Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan (2023)

In narrative terms, it fulfilled one of my biggest wishes, which was that the gimmicks and euphemisms would be reduced. Characteristics that are present in the first version and that are typical of its time. Well, in the past they made adaptations that seemed almost apart from the original with so many changes, in order to make the works lighter, childish, longer and very authorial by the director. Also, in this new version, they didn't do it in a way that was compressing everything at a rushed pace, as they usually do in remakes. The proof of this is that, in the first three episodes, ... they adapted close to a chapter and a half per episode, demonstrating an unhurried pace. It is also important to point out that this version is very faithful to the manga, but it is not completely faithful. Acquiring an identity of its own, with changes only in specific aspects that generally improve the source material. In this way, management demonstrated a more respectful posture following modern standards of adaptation. This alone justifies the need for this anime to exist and be watched.

Another feature that draws attention is the comic part, which was quite lame in the first version, being a trademark of the title and which has been greatly softened in the current one. Although this comic bias of the old one is good, it was never what made this work giant. Not to mention that it is a bias characteristic of an era, which is currently dated and would not be successful with the new generations. Furthermore, it would be unjustifiable to redo and follow up on something identical to what has already been done. In this way, I fully understand the motivations for the changes and I fully agree with a more sober version, as the serious tone combines much better with the premise of the work, especially in relation to the protagonist. However, it's not as serious as the tone given to the films and OVAs, which prove to be enjoyable. Therefore, it ends up having a certain originality, considering that the manga is not nearly as comical as the first anime version, but it is still much more comical than the new version.

The first adaptation visually today does not seem remarkable, but at the time it was released it was above average, so much so that it remains quite acceptable. Highlight for the action scenes, which still manage to draw more attention than in this 2023 version. With that I am not saying that, in terms of the image, the current version is bad. Because it gave a good makeover, which was necessary, in addition to improving colors, shadows and details. It's just not as exquisite to make an impression as the first version when it was released, being merely good enough to be admissible and to be partially justifiable. Some other changes may be questionable, such as the protagonist's scar being less prominent, Kenshin's face becoming more rounded and his size apparently being smaller.

A rurouni is a samurai who no longer has a master, a person who has no meaning for his existence, he is a wanderer who moves like the waves of the sea. There is depth in the characters of this anime because they are people who were part of the samurai class, which at that time portrayed in the work ceased to exist overnight with the end of the shogunate and with the return of powers to the emperor after about 700 years. All members of the samurai caste started to have no direction and entered a collective identity crisis, considering that the emperor imposed the end of feudalism in Japan. Taking a ronin who would naturally be aimless, to symbolize this dilemma of an entire class, making this plot a journey to find a new path in an era of peace, is a very right idea.

The work presents an existential journey from which it becomes rich, for doing so through contradictions. The protagonist just being a ronin would already be feared, but he is especially respected for being a shredder, for being extremely strong and also a hero who had his responsibility for the end of the previous regime. Ironically, the fact that makes him a hero is the same thing that ended his caste and the path he decided to follow for the new era is to be a pacifist. The protagonist in this journey confronts the decay of his class and faces other highly skilled samurai who seek other paths. Conflicts in which he enters defending the values and virtues of the samurai, while carrying regrets, resentments and regrets. Despite the protagonist facing other samurai, the work sells the idea of him as the last samurai. This is evident by his upholding values that few hold, and by carrying a sword when they became forbidden, making him unique. It is worth mentioning that Kenshin's sword has an inverted blade, this is important to demonstrate how powerful he is and that he prefers to hurt himself than to kill someone again.

Another factor that demonstrates that we are seeing the last samurai, at least along the ancient lines, is Kenshin's refusal to take a disciple and not wanting his supreme fighting style to be passed on to the next generation. The protagonist accepts the end, it is a message of resignation and altruism, which only finds comfort in a new beginning intoxicated by an ideal of peace. This brings up another point, that this journey does not offer a path for everyone. The answer that this work offers is the journey itself, it is individual, where each person needs to seek their own purpose in the world within an era of peace.

The dramas have always been the most striking point of this work, all in a historical context, with elements of heroism, morality and romance. Comedy stands out, but ends up being a complementary relief for a deep, reflective, poetic and sad message. Therefore, a more serious tone is more adequate to highlight such characteristics and make the plot more believable. This means that if this version stays that way and adapts to everything, it will be the definitive one and superior to the first one. In this way, it offers a good reason for those already familiar with this work to follow this new version. For those who don't know the work, I suggest that you get rid of prejudices for being a remake of an old anime, since it is being a great adaptation that is very worth watching. Moreover, the anime's growing popularity is a constant trend, being already the fifth most talked about anime of the season and it would not be surprising if it ended up as the most popular.

Finally, when you think that there was a real samurai who inspired such a character, you realize how rich this work is.

Ah... So many of these reviews wreak of rose tinted glasses. The same thing happens all the time in my other hobby, gaming. The original was the best, this one didn't improve on it, therefore bad remake. This one changed the music, therefore bad remake. This one was different from the original in any way, therefore bad remake.

Now I'm not saying I'm immune to the effects of rose tinted glasses myself, but I am very aware of it so I tried to approach this remake with an open mind. For context, the original anime was/is one of my favorite anime of all time, I ... think I've rewatched the entire thing more than 10 times over the years. So when I heard they were remaking it, I was ecstatic and a little worried at the same time. Finally a higher resolution version with possibly better animation! But... Are they going to change anything? Will they ruin it? Please don't ruin it! All these thoughts crossed my mind while waiting for it to come out. So when it finally did, I dived into it with both anticipation and caution, and after 8 episodes, I'm happy to report that I think this is gonna turn out to be a good remake.

Instead of following the typical review structure of going over each category and giving my thoughts, I'll just list the points I think are most relevant to my conclusion.

1) It is shockingly faithful to the source content, I found myself constantly recalling what happens next and being so happy that it happened exactly how I remember/felt it should.

2) The fidelity of the animation is obviously better and I particularly appreciate that they actually animated the fights rather than keeping the original style of just flashing kenshin around the screen. It's not as graphic as the ova's but it's a good middle ground.

3) The soundtrack is different and I do understand the negativity around it. Having rewatched the original so many times, the original soundtrack just blended with the anime as a single entity in my memory and it is definitely jarring at times to hear a different soundtrack paired with the same scenes. I wouldn't call it a hard negative though, it's just different, it's personal preference.

4) The episodic release schedule feels like it hurts the remake. Anime watching culture has evolved over the years, we have been spoiled by a combination of ultra short and condensed 12 episode seasons and full seasons releasing at one go. This culture affects how most modern anime are put together. We have grown impatient as viewers and modern anime are written to cater to that impatience. So when we have such a faithful remake of such an old anime, retaining the same formula yet being released 1 episode at a time, it can feel like we aren't getting enough substance per episode, making it come across as boring to some.

So my conclusion? This is a faithful remake of the original and I'm very happy with it. It's a visual upgrade over the original with a soundtrack that you may love or hate. It shows no signs of condensing the material or changing the original formula so it may be way too slow for some, in which case I'd advise waiting for the entire season to come out before watching it.

Overall I'd rate it a solid 9 so far, versus the 10 I gave the original. We'll see how it goes as more episodes come out.

Rurouni Kenshin, the remake – For better or for worse, a somewhat competent effort the second time around, because this isn't studio Liden Films's first attempt at a remake.

For those who are not in the know, Liden Films was actually handed the task back in 2019 to adapt one of AniManga's most classic and famous works: mangaka Hiroaki Samura's Mugen no Juunin a.k.a Blade of the Immortal, which was one heck of a work back in the early 90s under Kodansha's Monthly Afternoon magazine, which ran from 1993 to 2012. The first anime adaptation being Bee Train's rather mediocre effort in Summer 2008, and afterwards, ... Amazon Prime had to license yet another complete re-adaptation for the Fall 2019 season, which seemed like a rather huge task for a rather low-ball studio like Liden Films at the time. And the results...spoke for themselves of everything that had gone wrong with the remake from rushed pacing to bad animation, with production values being the biggest elephant in the room.

4 years later, and once again from Liden Films, we get yet another classic remake: the now infamous mangaka Nobuhiro Watsuki's Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan a.k.a Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story, serialized in the ever-so-popular Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump from 1994 to 1999. And before I start this review proper, I need to put a disclaimer that I know nothing about the 1996 to 1998 OG series, but at the very least, I do know that it was a marvel back in the day thanks to both studios Gallop and Studio Deen's efforts to bring essentially what was still an ongoing series at the time and is still revered by the people who've seen it back in the day and even till now. So, I'm betting that everyone wants to know the answer to the long, debated verdict between the 2023 vs. the 90s version: is it any better or worse than the OG?

For one, most of you in the context of remakes would've already seen the OG series, which was one of the highlights of 90s yesteryears anime and is a recommended must-watch, that must be said first. But if you do not know anything about Rurouni Kenshin, the story plot is exactly in the name: the famous (or infamous, whatever is your term) Hitokiri Battosai of said legendary assassin, said to wield his Sakabato a.k.a reverse-blade katana, who've laid waste to kill lots of people back in the Boshin War, and after that harrowing incident, vowed to never kill once again. This brings him (and us the audience) to Meiji Year 11 a.k.a 1878, where he parades under the poised name of Himura Kenshin, a wandering samurai rurouni who's just enjoying life as it is after the posthumous of his infamous killings, seeking to atone for it by meeting new people, helping to seek peace and prosperity in the current Meiji Era times to avoid conflict as intended.

It's the people that Kenshin meets that set the course of his new life forward: Kaoru Kamiya of her Kamiya Kasshin-ryu Dojo; the samurai family orphan Myojin Yahiko; the former Sekiho Army member Sagara Sanosuke; and last but not least, physician Takani Megumi. For Kenshin, the biggest blemish of his life is his assassination history. Once he found solace in the very first person that he met, Kaoru would start to mold Kenshin's life for the better, at a time when an impostor parading as the legendary assassin Hittokiri Battosai had developed a nasty reputation within the Kamiya Dojo, potential samurai began to shun her school, leaving Kenshin to route out the imposter and restore its reputation. Plus, it's not hard for Kaoru to develop feelings for Kenshin, especially since she can understand his gentle and kind-loving nature as opposed to being a Hitokiri on the verge of evil. Adding to that, Yahiko may come from a family of samurai, but he's not the most well taken care of since he was a pickpocket to settle debts for his family until he was given a new lease of life training in Kaoru's dojo. Kenshin's best bud comes from someone hired to do mercenary work, a fighter-for-hire after the destruction of his Sekiho Army by the Meiji government. But while Sanosuke does have the looks of a fighter, he is a rather unrefined fighter who acts on his anger, which serves as his outgoing personality. And yes, people like Sanosuke are easy targets for Kenshin to defeat, though he quickly humbled himself and began to focus on protecting the people. Last but not least, most certainly, is the physician Takani Megumi, who comes from a famous Aizu region physician family. She got into trouble coming to Tokyo to create the opium business (which is rather big back in the old days), only to fall victim to industrialization and corruption and be forced to create opium until Kenshin and Sanosuke came to her rescue. Also, Megumi is always the "vixen" character trying to flirt around with Kenshin, which earns the ire of Kaoru, though helping the latter realize her feelings for said rurouni.

It's no secret that throughout the Meiji Era, Kenshin would coincidentally meet with old comrades, friends, and enemies alike: some fearless like Udō Jin-e; swift like Saitō Hajime; and brutal like Isurugi Raijūta. The people associated with Kenshin are many and in-between the character cast world that Nobuhiro Watsuki creates in his long-term romantic story, one that spans different eras and times. As of right now, this first season re-adaptation covers the first 7 volumes of the manga with the Tokyo Arc, throwing in a bit of the 2-volume long Restoration prequel, then right into the very beginning of the Kyoto Arc, where Rurouni Kenshin really takes a big hit, with it presenting the meat of the entire manga series.

As expected, the people will nitpick in certain areas, one of which is the newly formed cast of VAs taking up the positions of the classic Rurouni Kenshin characters. And sure, for what VA Mayo Suzukaze managed to hit her stride for the entire series, starting from the OG series right until the Shin Kyoto-hen OVA in 2011, she was a force to be reckoned with for being the voice of the classic assassin protagonist. For the remake, Soma Saito assumes that position, and I have to say that he did a knock-out job of portraying Himura Kenshin as both a kind and fearsome assassin who's not a fool to be played around with, considering that he has been a fan of the manga since his childhood days. Along with the other VA companions, Rie Takahashi (Kaoru), Makoto Koichi (Yahiko), and Taku Yashiro (Sanosuke), they too did a decent job with the respective portrayals of their characters as well. But the main differentiator would have to be Liden Films's in-house director Hideyo Yamamoto, who, like Soma Saito, has watched the OG series in his youth and aims to perfectly replicate the Meiji Era into anime form, making the narrative into a more serious showing and avoiding adding anything else to the comical slapstick humor that the manga already had going for it in order to make it more realistic. This was consulted with the mangaka Watsuki himself, who worked on the remake's scenario and character designs with character designer Terumi Nishii, and the adaptation was made concise from the manga with supervision. All of these changes are left to the eye of the beholder (especially for the stringent OG fans) to determine if the re-adaptation is any better than the OG series, though there is still much debate left to be said if the re-adaptation continues down the road.

Still, I'd feel that it's director Hideyo Yamamoto who gave the call to adapt the classic Rurouni Kenshin as best as he could in the current modern heyday, and regardless of how staunch fans will complain that Liden Films is not the right studio to do re-adaptations, I think that what came out of this first inning of the modern remake was really very good. The production was concise, with the animation being swift, fast, and furious, especially with the action scenes that delivered as expected, if you're one like me who has never experienced the OG before with the excuse of it being "too old and outdated." Nevertheless, if this classic show's remake can be Liden Films's saving grace, then it can set the path forward to have people see the studio as a way to "bring back the lost while cutting costs" with older, more prominent series that rightfully deserve a remake.

The music, however, is kind of hit-and-miss (but mostly good). The 1st cour's pairing of Ayase and R-Shitei, along with Reol for the 1st half's OP/ED theme songs, really hit it out of the park, being a modern rejuvenation interpretation of the classic 90s anime feel (espeically with Reol's ED song) and being great banger songs for what they're worth. The 2nd cour's pairing of Masaki Suda and Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, along with Kid Phenomenon, the latter ED song continues the greatness through its striking visuals, but the former OP song feels like it belonged to another anime whilst trying to sound old-school with modern instruments, and honestly, that song was the only miss for me.

So far, the Rurouni Kenshin remake or re-adaptation, from what I can tell, is quite a success, while still having its detractors who will ever so claim that the remake will never quite live up to the serendipity of the OG series. That's just my two cents on this matter, which will continue to be a debate as the remake lives on. What I can hope now is a complete adaptation of the manga (just like what David Productions is doing right now with Urusei Yatsura (All-Stars)) that we can see from start to finish, apart from the OG being a combination of both story and filler segments at the time.

The fictional living classic legend that is Hitokiri Battosai, the wandering Rurouni samurai Himura Kenshin, is back for more peace and less conflict.

So, I grew up on this series and loved it. Given what we've come to learn of the mangaka behind it, my feelings on the series' legacy aren't quite so nice as they were when I was watching it back in the late 90s, but this was a story I really enjoyed. And so when it was announced that it would be getting a reboot, I was... well, pensive. Reboots don't always work, particularly when you're talking about taking a classic and updating the style, and I always worry that a reboot won't justify its own existence by modifying the plot or finding some new ... and interesting way to animate it. Beyond that, nostalgia is a double-edged sword. It certainly got me to watch this 24-episode season through, but it's also hard to fully distance myself from the aspects of the original series that made me love it so much back in the day.

So, how is it? It's Rurouni Kenshin all over again, this time with a basic and clean animation style that looks pretty good, but has sanded off all the edges of the original series. If it changed the story, I didn't notice. They certainly changed some scenes and fights, and not for the better. In particular, a match with Saito, which stood as one of my favorites from the series as a whole, just felt sanitized and weak. I watched the original back after watching it, and the differences are very obvious: it doesn't feel nearly as claustophobic or dynamic, it lacks the rapid changes to camera angles, and you just don't really buy that anyone's out here to kill anyone else. It's just... wrong.

And that pretty much embodies this whole season. It does the basics well enough, but when it comes to what makes this series sing, it just feels muted and weak. I wanted to like this, but as I worried from the outset, it just didn't give any reason to justify its existence, even leaving the best arc for later. I'll probably watch it because it is a great arc and be disappointed once again.

A series like this with characters like these shouldn't just be "fine." It shouldn't just keep me mildly invested as I wait for the moment that it's going to do something interesting, only to realize that it won't deliver. I don't hate it by any means, but there's just nothing here to recommend. I recognize that much of this review has been me comparing it to the original, but part of the point is that the original had an identity to it, something that made it distinct and memorable besides a solid cast of characters and decent fights. This just doesn’t have it.

I think a lot of people are being too critical with their reviews (yes I understand that everyone has their opinions) So far they've done great with animating this series and there is no complaints from me, they aren't censoring super hard or anything and everything so far has been keeping to what seems to be the main story line. I agree that the 90s animation looked better but this doesn't look bad either, the company who's animating has been known to have a brighter touch to things and have bold lines for character designs and I think they've kept very good to the original ... character designs. So far they've nailed Kenshin's death stare very good like his serious battle face and just everything has been way better than people are saying, It feels that people are too spoiled with animation companies like MAPPA, WIT Studio, UFO Table, Bones, etc. So far the show has been great and just for people thinking this is a money grab, THEY NEVER FINISHED ANIMATING THE 1996 VERSION SO NOW THEY ARE GOING TO ANIMATE IT ALL SO WE CAN SEE ALL THAT HAPPENS. I personally never got to read the manga sadly so that's why I want this show to do good because I want to see all of it animated also I can't wait to see how they animate the Kenshin vs Shishio fight (hopefully we get there but so far the popularity is iffy so they might drop it like they did the 1996 version).

Rurouni Kenshin 2023 has finally ended and most people never even knew it was airing. Despite being a reboot of a legendary franchise that was highly anticipated in Japan, very few people on MAL watched this one. Anitubers have largely gone out of their way to not talk about it. So why the ice-cold reception? You know why! If you’re a Zoomer, you probably only know Rurouni Kenshin as being “That one old anime that boomers overrated and then it turned the mangaka is…yeah…so now I’m never going to watch it or read it.” There is a LONG discussion that could be had on the ... morality of making this reboot in the first place. Personally, I wouldn’t have made this anime if I were a producer. Unless maybe a large portion of the profits go to child abuse victims or combatting human trafficking. There’s also a long discussion that we could have about the morality of pirating this anime vs watching it legally. However, I’m not going to have either of those discussions in this review. The fact is the anime did get made and I’m going to cover what I liked about it, and what I didn’t like.

Stuff I liked about the new Kenshin:

1. I think Kenshin’s new voice actor fits the character much better than his 90s actress. Kenshin is a kindhearted goofball, so they went with an actress in the 90s anime to try be sort of like Masako Nozawa’s Goku, but…I watch 90s Kenshin dubbed for a reason. It’s NOT a perfect dub either. It’s Media Blasters and I still vastly prefer it over the 90s Japanese voice acting.

2. There are some very impressive action scenes in the new Kenshin. The old Kenshin is much more stylized, and it has a charm to it for older viewers like me, but they try as hard as they can to not actually animate during the fights. You see a LOT of action lines, recycled animation, and flashes of light to represent the clanging of swords. The 90s anime is Studio Deen, which is basically all I need to say. The new Kenshin actually looks like a modern anime and will be much easier for younger anime fans to stomach.

3. Almost no filler! Do you want a highly faithful adaptation of the Kenshin manga that follows it EXTREMELY accurately almost panel for panel? This is it. There is one little filler arc, but it was pretty charming, and I had fun with it. I was also happy to see that it was a brand-new story and not a rehash of the 90s filler.

4. It’s Kenshin! I probably shouldn’t be excited for this series given my strong antipathy for Mr. Watsuki, who unlike his manga protagonist has seemingly taken zero action to redeem himself and atone for his crimes. However, I REALLY like Kenshin as a work of art. I think that its beauty, artistic impact, and being a source of inspiration for an entire generation of anime fans is something independent from its scummy author.

Things I didn’t like about the new Kenshin

1. The new OST is trash. It doesn’t help that the 90s Kenshin has my single favorite OST in ALL of anime. I’m not sure why they didn’t just use the 90s music but…who knows?

2. Manga and anime are different mediums of art. What works when you’re reading a manga and flipping pages isn’t necessarily what works best in an anime. That’s why I don’t think following the manga THIS closely is the ideal way of making a great adaptation. The 90s anime wasn’t afraid to put their own spin on things and make changes when they felt it would work better. The direction in the new anime feels timid and slavishly devoted.

3. The new character designs are very bland compared to the original. Megumi, Kaoru, and even Tsubame all look the freaking same! The character designer had an obsession with giving every character the exact same dark hair, blue eyes, and facial shape. When Sojiro showed up on screen in the final episode I wanted to throw something at the TV. Backgrounds are quite minimalistic in Kenshin 2023 and it feels like very little is moving or happening whenever our heroes are walking through the street. It really feels like they saved everything for the action scenes.

4. They followed the manga’s version of the Raijuta arc. An arc that even Watsuki himself admitted isn’t very good and that was massively improved by the 90s anime staff. I guess part of the appeal is that the new Kenshin really follows the manga, but if I wanted to see exactly what happens in the manga…I’d read manga. I own the entire manga series BTW. It’s one of the only manga series that I physically own.

If you’ve never seen Rurouni Kenshin before and you greatly prefer the aesthetic of newer anime, I’d highly recommend this one. Kenshin is a phenomenal shonen with great characters, great action, and is just amazing all around. Personally, I still prefer the 90s anime…that we all know ended with the Kyoto Arc because season 3 didn’t happen. MAL says there’s a whole 3rd season of bad filler, but real Kenshin fans know it didn’t happen! Anyways, check this series out. I think it’s one of the sleeper hits of 2023 to be honest. If you don’t want to financially support an unrepentant nonce, the series is free to watch on Kissanime, gogoanime, WCO, and a number of other sites!

When remaking a classic such as Rurouni Kenshin, a couple questions have to be asked. “Is it necessary” and “Does it in anyway enhance the experience of the original?” In my opinion, the 2023 remake answers “yes” to both of those and does the legendary series justice. Enjoyable for newcomers and longtime fans alike.

Before continuing, I have to say that it’s been a very long time since I watched the original Rurouni anime, so I don’t have a lot of the criticisms that younger fans of the original who watched it more recently have.

With that out the way, I can’t emphasise enough how ... much I enjoyed this remake. It managed to capture the essence and magic of late 90s/early 2000s anime perfectly, while repackaging the timeless wandering samurai’s story for a modern era. It really does feel like I’ve been sent back in time to my childhood, watching this series on Toonami. Updated visuals, a great OST and Takahashi Rie in the cast list are just some of the things this remake has going for it. The fights, choreography and designs are all great modern updates on the original series.

Again, this story really is timeless and a reminder that it should always be substance over style with good storytelling. Yea, you have the crazy over the top samurai fights and dudes dodging bullets, but for the most part Rurouni Kenshin is a story about a man trying to right his wrongs and move on from the past. Something many of us can relate to. The interactions that Kenshin has with people he meets on his journey for redemption are well done and feel authentic. Every person he comes in contact with teaches him life lessons. Seeing Kenshin go from a lonely wanderer to someone with a place to call home and genuine friends is very satisfying.

While this isn’t anywhere near the entire story, in the short time we’ve had with this remake we can already see so much growth not just from Kenshin, but the other cast members as well. Every character receives ample development time and again, going back to the 2000s anime nostalgia, it feels good to see a group of characters who all matter in a story. In an age of OP MCs who outshine everyone else, it’s a literal blast from the past.

From a personal standpoint, one of the things I love most about this version is the more serious take on the story. The original anime has a lot of comedy and banter, and I’m sure that’s very important for some, being a fan of the live action Rurouni Kenshin movies starring Sato Takeru, I like this more grounded and serious approach. That’s not to say it’s devoid of comedic moments, they just don’t go into memey territory as often.

As I touched on earlier, the technical aspects of the remake are all very good. Even though I grew up with early 2000s anime art style, I personally like the modern look of anime more, so the updated character designs come as a welcome addition to me. The fight scenes feel weighty and are more than good enough for me as well.

The reality is that when it comes to remakes of beloved franchises, they’re always going to be divisive with nostalgia being a big factor for many. For me, Watsuki’s crimes and personal stuff aside, remaking this story made total sense. There’s a large segment of the manga that wasn’t adapted because of the legal issues, the original definitely shows its age and the live action films have been pretty successful. A perfect storm and a perfect time to bring this story back. It succeeds in staying true to the message and heart of the original, while adding a modern flair to it. This is a must watch for any early 2000s anime fan, Japanese history enthusiast or just those looking for a good historical action series.

Rurouni Kenshin gets 9, out of 10.

The new Rurouni Kenshin anime is the attempt to adapt the manga more faithfully by being completely accurate to the events in the manga. While that may sound like the most important thing an adaptation can do, it ultimately misses the point in my eyes.
The plot of Rurouni Kenshin is… simple, especially in the beginning. It’s mostly episodic stuff with one-note villains doing one-note bad stuff and the protagonist saving the day at the end in a deus ex machina like fashion. What made the Rurouni Kenshin manga work despite its shallow plot is the expressive main characters, the comedy and the fights, and in ... that regard the new version fails at being a faithful adaptation, at least so far.

The main characters shown so far are Kenshin, Kaoru and Yahiko, and while their characterization is accurate on paper, their expressiveness has been hugely diminished compared to the source material and also the old anime. The manga is generally very exaggerated with its expressions and the old anime being a 90s product naturally had many of the absurd facial expressions that era is known for. The new anime on the other hand goes for a more natural approach that rarely gets off-model, thus reducing the expressiveness of the characters considerably.
Kenshin in particular suffered the most here as his silliness is almost entirely gone. In the manga and old anime he was constantly falling victim to all kinds of slapstick humor resulting in some of the silliest distorted faces you can think of, but this is completely gone in the new version. His silly expressiveness and gentle warmth was replaced with a Gary Stu-ish personality that makes me think of Kirito from Sword Art Online. Kenshin is now just “mr. coolguy#257” whose appeal is that he saves the day in the last minute and has everyone comment on how awesome he is. His iconic “ORO!?” has also been reduced entirely to its iconography alone with the actual point being lost. It’s not there for comedy purposes anymore, but because he said it a lot in the manga and therefore it must be included.
Even the action scenes with him are rather underwhelming thus far as they mainly consist of Kenshin doing a very fast slash and that’s it. It worked far better in the manga due to the more static nature of the medium and the old anime also did a good job at capturing the impact panels through the use of freeze frames. The new version is more concerned about capturing the speed of the slash but since the fighting is so minimalistic it loses all its impact and comes across as rushed. That said the action is where I see the most potential with this new adaptation, especially when it reaches the later arcs.

The music, sound effects and even the voice acting are all very underwhelming. I’ve seen Kenshin’s voice actor being praised for being a man now instead of a woman like in the old anime but I don’t see how that says anything about the performance. The old voice actress was super expressive and delivered the warm, silly and badass personality traits of Kenshin perfectly, while the new one just sounds monotonous and bored out of his mind no matter the situation. At the end of the day I only care about performance, not about whether the person behind the mic has the same genitals as the character they are voicing.

As I already pointed out, the story of Rurouni Kenshin is nothing spectacular, especially in its first few volumes. It’s not until the Kyoto arc that the story becomes any interesting and even then it’s just your typical fighting shounen stuff. Rurouni Kenshin doesn’t separate itself from other series of its kind through its plot but through its characters, and so far the anime does a subpar job at capturing the appeal of those characters. So in my eyes it’s a faithful adaptation only on a surface level. Yeah, it’s more accurate than the previous adaptation in some aspects; the first episode takes place at night instead of the day, just like in the manga. The first one-note bad guy had a one-note bad guy brother, just like in the manga. There’s actual blood, just like in the manga… these things are all more accurate in the new version, but do they really matter that much? When it comes to the expressiveness of the characters, the comedy and the fight scenes, this new version fails to capture what made the manga enjoyable.

The remake (re-adaptation?) of one of the most seminal stories in the genre does the source material justice

It won’t be an exaggeration to say that Rurouni Kenshin made a lasting impact on both the world of manga and anime in the 90’s that still reverberates to this day. From its heartfelt, thoughtful, tragic yet charming and poignant portrayal of characters living in one of the most transformative and tumultuous periods in the history of Japan to its over the top yet effective action, Rurouni Kenshin has truly left the lasting impact on people around the globe, myself included. The original works are so sacred that ... the new adaptation was not even necessary, incomplete 90’s anime notwithstanding, but here we are and by the time the credits roll on the last episode of the season there is no doubt. The 2023 adaptation of Rurouni Kenshin proved itself as a confident and necessary work that does the original justice.

What’s especially commendable is how much attention is paid to the source material’s writing: the exploration of themes of redemption, atonement, guilt and trauma, the difficulty of having to carve a place in the new and unpredictable world while having to bear the burden of your troubled past. What always made Rurouni Kenshin shine is the attention to careful character study and exploration of difficult topics over the entertainment value that works in the shounen genre typically provide. The main character is one of the most unique, yet relatable, grounded and complex protagonists in the works of this kind. The way the story masterfully treats most of the villains like real human beings without denominating them as either good or evil calls to comparisons with Hajime no Ippo, another great manga/anime that made its mark with its considerate approach to properly developing the opponents of the main protagonist.

The only thing the new adaptation doesn’t do quite as well as the 90’s version is animation itself. 90’s anime is known for its gorgeous camera work, stunning scenery and muted yet stylish presentation that creates a perfect atmosphere surrounding the proceedings. In comparison, the new adaptation looks a bit too similar to most of the current anime and doesn’t offer much in terms of Color palette and flair. It’s confidently made and gets the job done but it feels uninspired. It made me reminisce about the gorgeous backdrops of the setting sun in the 90’s work.

Nevertheless, whether you’re a newcomer or a longtime fan, Rurouni kenshin 2023 is a must watch, especially if you like shounen anime that offers so much more than just flashy action with one liners. And with the 2nd season already announced there’s no excuse to skip this one.

At last, the season closes and I can start a review for the 2023 remake of Rurouni Kenshin, one of the biggest franchises in Anime history.

I'm going to first of all, note that the remake doesn't actually quite achieve 10 stars, but I certainly feel it holds up well.

Voice actors:
I rather like the seiyuu for Kenshin. I feel it's exactly the voice I expect for the character.
(In the OG I strongly prefered the EN track, especialy given the dialogue and kenshin-speak)
The whole cast does a decent job and fits well. Full points.

Art:
The animation has a nice colour palette. The characters look good. ... Full points here.

Animation:
The animation quality uses a lot of fades in a more story-bookish manner for many scenes. It's not poorly done, just know the studio isn't MAPPA (nor Ghibli) and doesn't have as much in resources or room to add in consistently engrossing and dynamic minutiae of movement.

Audio:
I'm okay with OP and end songs, but as others have noted, the background audio track is, lacklustre to say the least. It would benefit in the soundtrack department greatly. The adaption has some issue with flatness, and much of what could be done about this is the audio.

Faithfulness:
The adaption accuracy is high and very faithful. And while some humour has been toned down, it still retains humour scenes.

Spirit:
The studio seemed a little unsure of their groove until around e6-e7, at which point things kick up. As noted in audio, the adaption suffers from some feeling of flatness due to especially the audio. I feel like I could be sitting and eating cereal and watching before rushing off to school with each episode.

Plot:
S1 is the background season, before the main arcs. In the manga, this was before it was a given that RK would become an overarching project. The important character backstories are the core of S1 and this is worthwhile. Those looking for an overarching plot or breaking action will not get that until S2 and S2 (the Kyouto arc) will be a ride. S1 is the set-up for S2.

Overall:

Overall, I give the remake a sole 8/10, with the points off mostly for the audio and and missing dynamism in execution.
I recommend it and feel it has strong promise, and hope to see the Kyouto arc live up to it's potential. I hope to see the lackustre and flat aspects in the audio and some of the scenes rectified.

Story is good and more faithful to the manga than the old anime, animation is well done and fights are fun, music is also good even though people tend to dislike it because it isn't quite as good as the old anime, but in the old anime the music became memorable in the Kyoto arc and before that it was mostly average. If we compare both anime for the episodes they have both done so far I think the OST is also better in the new one (that might change in the Kyoto arc).

Overall the anime is very good and I've been enjoying it. When ... I saw the reveal trailer I was worried as much as I was excited but it exceeded my expectations by far.

I'm excited to see how well this remake will handle the Kyoto arc, which is one of the best arcs in Shonen history. I'm also looking forward to the Jinshuu arc because I've never read it in the manga and I hope they don't drop the quality when they get there by the time they get there.

At this point it hardly comes as a surprise that Rurouni Kenshin is getting a new adaptation. Considering how Bleach is back, City Hunter is back, Black Butler is going to be back, Spice and Wolf is going to be back, Panty and Stocking will be back, and now Kenshin. Why is it then that there is still no news about either High School DxD and No Game no Life. Why is it particularly these two?

Well anyway, For those of you who are oriented with the original, you know what it is more than my meagre words can express. For the newbies who are wondering ... what this is about, Kenshin is the Anime, or rather the manga from which originates Gintama, One Piece, Flame of Recca, Shaman King, Bleach, Naruto, Drifters, Trigun, Assassination Classroom, Sword of the Stranger, Samurai Champloo, even something as recent as Demon Slayer or Jujutsu Kaisen and many, many more. Along with Blade of the Immortal it is quite possibly the most influential Manga of the 90s that more or less has shaped both the Manga and Anime culture ever since.

Also, what happened with the author is just sad, he let us down in a huge way. Yes, for once my perception of the author has completely changed, I don't even want to hear the name of the author anymore. However, Kenshin if anything has been the exact opposite of it's author. Yes, I have the exact amount of loathing for the author as I had when it was first known, but I also have the exact amount of admiration for Kenshin as I had from the very first moment. If some Twitter user, or an inhabitant of the land of freedom wants to go hate on the author, more power to that person, though if you project that to Kenshin, I hope you get the proper love and care from your close ones, because you deserve it the most.

Plot: The synopsis gives you a very accurate description of what it is, and going forward what it will be. The story is set a few years following the Meiji restoration. As you'll be able to understand from the very first episode the samurai class has been all but wiped out or retired. In this new world here is a samurai without a sword, rather a sword that can't kill, or it won't kill. How does this samurai, now a wanderer fare, what will he experience, and will he be able to sever the gushing red threads of his past, that is the Anime for now. (Key words for now)

As you can see, this is a new adaptation of an already existing Anime. In that way it is more or less something similar to Hunter x Hunter and Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood. Don't get me wrong, Kenshin is arguably as legendary as the other two, possibly even more. As such you can understand that though this will closely follow the Manga, more closely than the original did, there will definitely be a new approach to it. For example from the beginning itself you can surmise that the humour or the original is toned down for this adaptation, as well as certain events are realigned and new Anime only scenes added to it. So far it seems to be better than the original in that regard.

Characters: In case you're wondering the whole story is centred around an wanderer and the people he befriends following a chance encounter, and No, this not a spoiler, the Title says as much (Rurouni=Wanderer). It felt as if this adaptation has portrayed the characters just as well.

Also if you know your Japanese history, or you know your Gintama, chances are you'll recognise atleast a fair few of the characters. These are the characters which will become the archetypes for countless future Manga and Anime to follow.

Animation: From a neutral standpoint the animation certainly looks good. The fights look decent, the characters look decent, the background seems fine, and more often than not the motion seems fine as well. There is nice flow between the frames that makes the motion fluid. The bright lighting gives a colourful feel to the whole atmosphere. That is until you realise that the original Rurouni Kenshin Anime exists.

If I can give you an analogy, think about the first three seasons of the High School DxD Anime, and compare it to the Fourth season. Or better yet, think about the original City Hunter series, and compare it to the recent City Hunter movie. I'm sure by now you can see what it is. The new stuff looks and moves fine till you observe the characters seem as if they have drastically become ten fifteen years younger. Which points how well the original managed to do this part.

The color palette seems somewhat too bright, the lighting seems far more enhanced, and that too after they toned down on the humour. It's not a fault or anything, it just seems uncanny to anyone who has known the original. I'm sure none of the newbies will find anything unusual in this. To me it felt a little odd, but considering the approach of this new adaptation, it seems it'd be incredibly hasty to say anything right now.

Of course this adaptation does the action much better compared to the original. In the original it was just shaky movements and effects, but here they show the movements, the stances, the particular cuts and gashes, which adds character to the animation itself. Huge props for that.

Case in point, the Opening credit looks cool and actually pays homage to the original. In the opening theme, if you focus specifically on the opening part following the Rurouni Kenshin logo, you can see the actual colour palette and lighting of the original for about 12-15 seconds. Another few seconds later there is a sword fight between two characters in a washed out snowy backalley. That is sort of the original character designs and vibes. Now it may not seem a lot to most, but it'll definitely catch your eye if you have known the original.

Music: There is hardly enough music out yet to formulate an opinion on this subject. The opening sounds catchy though. Especially with the kind of Anime it is, the music goes well with the vibe. Similarly the ending theme seems catchy enough, albeit a little too modern for my liking. This perhaps would've worked better as an Overlord opening. Though the visuals most definitely help it become a Kenshin ending in it's own right.

Enjoyment: Personally, it is always a pleasure when an old, influential Anime such as Kenshin gets a tastefully crafted rendition like this. There are things that may not be to everyone's liking, but overall it is rather well done with lot's of care and effort put into it. Like Jujutsu Kaisen you'd have to be a special kind of person with even more special circumstances to not enjoy this. Really looking forward to it and how much better it can be from the original.

Have you ever wanted to get into Rurouni Kenshin but never found time or the OG anime seemed too old for you? I think this series is a great way to get into the franchise! HOWEVER, only as an entry - here's my story.

I've always liked Rurouni Kenshin but never got around to watching the original anime, I watched the Live Action movies first actually and quite enjoyed them! I tried giving the original anime a watch and I'm not into Shounen much to begin with, especially ones that drag out things so I lost interest within 3 episodes. However I still respected and enjoyed ... Rurouni Kenshin. When I heard this anime was coming out and when it started airring, it resparked my interest in Kenshin! This remake is very streamline and actually more faithful to the original manga, it gives you the very base story line of Rurouni Kenshin. However while waiting for the episodes, I decided to revisit and properly give the original anime a chance and well, I can see why many people prefer the original anime still. It's slower but it gives the proper time for the viewer to invest in the story and characters. The music is also far much more better, it has this very "classic" feeling, campy but a welcomed campy feel to it. Kenshin is like a folktale character, he's like Robin Hood or Wong Fei Hung, he's the guy with a story that inspires those around him and gives the idea that everyone can redeem themselves no matter what their past is.

This new remake is a flashy clean version, it does what it's intending to do but misses what made the original so special. It sounds lazy but there's no other way to put it, this version is missing the "heart" that comes within Rurouni Kenshin's story, despite it following the Manga closer, Anime and Manga are 2 different mediums meaning they're consumed differently, story beats hit different from reading a still image to watching an animation.

Everyone is voice acted quite well, Rie Takahashi's Kaoru is very cute and has some spunk. Soma Saito's Kenshin is decent but it holds no candle to the original JP voice actress, there's this strange masculiness that she provides over an actual male voice actor that makes her the better Kenshin in my mind. Sanosuke sounds more like a delinquent in this version and less stoic than the original. The music as many people have pointed out is extremely lacking, no real stand out OST at all. I do like the first opening and ending theme though. I swear one of the OST in this remake is inspired by Pink Panther's theme, it's when they talk about women or girls, you can't miss it.

Animation is rather lacking, they make up with it with smart cuts to give the illusion of intense fights, you could say they're being true to the manga by making sure to translate those pages to keyframes. Kenshin's fight with Kurogasa was noticeably well done though compared to the rest. I'm not a fan of the thicker outliners and I personal nitpick but I think the art style is a little too round looking? If that makes sense.

Anyhow despite what I'm saying, this is still a great watch! It's just sadly in the shadow of the Original 1996 Anime and Manga. I highly recommend this if you've ever had any interest in Rurouni Kenshin! Because starting this could spark your interest in checking the OG Anime!

8/10

As someone who watched the original back in the day and has rewatched it since, I believe that this reboot is better in basically every single category. If there is any weakness or criticism to be had about RK 2023, it's from the cookie-cutter storyline and not the adaption. Lindenfilms is doing a great job with this. It's a shame oldheads are weighing the score down over petty shit, because if the reboot doesn't do well enough in its first season then we might not get the latter manga arcs adapted after all.

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MUSIC: I'm honestly surprised people enjoyed Freckles and the other OPs as standalone ... songs, but I guess that's just preference. In any case, the arguments that the new OP and soundtrack doesn't fit RK are absolutely insane to me. Not saying its a genre I'd listen to on the daily, but the new OP matches RK waaaaaaaay better than Freckles. It's not even close. I do, however, miss the old EDs but it's fine to try out new genres.

ANIMATION: As expected, the newer anime has better animation quality. If you are a fan of that "90s feel" or whatever, understand that any new reboot of old shows was never going to have the exact same style. A successful reboot SHOULD bring in its own style and not just be a clone of the original. I did not think that the old style was bad by any means, but this new style is pleasing to look at and I welcome the change. Again, preference. Maybe people were expecting JJK or Demon Slayer levels of animation, but unfortunately RK does not have the same amount of clout so there was no realistic avenue to more funding and hype.

STORY (PACING): We are only 11 episodes in (at the time of this review), however it's already been made clear that the pacing is astronomically better. No filler, absurdly long recaps, conversations that take up half the episode, pointless screen time, etc. The story itself remains engaging thanks to this increased tempo, because although RK employs many shonen cliches (which were fairly new in the 90s admittedly) it is not done in a cringey manner.

CHARACTERS: I found Kaoru and Yahiko to be pointless and annoying characters in the original. That might still be the case once the reboot reaches the departure arc, but as of right now I can say that they've successful toned down the annoying aspects of these characters. I can only hope that they fix Misao as well when she appears (please!). The other characters were fine in the original, and are even better here.

COMEDY: Some say the comedic bits have been toned down, others say it hasn't. Personally I haven't seen a difference, and think that the reboot strikes a good balance between "serious" and "funny," just like Kenshin's split personality.

VOICE ACTING: Older fans were saddened that Kenshin's original VA did not come back, and I can understand where they are coming from. However, it's been roughly 30 years, and life outside anime happens. Both the old and new VAs were strong casting decisions, and I could go for either one.

Thank you for reading.

Going to try to keep this short and simple. This is my first experience with the Rurouni Kenshin series and as such I have no prior knowledge or nostalgic rose-tinted glasses when it comes to giving this anime a try. Despite what's been said about the author, I'd heard plenty of times how good this series was and how much of a classic it is. That everything gets better the further into the story we go. Well I gave it a go and stomached the whole 24 episode season for the sake of giving it a fair shot.

But c'mon... no matter how much everyone ... was trying to sell it to me about the story, there was nothing great about it. Its lackluster at best. With potential here and there, but I found myself watching a shoddy villain of the week-type anime with the most subpar animation that just barely kept me from falling asleep.

There's potential. I'll admit that much. Especially with the ending being as it was and hinting towards much more to come. Perhaps I'll give it that last shot in the future! But nothing is particularly memorable to me as it currently is. The OST is basic. The "story" is basic. The relationships are basic. Everything about Rurouni Kenshin screams basic anime that might have been popular were we back in the 2000s era. It's just not up to par with anime in this day and age. The only interesting character here is Kenshin and everyone else is a bland support trope that will never be as helpful or as good as he is.

About the only thing that really caught my attention was the beautiful OP/ED for both cours. I've listened to those enough times and the ending songs are true bangers. But would I watch this anime again? Nah. It was a snooze fest from start to finish.

I just watched the entire 90s version for the first time, along with this new version (as well as all the live-action adaptations, and I've started reading the manga). Anyway, since I don't have any nostalgia for it, I can say clearly that, as a filmmaker myself, the direction of the new version is significantly better. As a musician for films, I also find the music to be less impactful. And as a viewer, I enjoyed the 90th version just slightly more. If I were to introduce Rurouni Kenshin to someone who isn't used to older animations, I would definitely recommend the new version, because, ... for me, it was just as good.

you can see a common theme with all the people who hated it in the reviews. they all watched under 5 episodes which is exactly what i would have thought because even the manga starts slow. or "bad" if you can call it. its just that in manga form you read very fast and you pass it quickly. but in anime form i understand why people hated it because it was the same for me both with the manga and the original series. its takes time for the story to get interesting. quite alot of time to be honest. which is why i still had ... a problem with starting this show. i knew that i would have to sit infront of the most boring starting episodes in existence. but i also knew that once the show will get to the first important arc (the opium) it would finally start. so yes. the begining is bad in all versions. but it exists to introduce the characters which is necessery.

This is what I've been waiting for: an RK anime that adapts the manga. No filler eps, no cloying little girls, no pink gi.

There are a few extra things, such as extended flashbacks of Sanosuke's and Katsu's days in the Sekihoutai. Also, of Aoshi, Hannya, and the Oniwabanshuu. These flashbacks add depth to all the characters.

So awesome to finally see the Hiruma Bros and the real plot against Kamiya Kasshin Ryu.

I can't wait to see the Kyoto Arc and hopefully the Jinchuu Arc.

The music is the one area this anime lacks. As riddled with fillers as it was, the old anime ... had a stellar soundtrack.

me who watched OG lemme rate this from my perspective

as man who love comedic, the comedic tone down is a let down so 5

environmental is "too clean" due coloring technique but somewhat faithful to manga 8

animation, well this is modern tech we talking about 9 perhaps

as i love OG series from atmospheric music, this one lacking 5 or 6

characters, due megumi and aoshi is the latest one shows up and seriously, megumi cheek shape and aoshi "eyes glare" is bugging me so much so 4, if they cut "megumi kitsune mode" i would edit and deduce point significantly, for kanryu, i dunno, so ... far he looks as annoying as ever

also i find the music in this remake seems lacking, almost no emotion whatsoever and hope they can comesout with something on par with "omoi odorenai warutsu" the current OP and ED sounds okayish, probably bias for me who sometimes listening to REOL

and some people not recommend the show as the author controversy, for me as long as the story not promoting author shitty behauvior then it's not a problem

as OG watcher, i would promote this anime to new viewer as alright knowing these people would prefer graphics, but i still prefer the old ones due musical and character faithfullness (or read the manga whenever i stuck on long line on hospital hehehehe)

If you ever have to make a remake of a classic series, the least you can do is to make it better than the earlier version. The 90s version of Rurouni Kenshin may have had its issues, but it was top shonen material for its time and had amazing music score. The current version has neither; its early episodes come off as a generic shonen and the music is largely forgettable, making it a series very few bother to watch.

There are many reasons for that, the most obvious ones being it is airing along with an extremely popular show such as Mushoku Tensei, an ... extremely well-animated show such as Jujutsu Kaisen, and another sword-fighting series with far flashier battles such as Bleach. Rurouni Kenshin has none of that, and its first dozen episodes are generally very simple in structure. The peak comes in the Kyoto arc, much later, so for now all you get is a low-energy samurai drama with nothing much to pay attention to… if the only thing you care about is action.

Let me be clear about something. This series has far better-written characters and an overall far better-handled plot than the aforementioned heavy-hitters. It just takes its time with introducing the characters and their ideologies, and the battles are for the most part short and simple in battle choreography. Most today have no patience for that and would rather watch some dumb action show with flashy animation, regardless of how terrible plot and characters are. And let’s be honest here, nobody watches Jujutsu Kaisen or Bleach for the plot or the lackluster characters. As for Mushoku, well, you have a 30 year old pedophile protagonist pretending to be part of a redemption story while getting horny over every (mostly underage) girl he comes across, as opposed to this show’s protagonist, another 30 year old mature man who already got his redemption and is now trying to settle down.

What matters the most nowadays is pretty colors, so you can yell OH MY GAWD THAT ART AND ANIMATION, BABY! AAAAWWWW! A low-energy samurai drama doesn’t cut the mustard, regardless of how well-written it is, or how well-handled its characters are. The damage is then doubled when you happen to be aware it is a remake of something far better. The 90s version was a superb samurai drama with amazing music and one of the best OVA prequels (Trust and Betrayal). It came out before the Big Three, so there wasn’t much to compete against at the time. Then came the live action movie remakes which were also largely amazing in visuals and music, and also had no other similar movie franchise to compete against. Those 2 earlier versions were the best samurai dramas of their time.

Compared to them, well, the current version has everything going against it. Also, the original creator got so much flack for his pedo-tendencies that many would rather see this show get all dusty and moldy on a shelf than giving him money. Meanwhile, many other viewers have absolutely no problem when supporting Mushoku Tensei whenever it does the exact opposite. Oh, and they also prefer a collar worker being all happy to see billions of innocent people dying horribly because that way he doesn’t have to go to work (Zom100), over a mature man who wants peace and helps the innocent whenever he can. That’s what counts as entertainment nowadays.