Rurouni Kenshin is a movie based on the popular comic book of the same name written by Nobuhiro Watsuki. Taking place 10 years after the end of the Shogunate, former assassin Kenshin Himura once known as Battousai the Manslayer wanders around Japan to help those in need. But as he wander around and meet new friends, his past continues to haunt him, especially when he gets involved in cracking down Kanryu Takeda's opium syndicate.
Warning! Some minor spoilers of the movie are in this review.
To those who decided to marathon the TV anime series and the two OVAs or read the manga before watching the movie and wished for a straight adaptation of the original source material, then prepare to be disappointed because the movie is not a frame by frame adaptation of the original source material. The movie just takes elements from the earlier story arcs of the manga prior to the Kyoto Arc and creates a story inspired by its elements while taking some minor elements and plot details from later story arcs, to be exact elements from the Kyoto Arc and the Jinchu Arc.
Much to my surprise, it worked for the movie and the result is something what the director Keishi Otomo envisioned for the movie, a movie similar to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in which they will adapt a main comic book story arc and use elements from other stories to create one fantastic movie. So in short, prepare some minor characters to be removed in the process and at least two or three characters fused to create a single character. Popular characters in the series such as Aoshi Shinamori and Hanya for example are merged into one character as one of Takeda's henchmen but that approach worked in terms of the movie's story perspective since the movie feels like it is focused on four characters, namely Kenshin, Megumi, Takeda and Jin'e.
Takeru Satoh's performance as Kenshin Himura is fantastic; I guess his previous role as Kamen Rider Den-O helped him with the personality switch between the cold-blooded Battousai and the kind-hearted wanderer named Kenshin. For fans of the original story, they still retained some of Kenshin's mannerisms in the movie such as his humble manner of speaking and his infamous "Oro" line every time he gets hit or he gets curious on something.
One thing that surprised me about Kenshin in this movie is that they were able to insert a flashback scene, which was featured in the Jinchu Arc on the origins of one of his scars. The execution of that scene is fantastic that you might say is the only straight adaptation coming from the manga and anime that they retain for the movie. Though they added some minor elements in that scene to add up the drama and it worked as it gave Kenshin the feeling of guilt after he killed someone.
Kenshin's oath to himself to not kill again and use the sword to protect others is one of the elements from the original that they faithfully retained. Just like the original, his former enemies question this change of heart of the former manslayer. It is also one of the central themes of the movie as some of his former enemies that appeared in the movie, namely Saito and Jin'e wanted to see the Battousai that they faced 10 years ago.
Megumi stole the spotlight from the movie's supposed leading lady, Kaoru as the plot of the story revolves around her involvement with Takeda's crime syndicate as she is the doctor responsible for the creation of a new kind of opium that can give someone a different kind of high. The actress' performance as Megumi is fantastic that I ignored one problem I had with her live-action counterpart and that is she is not that attractive compared to Kaori. As for Kaori, though they get some of her traits right, but I feel like there is something missing in her that makes Kaoru, Kaoru. She feels more like the archetype Yamato Nadeshiko (traditional Japanese lady) in the movie and not that hard-headed kendo instructor that we know and love in the original.
The first thing that surprised me when they introduce the characters in the movie is Hajime Saito, who is supposed to appear in the anime and the manga during the events of the Kyoto Arc made an appearance in the movie! The first thing that came to my mind is how can they fit this character in the movie considering that the closest connection Kenshin had with the cops is the cop with glasses that gives Kenshin intel on some important cases that needed Kenshin's skills as a swordsman. Much to my surprise, they were able to work it out by introducing Saito earlier in the movie and make him a prominent key figure of the cops all throughout the movie. The cop with glasses is still in the movie but his involvement is reduced and I am okay with it.
As for the other support characters, Yahiko and Sanosuke are pitch perfect versions of their anime and manga counterparts but I am disappointed that the writers of the movie need to revise their introduction scenes just to make the movie more linear and progressive without ruining the main plot of the movie. Even if that is the case, both characters have their own moments in this movie, especially Sanosuke that I don't want to spoil!
Just like Megumi, Takeda stole the spotlight of this movie. If my memory serves me correctly, his movie version is more twisted compared to his anime and manga counterpart. You can say that the anime and manga version is more tamer since I forgot that he actually existed till this movie came along and reminded me that this guy exist! It didn't help that he had a more prominent role in the movie. Though he is not as charismatic like Aoshi in the original anime and manga, he has this own charisma that makes you hate the guy. He is so despicable in the movie that I really like it.
Jin'e is what you can best describe as a mix of the original Jin'e, bits of Aoshi and bits of that guy from the first episode who is a disciple of the Kamiya Style who claimed that he is Battousai before he ended up becoming a comic relief villain. Jin'e is one fantastic villain; his final battle with Kenshin is so intense that felt like the scene is blurry due to the speed and intensity of the sword fight. What made it more impressive is that it seems like those scenes were shot continuously that you can't see any stunt double in that scene!
Technical wise, the music scoring of the movie is really great that added depth on a lot of scenes. The special effects and the wire work is top notch and it seems like the movie use minimal CGI as the only CGI that I saw are the sparks. I am sure that I am seeing CGI sparks thanks to my experience in watching a lot of tokusatsu shows whose main replacement for blood is sparks, you know, for the kids! To put it simply, the movie is pure wire work and the physique of the actors doing their own stunts during the sword fight scenes.
Finally, as big Kamen Rider fan I can't help myself but reference Kamen Rider a lot. That is why if you are beside me while watching this movie, you can hear me say "Ore Sanjou" or "Henshin" in scenes featuring Kenshin. During the time Kenshin and Jin'e face off, the first thing that came to my mind is that I am watching a showdown between Den-O and Skull. Lastly, most of the light-hearted scenes featuring Kenshin felt like I am seeing Ryotaro stuck in the Meiji Restoration Era and that he is under the guise of some samurai to kill time while waiting for the DenLiner to fetch him. Did I mention that we have the Luna Dopant and the Spider Orphenoch in this movie?
Overall, Rurouni Kenshin though not faithful to the original source material, it is the best manga/anime adaptation I have ever seen. If there is one thing I learned from watching Dragonball: Evolution aside that Hollywood doesn't know how to do a faithful manga/anime adaptation that would be, it is impossible to write a straight adaptation of a manga/anime. The best approach is do what American comic book movies do, adapt a major story line and has some elements from other related stories to make a good movie. After the movie ended, it made me want more Rurouni Kenshin and in the process, gave me the urge to rewatch Kamen Rider Den-O.
Though there are no new Kamen Rider Den-O movies featuring Takeru Satoh, there are plans for a Rurouni Kenshin movie sequel. After watching the movie, it gave me an impression that the original movie is one tough act to follow. But I will not worry much because the next possible arc that they will adapt is the Kyoto Arc that features the biggest threat that Kenshin and his friends faced and his name is Makoto Shishio. But for now, I guess we should watch out for more details about the sequel in the following days and me waiting for the news of a DVD release here in the Philippines because I don't want to pirate one great movie.
P.S. Unlike my experience watching Sadako 3D in glorious 2D here in the Philippines, thankfully the subs in the movie are not disappearing. One fun bit while watching the movie, after the movie ended, those who are in the cinema clapped for one excellent movie.
