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Oct 2, 2008
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
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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.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Oct 1, 2008
It's a solid 8 and here's why:
Story: During the course of the series I was starting to wonder if the writers were big Shyamalan fans. The number of twists and "gotcha" moments were starting to get almost tiresome, but then they were wrapped up nicely at the end. I'm sure a lot of fans will be disappointed at the ending, but it's really a good one and the most satisfactory one that could be reached by that point. I also felt that the part of the series around episode 20 was written by someone who hated the end of Evangelion as much
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as I did and seemed to be a combination tribute/"up yours" moment.
Oh, I almost quit watching when the truth about what happened to Lelouch's mother is revealed. I have to ask why the writers even bothered including it because it just cheapened the whole thing and didn't affect matters in the slightest.
Art: The one change in art between the series that I found intriguing is how they managed to make Suzaku look older and less trusting in this series. It was just a slight narrowing of the eyes and lower eyebrows but it nicely mirrored the changes in him. I think they almost skimped on illustrating Lelouch because of it. He had only showed three emotions the whole time, shock, boredom, and arrogance.
Sound: It was a nice soundtrack. The final ending song was probably the best credits song of the series. The singing of soft melodies during prolonged combat scenes stands out in both series.
Character: As with the first one, this is where this series really shined. Lelouch matures and grows in this one, but alas in a very predictable trajectory. His acknowledgment of the evil in his actions is the only surprise. His willingness to sink to any depths to achieve his goal becomes a real drag as time goes on. The pleasant surprise is Suzaku, who makes a slow but steady change towards coming more and more like Lelouch. His ambitions for a better future and the geass that forces him to live eventually force him into a mirror image of Lelouch and the end result makes sense no matter how shocking it is when it happens. Even the outward changes in his appearance and dress reflect this and his original plan to interrogate Karen is right down evil.
C.C. actually became more boring, which is sad because she had a lot of potential. Most of the characters remain static or don't matter much except as plot drivers.
I found Schneizel as a villain to be interesting, simply because he seemed to lack the motivation. He's as calloused as Lelouch but lacks his passion and will to succeed. His eventual end was almost a snore since you could see it coming a mile away. They never explained his point of view well.
Enjoyment: At times I loved it, at times I hated it. The ending makes it all worth so don't give up before watching it all the way through.
Overall: It was inferior to the original, maybe just because of novelty. The whole first half and the return to school theme made me gag reflexively but it recovers from that and has one of the best anime endings I've seen. I can't help but wonder if the rumors of last minute rewritings due to it's timeslot and what shows were on at the same time were true and affected the scattershot nature of the first half of this series. It definately could have been "stronger" emotionally and in scope. I can definately say that I enjoyed the fast pace and the lack of recaps and long drawn out internal debating.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Sep 30, 2008
This series is my current fav by far.
Story: Too many people compare this series to Death Note. The only similarities is that the main character is a teenage prodigy who's willing to use any means, including supernatural, necessary to achieve their goals. The similarities end about there.
As a slight explanation, Geass is the ability that Lelouch has to force anyone to obey his commands by looking them in the eye. The moral questions of this ability are never really explored but let your mind wander for 5 minutes on what you would do with it and I bet at the end of
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that 5 minutes you will have thought of at least of 3 crimes with 20 year minimum sentences.
This series, and the sequel series, seems to mock the standard mecha anime formulas and metaphors. The mecha only serve as a vehicle to allow the characters to fight without destroying each other.
This is made clearer by the fact that despite a massive war and frighteningly powerful weaponry, only one major character is killed in the entire first series.
Anyone who's ever played a "god-sim" (ie Civilization) will recognize Lelouch's chidish attitude towards his war with Britannia at the beginning. As time goes on, he matures but also continues to lose his innocence as he uses increasingly immoral means to meet his goals. Suzaku, the almost stereotypical white knight, acts as his foil exemplifying traditional attributes of heroes; physical ability, honest nature, comradery. I don't have much to talk about with the story since this series is almost completely character-driven.
Art: Nothing special, though all the characters are memorable and interesting. Lelouch is a very flexible character who they can make look heroic, apathetic, and downright sinister. The mecha are nothing fantastic though the choreography of the battles is very well done.
Sound: I enjoyed the opening and closing credits of most of the episodes. Nothing I want to add to my mp3 playlist, but they work.
Character: Lelouch's character is amazingly complex as he goes from a child wishing to avenge his mother to a man who begins to realize the importance of his actions. In the end, he returns to his childish ways at the end of this series and he and his comrades pay the price of his actions. Things turn around in R2, but that's a different review. Suzaku's development is very little in this series. Of course that makes his changes in R2 that much more fascinating, but in this one he's a very static character. In the end he suffers for Lelouch's actions and puts into motion Lelouch's own suffering.
The side characters are largely boring. I hated Mina, the bookworm closet lesbian racist, but then I expect that was the intent. His school friends become an unnecessary bore and are anime school chum stereotypes. Karen, pronounced and mispelled at times as Kallen, was a good character with clear motivation and background. I feel as though her plotline(s) are neglected in both series. C.C. (pronounced C2) is very boring. Her droll manner is punctuated by brief moments of emotion toward Lelouch which are meant to be meaningful but largely fall flat. By far C.C. is the most interesting character, but is never very engaging and is largely used to promote the show's primary sponsor, Pizza Hut.
Overall: The mind-twist of this series is that you find yourself rooting for a person who is willing to destroy the world in a quest for revenge and the dim hope of making the world better for his sister. When one sits down and really wonders what they would do with a power like Geass, one realizes what a true hero Lelouch is for not becoming completely corrupt and evil.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Sep 13, 2008
It's almost a pity that this is a sequel to Ikkitousen and not a standalone series, because fans of the orginal tend to hate this one and people who may not have liked the original could like this one a lot.
A note to people who saw the first series: This series is more plot driven, Sonsaku and the Nanyo gang are not the primary focus, and this series made a lot of changes to bring it more in line with the manga, so many things will seem odd.
STORY: The storyline, while not strictly canon with the manga and detached from the original series, is quite
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good if one knows about Romance of the Three Kingdoms. In Japan, RoTK is like King Arthur is in Western culture; so many subtle nuances would be lost on many viewers. Many events, such a Kakouton's decision regarding Kanu's servitude and Shuuyu's animosity towards Koumei, are clever nods to events in the original story.
One thing people should realize is different right away, is that Ki blasts are normal in the manga and they were readded for this series. So no, they didn't decide to ripoff the DBZ fighting genre.
ART: Nothing blew me away with beauty, but it was solid. The characters didn't always wear the same clothes and the environments changed often.
SOUND: The music for this series was frankly amazing. Few soundtracks I've heard lately have this much energy and quality.
CHARACTER: There was some drift in roles not just between the two series, but also from the manga on the new characters. Ryubi's character was comically homophobic but also had "urges" in that direction in the Manga; in this series she's pretty boring. This series focuses a lot on Kanu and on Kakouton who is a lot more serious in this series compared to the first. His angst at seeing his long time friends die or slowly degenerate into evil is very concerning. His state at the end of the series does not leave a dry eye. Kanu's role is well written and I dare say that she brings dignity to a rare kind of heroine. She in love with Ryubi, but rather than focus on her lesbianism it's more focused on her unquestioning devotion and her attraction is a sidenote that isn't dwelled upon.
ENJOYMENT: This series would have benefitted from a stronger commitment from the studio and more episodes to tell the story. It also could have used more humor and a touch of the old pervert magic that makes the manga and first series much easier on the eyes. However, it's a strong story that ends on a satisfying note.
OVERALL: I enjoyed the series. It's much easier to follow than the first, the intrigues are much deeper, and the characters are deeper. Even Sonsaku develops more character depth in this series. Also Koukin is not a total wuss in this one. Anyhow, this series is worth seeing if you are a fan of either the manga or the 3 kingdoms story. If you are looking for more of what was in the first series, you should probably pass.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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