This is how I best remember Kenshin.
Shinta was just a poor boy who got abducted by slavers but miraculously survives an attack from bandits, he is found by the master swordsman Hiko Seijuro who bestows him a more fitting name for the era, Kenshin Himura.
He is warned that the Hiten-Mitsurugi style would kill him or his master but before he can finish he gets recruited as an Ishin Patriot in the battles for the Meiji Restoration, at just 15 years old, Kenshin is dubbed over night Battousai the Man Slayer.
He would eventually cross paths with a woman named Tomoe who he hides with when the revolution stumbles, they would fall in love but Tomoe has her own agenda as Kenshin slayed her fiancee, said fiancee leaving a scar on Kenshin's cheek.
An ambush nearly kills Kenshin but Tomoe jumps in preventing Kenshin from being killed by an assassin, guilty of murdering the very woman he loved, Kenshin is left with a second scar as Tomoe marks his cheek as her dying action.
As the Meiji Restoration ends, battousai fades with it, becoming a legend with nothing more than a scarred old samurai, (28 years old at the start of the TV series) wandering the lands with a failed sword, no longer possessing the murderous intent he once had.
To compare the OVA prequel to the TV series is night and day, this is how I was first introduced to Rurouni Kenshin, dubbed Samurai X on western release, so you can see why I often judge Rurouni Kenshin's erratic shifts in tone as being a bit much.
This was a passion project start to finish, the Meiji Restoration is a real historical event in Japan's history, apart from Kenshin, every samurai in the revolution were real people and portrayed correctly from accounts of that period.
There's no punches pulled either as the full weight of the period is portrayed as a bloody era of conflict, I'd go as far as saying it's so well done that I forget that I watched the dub as the dialogue is kept to a minimum, it's a little heavy on exposition but it's understandable when discussing a real life event.
Final Verdict: A gritty samurai drama far removed from the authors more unconventional story of redemption, Trust and Betrayal is one of the best representations of the bloody era and Kenshin himself who could be any real nameless samurai from said era.
Before I begin, I watched and read Rurouni Kenshin long before the creator's unpleasant crimes came to light. This review will only judge the quality of the work not the person who drew it.
Kenshin Himura has been wandering the lands for many years, the older than expected samurai was formerly Battousai the Man Slayer, taking out every foe possible bar the Shinsengumi, he eventually crosses paths with Kaoru Kamiya, a woman who teaches a more peaceful sword art compared to Kenshin's own Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu which he practices with a reverse bladed sword to stop killing and atone but still defend himself should he find himself attacked which is frequently.
Joined by a former bandit, a thief and a medic dubbed a witch, the band of misfits and outcasts setout to stamp out remaining corruption from the remnants of the wars that Kenshin fought, everything from ninja, former Shinsengumi, pretenders to the Man Slayer title and finally the brother of the lover that Kenshin slain.
Kenshin draws alot of comparisons to Trigun with a man wandering around trying to be a pacifist but is constantly drawn into conflict, the difference being that Kenshin's world has more political weight to it as actions often have a much wider effect on the world, it's a very well written story certainly in the manga but the anime had more than it's fair share of problems ranging from poor filler arcs, a poorly executed final season, frequent tonal whiplash and a lacklustre dub.
When it does do something right, it becomes quite compelling and gripping to watch, the ending also comes with a conclusion while sad is strangely fitting.
That's the crux on which I judge Rurouni Kenshin.
Final Verdict: A fantastic samurai story in the manga but the anime suffers with unbalanced tone, poor story structure and an inability to take things seriously especially with that first opening theme, it can do decent fight scenes but that's about it.
The Sengoku Period has always been an easy to go to era for inspiration, the actions of it's characters shapes much of Japanese Culture in terms of history and it's samurai and these ten take their inspirations from these characters either directly or indirectly. Rules this time is one per franchise otherwise this will just be a top ten of Sengoku Basara Characters. So lets begin.
10. Matsukaze from Majikoi
Maeda Keiji's horse Re-imagined as a phone charm in possession of Mayucchi Yukie, believed to have a mind of it's own but could also be Mayu's true feelings.
9. Kenshin Himura from Rurouni Kenshin
Kenshin Himura was given his name by his master based on Uesugi Kenshin something later confirmed by the Manga's creator.
8. Ieyasu Tokugawa from Saber Marionette J
Named after the leader who united Japan, this Ieyasu became the leader of the Japanese like colony of Japoness and it's inhabitants are clones of the same leader.
7. Ryo Sanada from Ronin Warriors
I so wanted to use Sengoku Basara's Sanada Yukimura but I got to follow the rules. Ryo Sanada is the fiery leader of the Ronin Warriors borrowing namesake color scheme and armor from the famous hero.
6. Sasuke from 2x2 Shinobuden
Sorry that's to troll the Sasuke Uchiha fans.
In reality I still have more fun watching the Sasuke Army.
5. Oda Nobunaga from Sengoku Otome
The gender flipped Nobunaga actually cares about her people instead of almost every other depiction of the tyrannical leader being overwhelmingly negative; she still looks the part though in an outfit inspired by Red Sonja.
4. Hanzo Hattori from Hyakka Ryoran Samurai Girls
Another Gender flip, this time for ninja Hanzo Hattori. This version is a happy slave to Sen but this version is a Maid Ninja with a ninja scroll for a hair tie, a pair of glasses functioning as a scouter and a skirt that contains hidden blades, is that awesome or what.
3. Jubei-Chan from Jubei-Chan
Not long ago I reviewed this, the title character uses Yagyu's eyepatch to become the legendary samurai, others were considered but the action from this show is so fast paced and incredibly well choreographed that it's a match for everyone else on this list.
2. Ishikawa Goemon from Lupin III
This version is a descendant of the legendary Japanese thief and a worthy ally to the equally famous Lupin III. He doesn't say much but, he doesn't need to and considering all his other depictions this is Goemon's finest homage.
1. Masamune Date from Sengoku Basara
Of course it's going to be Masamune Date, he's my favorite Male character of all time, my favorite historical figure, he's a total badass, his horse is a motorbike and just looks awesome!
No you're not reading the title wrong, it makes sense in context.
I went to a Japanese Culture convention a couple of days ago and wandered what anime truly represent Japanese Culture?
This list features ten such anime along with their subject matters to better describe what I'm talking about.
10. Sports - Initial D
It was a choice between numerous sports titles such as Eyeshield, Hajime no Ippo, Slam Dunk, Captain Tsubasa & Princess Nine, and Bamboo Blade came really close but nothing is more Japanese than illegal street racing with modified cars. This series is coming to an end real soon.
9. Advertising - Nurse Witch Komugi
Tiger & Bunny originally came to mind but the concept of that show is more American than Japanese so we come to spin-off show Nurse Witch Komugi, where idols perform as marketing models for various companies, it seemed to also work as an advertisement for Tatsunoko as a whole.
8. Business - Salaryman Kintaro
Goldenboy was considered, but Salaryman Kintaro is more business based. It's about a former fisherman turned Salaryman which is another term for a businessman, in order to fulfill a wish for his departed wife. The business world in Japan is surreal to an outsider, most Western societies wouldn't be able to cope.
7. Cosplay - Cosplay Complex
I would never choose Comic Party so Cosplay Complex is the next best thing. To name all the anime references in this show is an achievement in itself.
6. History & Martial Arts - Rurouni Kenshin
It was really tough to choose between so many martial arts anime, but I think the best one has to be Rurouni Kenshin. The Samurai is a good choice warrior & the Meiji era is often seen as more popular in terms of writing than other eras. It should've been Sengoku Basara but said show is far too over the top.
5. Folklore - Inuyasha
A strange choice but nevertheless, Inuyasha plays with more Folklore than most anime, playing on numerous Folklore tales using Rumiko Takahashi's signature styles.
4. School - Azumanga Daioh
Again there are many school titles but Azumanga Daioh trumps them all thanks to ADVFilms guide to the Japanese references, I learned more about Japan in this series than any other.
3. Gaming - World God Only Knows
Okay he does nothing but play dating sims, but Keima is still a gaming genius when you consider what he owns in hardware, plus it's the only video game anime to actually play by Gaming logic.
2. Sentai - Ultraman
The only one on this list to be more popular live action than anime. Ultraman is the obvious choice when it comes to Sentai, more so than other classic mecha series or homages to Ultraman itself, out of all the giants that have walked the streets of Tokyo, Ultraman stands on the same level as Godzilla.
1. Japan Official Mascot - Doraemon
But who should represent Japan as a whole? Pikachu? Hello Kitty? Hetalia's Japan? Hatsune Miku? (We can only hope) Anpanman? (Getting warmer) None of those, it's Doraemon; made in the late 60s, Doraemon is Japan's national cartoon, no other series can claim that title nor can it's closest opposition steal it from them. Very few cartoons in this world can claim the same title as Doraemon, what makes it even more amazing is that it hasn't been tainted by modernization, nothing has changed from it's core structure for nearly 45 years.
To move on from unique art styles and considering I covered a Samurai in the Walk of Fame, lets move on to Sword Styles. Rules this time that I'm sticking with just swords not other kinds of blades or light sabers.
Of course Erza earns extra points for style
10. Kenshin Himura from Rurouni Kenshin
It seems weird to begin with such a common looking style but considering the fact that he began as a cold hearted killer and became a no killing badass with a reverse bladed sword does turn a few heads especially from the likes of his enemies.
9. Yoh Asakura from Shaman King
At it's strongest, Yoh's oversoul can turn into a giant Samurai Sword which seems to have rocket boosters. It's so big that you can threaten giants with it.
8. InuYasha from InuYasha
Although InuYasha is better at the whole bigger is better argument with Tessaiga, a sword that would make the Bleach cast jealous, this sword comes in many textures including Dragon Scales and Diamond.
7. Mifune from Soul Eater
One of my personal favorite styles is Mifune's, using several swords stuck in the ground and a deep understanding for spacial awareness, Mifune can attack with all the swords in any battle situation.
6. Kuchiki Byakuya from Bleach
Choosing just one of the hundreds of sword styles in Bleach was a job in itself but Senbonzakura wins due to it's execution, style and the fact that you're essentially being killed by cherry blossom petals.
5. Erza Scarlet from Fairy Tail
One look at the above picture tells you that "you are going to die" in a very awesome way. But out of all of Erza's armory the Heaven's Wheel wins hands down. Just look at it!
4. Roronoa Zoro from One Piece
For a show that redefines the term "Pirate" it's unusual that the only pirate looking character Zoro is not even a pirate to begin with. Come on, he wields three swords one of which is between his teeth and he certainly makes the most of it.
3. Saber from Fate/Stay Night
For a while we don't actually see her sword until she goes full power and uncovers Excalibur, that's not to say it's bad, to be able to fight with an invisible sword is very useful until you stab yourself with it by accident.
2. Masamune Date from Sengoku Basara
Three swords are cool, six swords made to look like claws is epic and Masamune makes a point of going all out against any opponent, who says the Sengoku period has to be accurate, why can't he ride a horse with motorcycle handle bars and tail pipes.
1. Killer Bee from Naruto
But I have to say, I still can't work out how Killer Bee's sword style works but after using it in the games and seeing it in action, it's easily the most impressive sword style I've ever seen. Pity his rapping needs work.
