to maintain peace. The story is original and great which is one ... of the strong points of the anime.

Art - 9
The art in the anime is a bit older than most, however, it is very well-done. The characters are well drawn as well. But most importantly, it is the battle sequences in this anime where the art explodes and enthralls. This is not due to any special effects, as the sword fighting is somewhat realistic, but it is because of how well motion is captured and then presented that the art thrives in this anime, making it truly spectacular.

Sound - 8
The sound was mediocre. Sound effects throughout the anime were done well. The opening and ending songs were nothing special. The background music during the anime was actually pretty good at times, which was a good change. However, the music did not really have much effect on the anime.

Character - 9
The characters in the anime are great. Amongst the characters Kenshin meets throughout the anime, many are interesting.Also, some of them are based on historical figures, giving them even more depth. Characters also develop, and we see a lot feelings expressed from each character throughout the anime. However, there are some typical and predictable characters, which exist in all animes, so although there can be some nuisances, they won't take away from the show.

Enjoyment - 9
There are so many aspects of this anime that are great, however, depending on your taste, they could be canceled by other aspects. For example, if you like action but not romance, or if you like romance but not comedy, etc. This is because the anime consists of many themes, which is good and bad, but most audiences can enjoy it because of that. The main character is likely to drive the anime the most, since the anime is fixated on him, you will want to figure out more about his mysterious past, and be drawn into this long anime.

Overall - 9
Although it is one of my favorite animes, I must admit that it has some flaws, again just like most animes. However, this anime is still a masterpiece in its genre. This anime is truly a great one, so you should at least give it a shot.

"Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu...Kuzu Ryusen!"

Story: The story is your classic samurai story. But the important thing is that it is the anime that made samurai anime popular. Based on the Meiji era, the story is divided into 3 main parts. The first part is sort of like an introduction to series, going in an episodic nature and introducing new characters every few episodes. The second part is where the plot thickens and Kenshin actually starts to fight against his opponents. The episodic nature is left alone and instead we have a flowing story. The last part is all fillers, so you don't have to watch them. I ... did watch them for the sake of seeing more of our Hitokiri, but that of course is your decision.
9/10

Art: The most important thing while rating the art is to remember when it was animated. For an anime made in 1996, the animation quality is superb. Of course, you can't compare them to new productions, but RuroKen won't make you think that you are wasting your time. Characters are well drawn, sword fights and special moves are awesome. Background is detailed (for an anime from '96 anyway.) I think I have seen a few (only a few) scenes where the background was dull and discolored, but that doesn't mean the quality is bad. OP and ED sequences were pretty well drawn, but of course you can see that ED sequence was worse than the OP.
10/10

Sound: I can't really recall how was the BGM, mainly because I was 7 years old when I watched it ^^ But I still can remember some of it, and that few things I remember tells me that soundtrack was great. Iwasaki Taku's BGM always amazes me. Even 12 years ago, he made great BGMs, and he continues to make great BGMs. Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, anyone? One thing I remember is that the first OP is awesome. It holds a special place in my heart as it's the first anime song I've ever downloaded. I still listen to it. I can't really talk about the Voice Actors as I've only seen the first 15 episodes in Japanese, but Kenshin's voice is great. And how that voice can come from a girl is yet another mystery.
8/10

Characters: Kenshin is one of my favourite characters. He is so awesome that all of the other characters seem dull. Don't get me wrong, all of the characters are explained in-depth and they all have their places in the story, but Kenshin is way above them. Not too overpowered like Alucard (from Hellsing), but he gives a feeling that he is unbeatable. Along with his friends and rivals, Kenshin alone would make watching the anime worthwhile.
10/10

Enjoyment: Hell yea! This IS a shounen anime, so if you like shounen, there is no way you won't enjoy it. All of my friends who watched the series have taken an interest in swords, and one of them actually bought a katana (as an accessory of course, not to use it.) Although the blood can scare some little kids, there is a reason for this to be rated PG-13. All of the 95 episodes are worth your time, and if you are a boy, you'll like every second of it.
10/10

Overall: My favourite anime... What can I say? It's nostalgic to write a review for it. One of the greatest anime of all the time. It is a classic and remain a classic. Don't be scared of the number of episodes, the first part may seem a little slow, but you won't understand how fast the second part finished. Wanting more, you'll move on to the OVAs, I guarantee you. May your swords stay sharp!
10/10

I watched it to the point where it runs out of manga material and I dropped it.

The anime can be split in two parts:

Epides from 1 to about 45 - this part is amazing. There are interesting and relatable character, tesne fights, good storytelling and great music. WIt is at least 7/10 or 9/10 material.

Episodes 46-62. - this is where it gets bad. Suddenly we have long string of fights, and usually a single fight takes 2 episodes, plus the singer in the intro starts singing off-key. Drawn out, slow, with pacing problems, and all the hallmarks of bad shounen anime - people talking for ... 10 minutes mid fight, discussing each other's techniques and how exceptional those techniques are. This part is very very bad, something around 4/10 or even 2/10. I didn't like it, although this arc has its fans.

And past episode 62... I heard it only gets worse and mostly contains filler. 30 episodes of it.

I don't know, maybe one day I'll finish it (probably not), but as far as I can tell, it is only worth watching to around episode 45, if you want quality materail, and anything past episode 45 to 62 is for mostly shounen fans.


Some details are below. For the purposes of review I'll call 1-45 as "part 1" and "46-62" as part 2.

Story:
Very interesting in part 1, and very tedious in part 2.

Art:
Decent, but it is low detailed and fairly low-budget, because it was a tv show.

Sound:
Good in the first part (the intro song is nice), and gets slightly worse in the second part, where singer in the intro starts singing off-key.

Characters:
They sorta progress/change over time, but some of them can be extremely annoying. Yahiko is incredibly annoying, and if in the first part it is sorta tolerable, in the second part I was seriously wondering why he isn't dead. Kaoru can be annoyingly needy and manipulative too. Overall, however, it is less about characters and more about the overall story, which is focused on kenshin.

Enjoyment:
Liked first part, hated second part, dropped 3rd part.

Overall:
First 40 something episodes are worth watching, past that point it is worth watching only if you really like shounen anime. Haven't seen it past episode 62, but a lot of people seem to be saying it only gets worse past that point.

I tried to give this series a chance. Over the course of two years I started the anime over and over, to try and find something worth watching. Each time I would restart and after a few episodes, I would lose interest. Today, I made it to five episodes deep and it is the final nail in the coffin. With all the fan fair and reviews, I thought that it would be an epic anime. This just is not the case. In the end the plot and the story were not entertaining for what I expected. The story had potential, but there was very little ... to hook and draw in the audience. The dialogue is probably what shut this down for me.

Rurouni Kenshin (A) – in my opinion, THE samurai anime. It’s a series that attempts to blend reality and history with superhuman action and suspense. It succeeds at being hugely entertaining and almost flawless.

The title character, Himura Kenshin is timeless and classic character set in a history piece that manages to be original and absolutely likable despite his past. Supporting characters Saito and Sanosuke also manage to be memorable favorites with some rather annoying, but unique and identifiable characters rounding out the cast.

Kenshin’s story is wonderfully told through seasons 1 & 2, through flashbacks and encounters with characters from his blood soaked ... past. The action is a mix of Kenshin dispatching villains in quick and sometimes funny ways and epic battles with masterful assassins/manslayers. In true shonen style, the other characters get a chance to knock heads, but in the end it always comes down to Kenshin.

The series also adds in comedy and romance with mixed results. I don’t find Kaoru to be a particularly likable character, and I found Yahiko to be extremely annoying for most parts of the show. And usually when one of them was featured something less than entertaining was probably going to happen. This usually took the form of some less than stellar filler episodes or completely skippable scenes.

The music for the series is extremely well done and memorable, with nothing really standing out as out of place. Well, nothing except the shows first opening theme, that really rubbed me the wrong way. Saying that I own the soundtrack should tell you how much I enjoy it.

Every series has a pivotal story arc and action series usually have a turning point battle that changes the series from that point forward. That battle was the match between Kenshin and Saito, which finally gave the viewers more than slight glimpse into what Kenshin truly was and let everyone know that things had gotten very serious. The arc is of course the Kyoto Arc (season 2) leading up to more battles of that caliber and a deep and powerful story. That arc may be the best in any series.

I also prefer to not include season 3 in my reviews, as I did not particularly care for it. It gave an ending completely deviating from the manga, and the pivotal Jinchuu Arc in the manga where Kenshin was forced to face the darkest part of his past. This is covered though in the excellent OVA’s Trust & Betrayal and Reflections. If I were to take into account the final season of the anime, I would probably drop it a point, because it drops the ball, in my opinion.

In the end, Rurouni Kenshin is an action series where the comedy helps round things out, and the romance will help give the characters depth. But make no mistake, it is the action and Kenshin and the villains/allies who make this series what it is.

Story: 9
The storyline was fresh, about a man who is wanting to get away from the name he came to be known as during the war. The name is that of an assasian killer. To get away from this, he takes only this name and hides it and changes his swords to a reverse sword, one that can not kill. The sword concept is pretty cool.

The extras that aren't in the Manga most part keep with the author's idea and seem to be part of the world that they are in. The exception to the rule is the whole last arc, which was a major ... disapointment as it did not fit with the feel of the whole story. Which is why I scored it at a nine instead of a ten and the only reason.

Art: 8

While the art is awsume, it does not in any way compare to the art work of the manga. There are parts that aren't as clear. The clearest points are when battle comes out in Kenshin, one might say.

Sound: 10

I completly fell in love with the music for the series. Each note fit the theme for the time it was needed. There was music themed for every single thing, including Kenshin's little band. The music was humourous, sad or serious when need be.

Character: 10

Kenchin comes to live with a young dojo mistress who is looking to keep her fathers good name and school going. They slowly gather and add companions to their list. Two of the ones that stay on with them through the whole thing is a young orphan boy who comes from a Samurai line and an ex for hire killer who was looking for a good fight with his fists. The interaction between these three is wonderful. As for other characters, even minor ones are given depth here.

Enjoyment: 10

I found myself laughing at the funny parts, crying at the sad parts and very disapointed with the last arc, because I had been enjoying the series so much.

Overall: 9

Overall, the Anime was wonderful. Other then the last arc, it flowed well, the characters drew me in, not to mention the story line.

Rurouni Kenshin is another classic 90's anime that i got introduced to via Toonami when i was younger. It's high up on my scale alongside other famous anime. It's also Nobuhiro Watsuki's most well known work.

The Story and Plot of Rurouni Kenshin is really interesting, and i also like the realism mixed in with some of the shounen elements; it made it that much more enjoyable. The story can go from being happy to dark with sad very intense moments; its a variety of emotions.

I honestly felt for its time the art was very clean and crisp while the animation was also very ... good as well. It really has that 90's spirit in its production work with both its art and animation.

The Characters were the strong points of this anime . I loved every single character both in design and personality; very well made characters. Even side characters had a bit of depth to them.

The Music was composed by both Taro Iwashiro and Noriyuki Asakura. Every single composed music track in this anime is absolutely amazing and memorable. It fits the anime in many different contrasting ways. Even the opening and ending themes are great like T.M. Revolution's "Heart of Sword" for example.

This is also one of the rare anime's where i prefer the dub compared to the sub. However this is an opinion and all up to preference.

My only gripe with the series is some of the "subtle" filler i did not pick up on. The filler in Rurouni Kenshin is very subtle in the range of episodes 10 to 20 but try's to flow into the canon. However when it comes to episodes 63-94 this is not the case. This is where the anime stops being canon and has anime only filler story's/arcs and doesn't follow the rest of the manga.

Regardless of this i highly recommend watching Rurouni Kenshin if you haven't had a chance to watch it yet.

The hard part about reviewing this series is if you decide to count the filler arcs as part of the series. The quality of the story telling between the canon (based on the manga) and the filler (stuff they did to give the manga time to catch up) is radically different. I've seen both subbed and dubbed episodes but I'm more familiar with the dubbed version so I'll be reviewing that. I will note that much of the context of what is said in the Japanese version is missing, for which I recommend reading the wikipedia synopsis of this show because it ... goes into these "lost in translation" moments with great detail.

Story: To sum up this story as simply as possible, it's a Spaghetti Western with Samurai instead of cowboys. The hero, Kenshin Himoura, is a former manslayer (Samurai assassin) who's vowed to never kill again. He wields a "reverse-blade" sword (a sword that one uses the blunt side to strike with) and the fictional Hiten Mitsurugi-style of sword techniques. At the beginning he's a wanderer, struggling to find his way in the world as a man who's only skill was killing, but becomes a permanent guest at the Kamiya-dojo. Kaoru Kamiya, the dojo's owner, is the primary romantic interest for Kenshin. They are quickly joined by Yahiko (teenage son of former Samurai, and Kaoru's student) and Sanoske (street ruffian and political malcontent). These four make up the core heroes. There are several groups of foes in the series, most of whom are insane or just plain corrupt. My favorites are Shisio and the Edo Oniwabon Group.

Art: There are few parts that blew me away, but the show was overall aesthetically pleasing. The credit for the unique outfits (inspired by Marvel comics characters, per the author) go to the manga. I found the swordfights were often painfully abbreviated. A couple of flashes, then a two minute explanation on how Kenshin defied the laws of physics.

Sound: It was a solid soundtrack. I liked the ending song, Heart of the Sword quite a bit. The in-show music went well with the action and never stagnated **cough** Shippuden **cough**.

Character: While not a character-driven as many newer anime titles are, the characters are all solid, interesting, and usually not two-dimensional. Kenshin's near superhuman abilities are matched by the depth of his character. Most of his development, and most of the series' as well, is during the Kyoto arc where he learns to set aside his "inner-manslayer" and learn to fight at his full power without suicidal bloodlust. The tenderness of his and Kaoru's love is interesting. It never becomes fully passionate, but a Kenshin's quiet adoration and Kaoru's determination to be strong for him is handled very maturely. At first disconcerting, Kenshin also respects Kaoru as a swordswoman by not rushing to confront men who slight her but trusting her to handle it. His passive nature is at odds with the Samurai-stereotype, but that is part of his nature in his role as wanderer/pacifist. Sanoske and Yahiko are good characters, but don't have much depth and mostly develop in skill rather than personality. One of the more interesting charactes is Hajime Saito, a former nemesis of Kenshin's turned police officer. Despite being rather cold-hearted, he's ruthlessly committed to destroying evil (his motto "Slay Evil Immediately"). The fact that he was a real person, makes him more interesting.

Enjoyment: Rurouni Kenshin doesn't spend a lot of time trying to make you think. It's a popcorn experience in that the good guys spend most of their time beating the crap out of (but no killing, no guilt) the bad guys who are almost all thoroughly evil and no one would cry much if they were "accidentally" killed off. A little sprinkling of Japanese history and their civil war (aka the Boshin Wars); all wrap up into the anime equivalent of Josie Wales.

Overall: I hadn't seen a lot of anime when I first watched this series, but it remains one of my solid favorites. This series only falls short of perfection with it's DREADFUL filler episodes. The filler episodes are marked by a series of mediocre villains, only one of which is even close to Kenshin's level of fighting. I actually quit watching just shy of the final episodes because I couldn't take the threat of Feng Shui (that's right, interior decorators) using their powers to threaten Tokyo. We should be thankful that they didn't continue on to the Ninja Hairdressers.
My diatribe against these filler episodes (and most fillers for that matter) aside, the core part of the series, especially the Kyoto Arc, were classics and nothing has surpassed them as of yet.