Reviews

Rurouni Kenshin does quite a bit to stick out of the norm for a shounen action title. It believably depicts the uncertainty of the early years of the Meiji Restoration era of Japan with corrupt political, economic and military activity; hostilities with former samurai of the Tokugawa period; and even some cases of religious prejudice as Shintoism became greatly favored during the time period. Kenshin's very character sticks out from the norm as well considering he's not a battle-loving, naive and lively young hero. Instead, we have ourselves a character who is well into his years of adulthood, weary of the many bloody battles and journeying he has partaken, seeks to avoid pointless and bloody battles where possible and battling with his personal demons from when he was an assassin killing others to bring about the new Meiji era. The series introduces a cast of diverse characters with differing backgrounds who faced differing dilemmas from the end of the Tokugawa shogunate and/or ordeals with the new Meiji government, many of whom Kenshin finds himself trying to either help out or forced into conflict with if they get hostile. The Kyoto arc seen throughout the middle of the series offers the best material within the series as we come to learn more about Kenshin's past when he was an assassin and taught his Hiten Mitsurugi sword style, as well as having to overcome his bloodlusted Battousai side when confronted with foes from his past and new ones brought about thanks to the corrupt activities of the Meiji government.

The show isn't without its faults though. The series still does dabble into some of the common cliches you can find in shounen action titles with characters usually getting up to continue battle after being seriously injured from attacks, some over-the-top elements (Fuji the giant of the Juppongatana for instance) and villainous characters getting in the annoying habit of blabbering about how strong or unbeatable they think they are. The series is also quite infamous for having a good number of filler episodes since the anime caught up with its manga source material after the Raijuta and Kyoto arcs with their quality tending to vary (Christian arc was decent while Feng Shui and Divine Elixir arcs got too ridiculous), putting the show's main plot developments to a screeching halt and ultimately leading to the TV anime's cancellation due to its declining popularity from said filler episodes. This was especially disappointing as there were some hints dropped in the final episode of the Kyoto arc and an ED sequence over the upcoming developments of the manga's Jinchuu arc.

In terms of visuals, Rurouni Kenshin sports clean colors and decently detailed designs of scenery and characters with the quality becoming increasingly better as episodes progress. Animation shortcuts were noticeable for me, but action sequences were engaging thanks to the various fighting styles that Kenshin and his allies faced from their various foes as they were mostly grounded and not as exotic and over-the-top with battle techniques and tactics like those found in popular shounen action titles like Dragon Ball Z and Bleach. The show's insert music mostly consists of tense or energetic tracks that fit with the mundane, serious and comical moments seen throughout Rurouni Kenshin, though many of the show's musical choices for OP and ED sequences sounded quite generic and didn't fit too well with the mood of the series.

Overall, Rurouni Kenshin made for one of the better shounen action titles I've had a chance of checking out thanks to the implementation of its historic setting, the tensions of the time period and seeing the complicated ordeals faced by Kenshin as he tries to move on from his bloody past as an assassin. While some of the conventional elements of shounen and the various filler episodes kill some of the quality to the series, it still offers enough unique material to make it stand out from more conventional shounen action titles, still making it a worthwhile watch.