The Rurouni Kenshin movie, Ishinshishi e no Requiem, was released 
on December 20th, 1997 in Japan. It was released May 22nd, 
1998 on VHS and laser disc. The opening theme is sung by
L'Arc-en-Ciel. The following article was found in 
Animerica Magazine:


"In the movie, Kenshin and his companions Kaoru, Sanosuke, and 
Yahiko go to visit Yokohama. As the group wanders in the port
city with its modern gaslamps and exotic imported treats such 
as chocolate, Kenshin chances to see a swordsman rescuing a girl
who was being harassed by a foreign sailor. The swordsman, Takimi
Shigure, was once a hitokiri like Kenshin in the feudal days, 
and the two immediately bond. The girl is Toki
Tagaki, and her name, "Tagaki", brings back other memories 
of Kenshin's past. The events that follow lead Kenshin into 
a situation that pits him against his new friend
Shigure. Animation production for this feature is by Studio Gallop." 


My Summary

We start out with a flashback to Kenshin's Hitokiri days. There is 
a raid on his group's hideout, and we meet another hitokiri... 
Hitokiri Gentatsu (who has a very funky hair-do.
^^) He and Kenshin square off, and Kenshin wins, leaving Gentatsu 
dead in the forest. We then flash back to the present (?), where 
Kenshin, Kaoru, Sano, and Yahiko are on a train headed for Yokohama. 
(Sano seems miraculously unperterbed...) They get off the train and 
walk straight into some American sailors causing a ruckus.


A young girl (Toki, ugh) asks them to please stop, and they 
start hitting on her and generally being jerks. A man shows up 
(Shigure-san!) and stops them. Kenshin helps out
a bit by keeping them from getting guns out. The police show 
up and stop them, and everyone leaves. Kenshin and Shigure talk 
a bit about the past and being hitokiris, and then everyone goes home.
Then Shigure says something to Toki, who gets upset and
runs to Kenshin for help. Kenshin agrees to try, and then Yahiko 
walks her home. 


When they arrive at her place (a school), Yahiko meets Shigure,
who asks him about his father... and Yahiko says something that 
I can't make out. ^^;; Shigure introduces Yahiko to Musashino-san 
(SWOON!), whose father was like Yahiko's father. Musashino-san is a
student of Shigure's and pretty high up in the chain of command. 
Yahiko returns home, only to leave early the next morning without 
doing his chores... to be trained a bit by
Musashino, whom he now idolizes. 

On his way home, Musashino tells Yahiko that he will grow
up to be a fine man, and then runs away. Yahiko sees him later
walking with a bunch of men in dark capes, and follows
him, curious. He overhears Musashino, Shigure, and Kajiki 
(Hotohori-sama's seiyuu!!!) plotting a raid on the visiting 
English people... and asks to join them, for his father's honor or 
something. ^^; Shigure agrees, but then knocks Yahiko out and 
leaves him behind, saying that he's only a child. 

They raid the English people, with swords and cannons, but 
Kenshin shows up as promised and defends the English leader. 
He and Shigure face off, but nobody wins. The police attempt 
to shoot Shigure, but Musashino-san jumps in the way of the bullet 
and is killed. (SOB SOB SOB) Shigure's people barricade 
themselves in, and Kaoru, Toki, and Yahiko arrive. Yahiko finds 
Musashino's body and flings himself on it, sobbing. (It's
probably the saddest part... ;_;) Kenshin is stading in the
middle of all the carnage, his back turned, saying something 
I can't understand. -_-;; It looks like he might be crying,
too. He and Sanosuke agree to go in and stop the barricade. 

They get in, and Kenshin and Shigure face off once again. 
They fight, and Shigure tells Kenshin how he witnessed Hitokiri
Gentatsu's death, and how he knew that it was
Kenshin who killed him. Gentatsu was Shigure's partner 
(or his second in command) during the revolution. Shigure says 
that he knows all of Kenshin's moves because he witnessed that fight.
There's a REALLY awesome fight, which ends with Toki running in
and pleading for Shigure-san to stop. Oh, yeah, Toki is Gentatsu's 
little sister. ^^;; Shigure has been taking care of her since 
Gentatsu was killed. Kenshin says that Gentatsu wouldn't want to see
his imouto crying like that, and Shigure-san collapses. 

Then this HORRIBLE JERK CAPTAIN shows up and starts shooting
at everyone. Shigure-san, who is by now obviously in love with 
Toki, throws his body in front of her and
shields her from the bullets. He gets hit... once he's on the 
ground, he asks Toki if she's there. She says yes, and he says 
that he's talking with Gentatsu... and then dies. ;_; 

Kenshin gets up, shaking with anger, and asks the captain WHY 
he did this. The captain smirks and says that he'll kill all of 
them. Kenshin's eyes turn yellow, he becomes the
battousai, and attacks the captain. It's okay though, because a 
good police guy shows up and tells them to leave Kenshin alone. 

Then we flash forward a little, and Kenshin is visiting Toki. 
He tells her that it was he who killed her brother, Gentatsu. 
She says "Oh... I see." And then tells him that it's okay,
because back then nobody knew what was right and what was wrong.
Then we flash forward some more, and Toki is leaving to bury 
Shigure next to Gentatsu, and the Kenshin-gumi are waving goodbye 
to her, asking her to hurry back. And then the credits roll...