Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan

This is my first anime so I'm kind of looking at it through rose-colored glasses, but I really do love it to death. Kenshin is the smexyest bishounen out there and I think his pacifitics-I'll-beat-you-down personality, and I love the romatic storyline. The art changing from episode to episode is a double-edged sword, but I'm not complaining. The soundtrack was awsome, and I liked the acting.

Rurouni Kenshin is one of the animes I can remember from growing up (as a child, mind you) during the late 90s. It can also be considered one of the pinnacles of 90s anime, being an amazing series that can still be watched, loved, and enjoyed today. Story -- 9 The story of Rurouni Kenshin follows that of Himura Kenshin, also known as Himura Battousai, or Battousai the Manslayer. It's laid out in such a pattern that you get basically little snippets of plots in the beginning, each "mini arc" letting you get to know a main or main supporting character. The story is how the ruthless assassin Himura realizes the horrors he has committed, and swears never to take another life. However, he is thrust into the position of having to defend a run-down dojo, its inhabitants, and eventually all of Japan from the man who took Himura's place as head assassin during the Japanese revolution, Shishio. After the initial ease into the main story after learning about all the different main and supporting characters, the plot takes off and is decently fast paced and gripping. The "Shisio" arc, aka the main story, is well made. It is well crafted with several different, intriguing characters, followed along by an original plot which is, for an anime, has amazing historical context. Much of Rurouni Kenshin is historically accurate, which creates an amazing immersive world, as if it really were a documentary about the Meiji era of Japan, rather than an anime taking place in it. After the "Shishio" arc, an arc of filler-esque episodes begin. They serve no real purpose except to show the viewer what happens after the Shishio arc, and the mature-ment of the characters. The final "episode," #95, was actually made several years after the series officially ended. It shows all the characters about 10 years older -- and how much they've changed. The end of the story (which was lackluster, sadly enough) hinted at the change the characters were going through, and the last episode confirmed it. Art - 10 This would have to be my pick for best 90s anime art. It's very well made, and has a shojo-y feel to the drawing. It can clearly beat many of today's animes' standards by a mile, showing the care that went into creating the anime of Rurouni Kenshin. If you manage to watch the OVA's of Kenshin, "never before has blood looked so beautiful" basically sums up Kenshin in a whole. Every part of the anime is visually pleasing and looks painstakingly cared for. Sound -- 8 Rurouni Kenshin has a couple very beautiful themes on violin that repeat throughout the series (see: "Departure", one of the main violin themes). Beyond having some very appropriate, and beautiful traditional themes like Departure, the anime has decent enough endings and openings. None of it is truly rememberable at all except for the aforementioned themes, however, so I'm going to have to give this an 8. Character - 10 I don't really believe that much of a character change occurs in Kenshin(Himura) throughout the series, but he remains a strong and good main character. The real development is with the other characters that make up the main cast; Kenshin, through his kind ways, manages to save a vagabond boy from a life of petty theft, a mercenary for hire who had been wandering aimlessly, and a poor girl trying to maintain her dead father's rundown dojo. Together, he protects them from harm while nurturing them -- the boy, Yahiko, learns the way of the sword and how it should be used to protect others, and the values in life (Episode 95 shows him being very Kenshin-esque). The mercenary for hire, Sanosuke, learns the meaning of humility and modesty from Kenshin, and, while still maintaining his stubborn ways, manages to change from the mercenary to a defender of others. He manages to overcome his gruesome past and forgive those (to a degree) of those who had wronged him. And the girl, Kaoru, learns the meaning of love and desire she feels towards the seemingly innocent and kind Kenshin. As a character, Himura Kenshin does not really "progress" as much as just show off his personality. He was a man with a terrible past -- being raised by slave traders, fighting for most of his life, and then becoming Japan's greatest assassin -- definitely created a strain for him. After the war, the realization of what he done in the name of creating a new, peaceful world hits him, and his penance begins. The anime takes it time revealing all the secrets of Kenshin, his personality, and his past. A constant conflict that happens is that he fights the assassin inside himself, having to use all his will to keep use vow of not killing anyone ever again. As his friends are dangered, the assassin sometimes breaks free, but manages to be reeled in somehow through various methods. Enjoyment -- 9 I honestly, short of maybe one or two unsavory post-Shishio episodes, think of any place where I disliked Kenshin. The anime definitely would've received a 10 if the post-Shishio story had had a streamlined plot, rather than just being a bunch of random plots thrown together. As a whole, Rurouni Kenshin should be classified as a "classic" and be appreciated for what it is. It isn't often you see an anime like it. The rewatchability during the intro and Shishio arcs are high and the episodes, enjoyable. The -.5 comes into play with the lack of streamed plot after Shishio. Overall -- 9.5

i personally really loved this anime. one of my favorites. Story:10 the story is amazing it could be serioius and funny. the best was the second arc. After the second arc it was more like fillers but it was still very good. its funny seeing them tease each other. its amazing how one moment everthing was so tense then the next its all funny and makes you laugh. Art:10 the art is one of the best. sanosuke looks really coolnot to mention sorta hot!!! kenshin looks sorta girly but how he looks is HOT!!!!!!! the girls are cute. and i just love the art! sound:10 all the openings and endings are amazing. it has some of the best anime opening and ending. one of the best is heart or sword and 1/3. also the soundtracks are awesome! character:10 i loved all the characters. they are all cool and lovable! kaoru is hilarious especially while arguing with yahiko. sanosuke is hard to describe he's so cool at times and then at other time he is a complete idiot.kenshin i dont know how to descibe him. hes to awesome for words. enjơyment: 10 i enjoyed it till the very end. funny and cool at the same time. overall:10

Even know it an old series,Rurouni Kenshin is still a popular and highly praised anime and manga series.Set in Meiji-Era Japan,the story follows the advertures of a former revolutionary assassin turned wandering samurai named Himura Kenshin and his friends, Kaoru:A young,beautiful woman who runs an sword arts dojo lefted behind by her father Sanosuke:a former fighter for hire,he joins the dojo[though he freeloads on it]after being defeated by kenshin in a brawl.he has monsterous strength. Yahiko:a young boy who is of samurai decent.works for the yakuza after his parents die.saved by Kenshin and joins Kaoru's dojo to learn to be a better swordsman. for the most of it the show rocks.the storyline is complex but entertaining.the artwork also gets credit.sound could use some,but overall Rurouni Kenshin is still an awesome show.

This was the first anime series that I really got into. Great characters and great stories make this the greatest anime series I’ve seen so far. The only part I didn’t enjoy so much was the last arc because we are at this point so used to see Kenshin as this unbeatable force and here he has difficulty defeating people that look less formidable that his past opponents. But nevertheless the rest of the series is great if not a masterpiece. The animation doesn’t look outdated at all and the soundtrack is in my opinion the best anime soundtrack of all time. But the best things in this series are the characters and their respective stories. The villains remind me a lot of Batman’s villains in a lot of ways but mostly because of their tragic backgrounds. Something bad has happen to these characters to make them the way they are and sometimes you might even think the villain’s ideals are right and that their brand of justice is correct. I believe that good villains make a series and in this series there are a lot of them including Makoto Shishio, Saito, Shinomori Aoshi, Soujiro and Shogo Amakusa. Every single one of them is as interesting as Kenshin. The English dub is one of the better ones I’ve heard and the dialog is one of the smarter ones I’ve also seen. In conclusion you should really give this series a try, it doesn’t matter if this is not your style it still will move you!!! I swear it will.

The series in question is an amazing piece of entertainment that boasts well-crafted characters with dramatic storylines. The protagonist character can display a wide range of emotions, from comical to romantic to violent. The female characters are portrayed as strong and admirable, making them easy to root for. The story is set in the 1870s era and features impressive sword-fighting action scenes. The show offers viewers a glimpse into the past and its historical context while touching on contemporary issues. For instance, it addresses terrorism by showing the villains attacking the government, and it also explores the complexities of living a life of peace instead of violence, as the protagonist, Kenshin, vows never to kill again after years as an assassin. Overall, this series offers a well-rounded viewing experience that is entertaining and thought-provoking.

The story is very good, showing the historic events of Japan along with very interesting fictional characters that indirectly also represent historical elements and social consequences of the revolutions Japan went through. In my opinion, the best story arc is the Kyoto one (Shishio), it's the center of the main story. The first episodes show shorter independent stories to introduce the main characters, I particularly found them enjoyable, however, they aren't as good as the Kyoto arc. After the Kyoto arc, the anime took a different path from the manga, all the other seasons being fillers, some with independent stories lasting just one or two episodes, others with long sequences of episodes. These fillers seasons do have interesting fights and show many interesting historic elements, however, in my opinion, they aren't as interesting as season 1, the characters don't get the development I believe they deserved, important characters don't show up as much anymore and things get a bit tiring- as a Rurouni Kenshin fan, I did love watching every episode and I liked them very much, however, they're not episodes I want to re-watch two or three times, unlike the Kyoto arc. The art is amazing, the openings and ending are very good, with historic and pop elements, beautiful colors and messages, the animation is very good, the fights are very well animated (considering when the anime was released, of course). The sound effects, OSTs and BGMs are very good, very emotional, very intense, they fit really well with the psychological environments, truly an amazing work. The characters have a spectacular growth along the Kyoto arc, and not just the protagonist grows, we also see support characters and antagonists evolving their mindset and their skills along the journey in a very good, inspiring way, however, all that development seems to get slower and slower during the filler season. I had a great time watching Rurouni Kenshin, specially the first episodes. The filler sagas got more and more tiring for me, however, I still enjoyed them because I like the anime and the characters. The quality of the story and the historical context is very good, but quality doesn't necessarily mean enjoyment- I find the "shonen" approach we see in season 1 and 2 way more fun than the next seasons because it becomes more dramatic and emotional and less fun in the comedic sense, and well, the anime doesn't give us the original manga story and also doesn't give itself a proper closing, it just ends, and in my opinion, it's fine that way, the end of a very long sequence of fillers that have interesting stories, but, in my perception, nothing outstanding or great, just...enjoyable stories with good quality, but that didn't need to be soooo long. Rurouni Kenshin fans will enjoy them, people interested in watching historic animes also will enjoy them. I really have a very strong bond with this anime, it was part of my childhood, I had a lot of fun with the games of the franchise, yes, it's a very good franchise, I love it very much.

Rurouni Kenshin for the most part is like a breeze of fresh air that you get while looking on the blue sky and walking through the rural area or a small town. It's not absurdly fancy, it's natural, makes you feel good, and the story flows good as the wind blows. That is until staff makes fillers and put the anime to an end, without covering all manga offered. But even so, the best part (A.K.A. the Kyoto Arc) surpasses all of it and makes this anime different from average. Art is really incredible, the director know how to adapt the iconic manga shots to a whole beautiful scene where you see characters interacting with the environment. Animation is good, not outstanding, but it's good for this show. The fights are realistic at the most, and debating is the more important element of it, not relying in crazy action movements to make a good scene. Story is very well made, it starts simple but it gets more and more complex, from a comedic, episodic show to a adventure with ideals and moral at stakes when discussing politics, psychology, deep life issues and philosophy in general. And all of that is not pointed out to you, not even close to plot of anime like Evangelion or Lain, but the story flows and you start to think about it, questioning the points of view that are presented and when you see, it's deeper than it looks. Characters are great, everyone of them with good personality and each one of them have their own distinctive way on viewing the world and life itself, going well with each other. The main character develops in a different way than the common shonen anime, he, Kenshin Himura is already a master in swordmanship but have to improve and doing it consist in not dealing with his foe, but with himself in first place. But for me, the most impressive thing about Rurouni Kenshin is the soundtrack. Thanks to the composer, Mr. Noriyuki Asakura, every scene feels special, the drama, the struggle, the silliness, all of the situations have the adequate tracks for it. For example, ''Kimi wa dare wo mamotte iru'' plays in the first episode and it already delivers you the essence of the main character and the easygoing nature he passes, you have ''Kokoro no Hadaka'' and ''Minagoroshi no Elegy'' that tells you the tragic story of Sanosuke Sagara, and many other memorable tracks. Then, the story picks up and you have ''Departure'', ''Fallen Angel'' and ''Tsuki mo naku, Hoshi mo naku'' for dramatic moments, ''Warriors Suite'' for the epic sword clashes and on the top of it ''Last Wolf Suite'' which combines all feelings in one epic song that sets the serious tone as the main theme for the Kyoto Arc. I can't give this anime 10, because after one of the best, if not the best arcs in shonen the producers fall down into bad filler episodes that don't create the hook for the last arc of manga. That being said, if it was for anime without fillers, a solid 10, but as a judgement of the whole, an 8/10 overall. Even with it's problems with fillers after the end of Kyoto Arc, it's enjoyable and all the story and themes brought with incredible dialogue, characters and soundtrack makes this anime memorable.

Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan English: Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story The legendary Battousai the Manslayer was the original name of Kenshin Himura. Everywhere he goes, he can be recognized by his long red hair in a pony tail and the cross-shaped sword scar on his cheek. And any man or swordsman who recognizes him either wants to get a piece to prove they are the better or scrams quick! But most like the idea of becoming know as the man who beat the legendary manslayer. Kenshin is a wanderer who travels from town to town making amends for his bloodthirsty lifestyle in his past, yet as his foes increase in skill, so does his failing restraint to hold himself back and never break his vow to slay another man. Will he kill a man to save his loved ones? This classic and epic anime is filled with mini adventures that build up characters and their backstories, as well as a much more serious plotline near the middle of the anime. This part was my favorite. The trials and tribulations that Kenshin and his closest comrades had to go through were quite daunting, yet they never gave up hope. They understood it was time to take action or face serous consequences for the people around them. Ratings: Story - 7, 10, 4 - I'll split this into three different arcs. The first arc is pretty soft but has it's really awesome moments where Kenshin is pushed to the edge. The second arc is super exciting and requires Kenshin to fight the other strongest men in Japan, and man are they strong! The third arc didn't make sense to me that it was part of the show, but it is filled with many side stories. The ending also felt very rushed. Graphics - 8 - I think back in it's era, these graphics were really well done. Soundtrack - 8 - From metal, to electronic, to classical Japanese culture tunes this anime does it all. Character personas - 10 - I felt nearly every character had a strong sense of self and backstory. The characters were a highlight in this anime, as well as the pace at which their content was introduced. Character voice acting - 10 - I watched this in English and prefer it over the Japanese actors. Kenshin's voice is on the lighter side most of the time, but once you begin to understand him and his way of life, it's very fitting. Overall - 8 - There are some really cool scenes in this anime and great morals. It's a classic anime to watch and makes you feel good like you're along for the ride with the whole party. Recommended - I would like to say yes if the show stopped at two arcs only, but I really dreaded the last arc :(

The first season is fun while the third season acts like a 16 year old’s first car. The used car starts out above average but breaks down before the teen is able to make an emergency stop off the road. The second season is why this show is remembered so fondly. It is set up with a exclent tonal whiplash and leads to a confrontation with an antagonist who wants Japan to regress in order to defend itself against the threat of the Colonial European powers. The most memorable aspect of the second season is the main antagonist’s minions. Uncovering why the minions serve and admire a man who is hated by most other citizens shows the surprising amount of detail the second season explores.

I think it is one of the best shonen I've seen, being based on a real story, my name is quite attention, and in general I found it quite good. The plot is interesting, the battles are well executed (mostly), the characters are well characterized and has very good sagas within their demography, still, after the episode 65 the anime presents a rather dull story that does not appear in your Original material. But except that detail, Rurouni Kenshin is an entertaining work of fiction, without a doubt one of the best shonen I have ever seen. Creo que es uno de los mejores shonen que he visto, al estar basada en una historia real, me llamo bastante la atención, y en general lo encontré bastante bueno. La trama es interesante, las batallas son bien ejecutadas(en su mayoría), los personajes están bien caracterizados y tiene sagas muy buenas dentro de su demografía, aun así, después del episodio 65 el anime presenta una historia bastante aburrida que no aparece en su material original. Pero salvo ese detalle, Rurouni Kenshin es una obra de ficción entretenida, sin duda uno de los mejores shonen que he visto.

I felt like the series was good but after reading the manga it feels incomplete missing one of the best arcs in the series overall known as the Jinchu arc with some of the best moments in the series... The filler episodes do take away from the enjoyment but overall i'd give the anime a solid 7 ... But that is 100% because of the kyoto arc So after watching that arc don't even bother with the rest of the series just read the manga During the Kyoto arc the animation was perfectly consistent throughout and the fights have a level of complexity not often gifted to shonen battle manga... The villians in this arc where pitch perfect with their own backstories making them fully realized round characters. The development for Kenshin and Sanosuke where particularly strong within this arc

This anime was a pure classic. I'm going to go say that if you want an action anime, then watch this, but i am going to say that if u a really goodanime, then watch this. After watching this, i yearned for more and mised the characters. Overall, really enjoyable.

Rurouni Kenshin -Meiji Kenkaku Romantan- ... A very unusual piece. And it should look, oddly enough, does not rhyme or reason, and thoughtful. For the main thing here is not on the sword fights and adventures — paradoxically, it is just the entourage, and that associated with them. First, it is necessary to look in the original Japanese voice (and indeed all have to watch anime in the original language) acting with subtitles rather than dubbing with some. It Kenshin repeatedly changed throughout the series, he speaks differently, depending on who is currently. When he was familiar to everyone in everyday life Kenshin — he always uses the «oro», which displays it some confusion in the comic and otherwise, currently speaks in the third person — «seiches» — your humble servant, «godzaru». When he hitokiri — Kenshin it gets tough, there is the pronoun «I» and the rough male «Ore». Along with changing eye color and behavior Kenshin it really shows what a profound change is taking place at this point with the main character. And when he was a mentor — in general begins to speak, like all normal people. I must say that their relationship with a mentor — this is generally a song! Just something there for a few episodes for the entire series, but what's the point... Second, we see that the characters are not stupid, and conversations have a deep meaning. Just all this talk — the main in the series. Thanks to them, reveals the philosophy of Kenshin, meaning the existence of someone who had the courage to live with a monstrous load of a huge number of lives and their own destiny. Because death — the easiest way to get rid of the conscience. Much harder to take the path of redemption — to continue to live when you stop to appreciate their own lives in general. And save the lives of others, once and for all decided that it is the fact that you so easily robbed before — human life — is the greatest value. And this at a time when blood feuds were a way of life, when it was thought that, having created senpuku, you can save the honor and wash away sins! Another distinguishing feature — not only the protagonist, who is certainly a key figure in the series, but all the other characters are very well designed. They are all individual, with its history and destiny. One Sōjirō what it takes! They do not commit stupid acts, not hysteria, all the story lines are intertwined, which is the complete picture. There are, of course, and fentaziynye elements. The same Fuji. But, despite his incredible size and episodic, even this character is revealed to the end. Third, look, after all, we must begin with a TV-series (62 episodes, things are moving almost in the manga, but from the 63rd until the end of the episode are fillers), and only then OVA-1. When reading the manga, where each deal is. But the OVA-2 do not recommend watching (fortunately, the manga author Watsuki Nobuhiro has nothing to do with this OVA-2, — it's incredibly happy)...

A true anime classic that deserves more recognition than it gets.an anime that i saw before it garnered global notoriety and i still hold dear.it follows a story of a former assassin who for ten years have been living his life as a wonderer seeking atonement for his past sins.His past eventually catches up to him as he is force to come out of the shadow after he saves a woman from a serial killer who was useing the name that he went by as an assasin,battousai the manslayer. He eventually starts to live with her but enemies from the past and those that hold a grudge against him and the system of the meji era that he fought to establish enter into his life once again.And so kenshin himura must fight those who seek to oppress others and those that will try to return the tokugawa era in which their was lawlessness and the innocent were killed at will.The action is superb, great sword moves and overall some of the best action you;ll ever see.the theme music is some of the best there is,heart of sword,tactic are just a few of the great themes that you'll here throughout this epic anime. the charcters are all great,vivid and diverse with none fealing out of place with the anime.the animation is superb well detailed and coloured without being too bright and colourful like most animes these day{CG sucks}.the villains of the show are all interesting and charismatic while at the same time being down- right twisted{yes im taking you shishioh}.the anime dipped in quality in latter arks and the last ark was just painful to watch,but still one of the best anime's ever made.a must see

As far as individual story arcs go the Kyoto arc in Rouronin Kenshin might be the best of the lot. The fights are probably my favorite among anime. The suspension around it. The way they dont drag it out. Each character is interesting and has their own technique. Mostly not supernatural stuff but really good sword techniques theyve learned through effort and training. The accompanying music is such a good fit also. Voice acting is great. Didnt care much for opening and endings though. So why only a 9/10? Well unfortunely the Kyoto arc starts around 30 and ends around 60. Rest is just filler or episodic. Especially the post Kyoto arc was a slog to go through. The pre Kyoto arc still introduced characters and stuff so you shouldnt skip that. But the post Kyoto arc you could skip and miss nothing. So yeah just that arc is a 10/10 but counting all episodes it drags it down to s 9/10 for me.

Now before I begin I should probably address the elephant in the room, which is Nobuhiro Watsuki, the creator of Rurouni Kenshin. If you don't know, Mr. Watsuki has done some really questionable things in real life and honestly, I don't feel like going down that rabbit hole. I do recommend that you do some research into it so you can know what I mean. The question is, should you support Rurouni Kenshin even with all the mistakes Nobuhiro has made? Personally, I only try to judge and support the art and not focus on the artist. It's like listening to Kanye West. Ye has said and done some things that are pretty controversial, but the music he makes is usually quality. (For the most part, I'm gonna act like Donda 2 never existed). I'm a Ye fan myself and I really cannot defend what he says or does all the time, but I still listen to and enjoy his music. So I don't know, this kind of topic is really up for debate. If you have an opinion, let me know with a comment. I'd love to hear your take. But anyway, let's talk about Rurouni Kenshin and why I love this show. So the thing is, this was the first shounen anime that I ever watched. Even though I first watched it last year, I still have a lot of nostalgia for this show and it already holds a special place in my heart. But why is that? Well, I'm not exactly sure. Maybe it's that animation from the 90's just looks so appealing and charming to me. Maybe it's because I think samurai are so fucking cool. Maybe it's because of the 90's animation that's appealing combined with the fact that it's a show about samurai that are fucking cool. And the thing is, it's not even my favorite samurai anime, because I have my issues with this show which I'll get into in a moment, but for now, I want to talk about the things I like. First of all, Kenshin Himura is probably my favorite samurai character of all time. His tale is truly fascinating to me. I love when random badasses are trying to atone themselves for past mistakes. I think it makes for some pretty great stories. And I always appreciate that as much of a badass as he is, at the end of the day, he is always nice, kind-hearted and caring for his friends and other people. But it always seems like his benevolent behavior is a mask for the Manslayer inside of him. It’s way cooler than the way I’m phrasing it. And he’s not the only great character. All the characters are great, for the most part. My favorite side character is probably Sanosuke. Aoshi is a close second. All the samurai fights are pretty cool and fun to watch. It may not have the greatest animation I've ever seen, but I'll let it slide, since it's an older show. There's a lot of great themes and messages about found family and peace and redemption. And a lot of great scenes where characters are talking about those sorts of things. Season 1 is also a nice introduction to all these characters and a solid start to the show. But it really ramps up once you get to Season 2: The Kyoto Arc. When I first watched this show, I had never heard of it before and I didn't know that the Kyoto Arc was iconic in classic anime. And when I watched season one, I was pretty on and off with it. I would watch two or three episodes, then watch something else, and then maybe come back to it a week later. But once I got to the Kyoto Arc, I remember watching it and being like: "There really isn't a good place to stop. Eh, fuck it, I guess I'll just continue watching it." And that's exactly what I did and I ended up finishing the whole arc that day. As a matter of show, I ended up finishing the entire show the next day. My only complaint with the Kyoto Arc was that even though I was enjoying it, I thought it went on for a little too long. Maybe I'm just not a big fan of long arcs, but I thought it kinda dragged at points, most specifically by the end. As awesome and badass as the Kenshin and Shishio fight is, it goes on for five episodes. And there were points where I thought it was over and we were about to wrap up, but it just kept going. And then there was the "Warrior's Spirit" bullshit, which I know that's manga accurate, but I thought that was so dumb. I mean you kinda need that otherwise it would be a pretty depressing ending to the arc, but I honestly couldn't contain my laughter when I saw that. But looking back, I guess the pacing and the longevity of it wasn't that bad because everything else was already great. Like my two personal favorite fights in the entire show are the Kenshin and Saito duel and the Kenshin and Aoshi duel, which are both equally badass and emotionally gripping. Another complaint I have is that there were some episodes where I was like: "Eh, I don't really care." And the thing was, I didn't have the filler guide when I first watched this show, so I had to watch some pretty mediocre episodes that weren't that interesting. I know some people complain that Season 3 isn't that good because it's nothing but filler. I mean they're right, but I don't think it's that bad. Like there are definitely much worse filler episodes out there. And I actually think Season 3 had its moments as pointless as they were in the grander scheme of things. I liked the religious cult arc. I liked how Sanosuke got a girlfriend during it, which I think he definitely deserves. It sucked that his relationship had to end in a bad way, but I won't spoil how. It may not be as epic as the Kyoto arc, but I think after a big story like that, you kinda need to take a break. I also liked the arc where they went into the caves to find a hidden "treasure." It was like an Indiana Jones adventure but with samurai. However, the final arc with the feng shui stuff was-ehh. Definitely the weakest arc in the entire show and honestly, it was so forgettable that I don't even remember anything about it. However, the biggest issue I have with this show and I think the one thing that most people can agree with me on, is the relationship between Kenshin and Kaoru being pretty underdeveloped. For a show subtitled: Meiji Swordsman Romance, the romance isn't really explored that much. And for a show like this, the romance really needs to work, but unfortunately it's very half-baked. Like Kaoru always seems to be stuck in the friend zone for the entire show, while Kenshin just kinda sees her as a friend for the entire show. And they never advanced from there and I thought they would finally get together by the end, but it never really happened. And speaking of ending, holy shit is it anticlimactic. And I think the people who made this show realized that because it never even aired on TV, it went straight to VHS. But now you can easily find it on the internet, but it's not worth watching. In fact I'm just gonna spoil it right here because personally, I think it's so bad that it's funny. So the final episode that never aired has Kenshin and Kaoru going to this beach resort and having a fling there, sort of. But they never fuck or kiss or do anything to move their relationship forward. Then there's a scene where Kenshin is on the beach and Kaoru is running towards him saying: "Kenshin don't leave me!" Because she had a dream of Kenshin leaving her life. And then they hug it out. And then the final scene is them returning to Tokyo on a boat and they see all the characters that they met in the show waving at them while they wave back. Roll credits. It's so pathetic but at least it made me laugh. Maybe not in the way the show intended but I guess that's an upside. Like if this was another show with more than 100 episodes and I was enjoying it and then it had an ending like this, I would probably be pissed. But there's not even 100 episodes of this show and it's not the worst thing ever, but it's not good either. Apparently the manga has a much better ending, but I don't really read manga so I can't judge it. But just judging this ending, it's pretty underwhelming and you can tell while watching it that it was totally an afterthought. But besides…

*Review contains spoilers* Story 8/10 Rurouni Kenshin manages to keep you engaged for the most part. It seems to follow a structure where an arc develop, afterwards characters have a normal day and then another arc develops. When I say "for the most part" I mean Kenshin has very solid and amazing arcs (such as Shishio's arc) and then others (such as the Feng Shui arc) where you are left wondering why they even bothered to do them. Mind you I have read the anime is about 40% fillers, so that made me inclined to read the manga because the story and the characters are very interesting. I think Rurouni Kenshin has a great balance between comedy, action, drama and romance. What I really like about the romance is how subtle it is, nobody ever says "I love you" but you definitely can tell through actions who loves who. I also really liked the sense of camaraderie formed between the main characters, and in a perfect world my vision of them is staying all together forever at the Kamija Kashin dojo and creating a big big family. I have to say it did get a bit tiresome how stories seemed to follow a pattern where people come and get Kenshin to help them fight with a powerful person, when the only thing he really wants is be left alone. But the worse downside to the anime is the ending, which I found very anticlimactic. Although there was a lot of character development in the anime, the ending was so inconsequential that you are left wondering weather the anime was dropped midway or whether production just got bored creating content. Art 7/10 Rurouni Kenshin is old and you can tell by the drawings. However, the drawings do not take away from the story and they are not bothersome. On the contrary, is very easy to watch and appreciate despite the old drawings. Sound 9/10 With the sound, the same thing as in Art happens. Rurouni Kenshin is old, so you can tell the lack of background sound effects. However, soundtrack is so so so good that I have all songs on my playlist. (There might be a bit of nostalgia as I watched this anime when I was younger, about 15 years ago). Also, I love how some sound effects prepare you for what's about to happen, like when you hear them you can tell "trouble is coming", "an emotional scene is about to happen". Characters 9/10 I must say there is not one character I hate from this anime, not even the bad guys. I feel each character had distinct personalities and motives. I was able to identify with and enjoy each character and really loved the characters growth through the anime. I am going to highlight some worthy mentions: Kenshin: loved his good nature and kindred spirit. I always find funny the juxtaposition of how skinny and tiny he is, yet so powerful and capable of killing the whole town if he wanted to, and he chooses not to every time. I really like this statement. I also find very funny how he is always doing house chores without complaining at all. Kaoru: what I really like about her is how big her heart is and how much she is willing to give in for the well-being of people in general, but specially of those she loves. I felt sorry for her as Kenshin was not very outspoken about his feelings for her (in fact, we don't really know how he feels about her in the anime, although I choose to believe he loves her). Kaoru is strong, independent and reliable. Sanosuke: I dare say he is one of my favorite characters. I find Sanosuke so funny and a bit unappreciated in the story. He might not be the strongest but I really love who loyal he is to his friends. Yes, he takes advantage of Kaoru's hospitality, but there must be a reason she allows it. Soujirou: I felt so sorry for this guy and his story. But I was glad to see his progress and confident in his strength. Enjoyment 8/10 I really enjoyed watching Rurouni Kenshin, although I would have appreciated a bit more of closure by the end of the anime. Overall 8/10

AMAKAKERU RYU NO HIRAMEKI!!!! Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan. An anime that I watched when I was I child and my source was just anime that broadcasted on a TV Station. Well I ain’t finished it yet, 9-10 years after that, exactly at July 2020. I decided to watch it again, Our lovely Rurouni. Himura Kenshin. Story: 7 In this anime, I would say the plot is good but not the best. “What do you mean by that huh?” Well okay here’s a thing, The story focused on Himura Kenshin as a Rurouni (Wandering) who wants to take an atoney caused by his role as a Hitokiri Battousai (Legendary Killer) at a Meiji Reformation era. The story is a typical shounen manga because the template of the story is a main character that wants to punch a bad guy in the face while doing that he met a bunch of friend that will help him facing his problems. So, what makes the story seems different? A template of bridging the story. That what makes this anime kinda unique if you realized that. In this part usually the story will be driven very slow and sometimes I wanna say the bridging is just not important at all, filled by Kenshin with friends take a walk and met a robber, a pickpocket even an ugly bastard who wants to sexually molesting girls. Approximately about halfway chapter when you got bored, there will be a big boss with some fresh problems and plots to follow. This formula or this template is used for total 94 episodes with 3 chapters. So just enjoy, no need to rush okay. Art: 7 Honestly for talking about art section, I kinda confused and not so confident about it. But I will try to explain it. Nothing special about the art, because this anime is produced in 90’s and you must be known what type of the animation at that time. The panorama, background, details, is just looked like copy paste from photoshop, nothing can make it feels alive. When in the fighting scene is also nothing so special, usually Kenshin just used his sword to take a bad guy, fighting scene just monotone except when Kenshin is using his skills/jutsus. Sound: 7 Hmm talking about sounds, of course I will talk about OST… Start form OP theme. I enjoyed listening just about 2 OP themes which is “Sobakasu by JUDY AND MARY” and “½ by Makoto Kawamoto” these two is ear catching for me, even though the tempo is so slow and I wanna say there’s a part of the songs that off-tempo. But yeah I still like it though. The Sfx fits normally, but there’s a special sfx for killing people with sword, why would they use a punching sfx to be placed in a scene of killing people with sword LOL. BGM? No comments. Characters: 8 Ok talking about characters, clearly the main character will be emphasized. Kenshin wasn’t just a Rurouni that have a trauma and bad memories about killing someone. He sometimes acts funny and clumsy, also the character will be placed in a slapstics situation for example: washing clothes, making a dinner, even fishing it’s like huh??.... You will find Kenshin in that situation a lot, while making a ridiculous face and makes a sound “Oro?!”. I find it funny and making the bridging part not that boring to watch. What about the side characters? I’m sorry for them, they’re just not important. ‘cause they always placed to defeat a low class enemy or maximal defeat a mini boss. The screentime is just too short, and after that? They’re just watching Kenshin fighting with the big boss. Main and Side characters was done, what else? Owh, The Antagonists. They’re have a more characteristic instead. Because of their role, their power or their influence, And their acts for me personally was more interesting than Kenshin and his friends. Enjoyment: 7 For me the level of enjoyment is just average. Watching Rurouni Kenshin felt like read a manga with an animated motion. Once I’m in a good mood, I could watched 5 episodes straight. Especially the episodes is a lot and needed 2-3 bridging episodes. So I couldn’t stick with it for long. But it doesn’t mean that the anime is a bad anime, all of your boring will be payed up when Kenshin met the big boss, and you could see Kenshin using his sword, yeah it is so satisfying. Overall: 7 I watched this anime just for my nostalgia because I can’t watch it full on TV 9-10 years ago. In the end I could say I like this anime, just like but not to the level I frickin’ love this anime. The plots will be not fit for you who normally watch an anime nowadays with great visual and fantastically plot set-up. Because Rurouni Kenshin is an anime that using a template in 90’s anime era. Last, I would say I Love Himura Kenshin with his Sakabattou Sword. And I wanna closed this review with a quote from Himura Kenshin “You can die at any time, but living takes true courage”.

I love Rurouni Kenshin. It first came out when I was still in high school and I watched every single episode of it back then. This is my favorite Anime Series of all time. It's got a cast of great characters, a fun story to go through, and a beautiful setting no matter where they are. However, I will say that the last season is absolute crap. Seriously just skip the fourth season and go watch the movie or OVA. It'll be better than that. Other than that, there were a few episode here and there I didn't like but overall I still loved it. It's a different take on these kind of story and it's really nice to see how the cast actually comes together like they do. I would recommend this Anime to anyone whose just starting out on Anime. You'll get a taste for it and then you'll be able to go farther from there.