Anime Series Names: Rurouni Kenshin, Samurai X
Distributors: Sony (Samurai X)
                       AnimeWorks (aka: MediaBlasters)

      Rurouni Kenshin is the brainchild of a brilliant man named Nobuhiro Watsuki. This series is absolutely amazing. Like many other anime out in the world today, Rurouni Kenshin derives its roots from a strong foundation as a popular manga series. If you haven't heard of this series, then you are either
      a) new to anime
             or
      b) stupid
In any case, I suggest you stop wasting time because this is a must have series for any true anime fan.

      Rurouni Kenshin is set in the meiji era of Japan, a time of strife and rebuilding following a decade of war. This civil war enveloped the entire nation, as several factions attempted to overthrow the current government, hoping to replace it with one that was truly representative of the people; a government that was free of corruption. One of these factions was known as the Ishin Shishi, a group of powerful men who were led by the most powerful of them all: The Hitokiri Battousai. Translated loosely into english, the Hitokiri Battousai means "best manslayer". He was a ruthless killer, feared by all of his enemies. Yet, as powerful as he was, nobody knew anything about him.<--I guess to be a feared assassin, it would be best if nobody knew that your friends call you "Pookie"! Anyway, as the war drew to an end, the Ishin Shishi group was successful in its bid to overthrow the government. Seeing that his work was finished, the Battousai just disappeared. Nobody would see him again for another decade. This is where the story of Rurouni Kenshin begins.

     What kind of a series is Rurouni Kenshin?(<-Besides good?) Well, Rurouni Kenshin kind of defies all classification. It contains the perfect blend of comedy, action, and drama. And just when you start to think that this is all that the anime has to offer, romance creeps its way into the story. The main "arc" in the story revolves around a man named Kenshin. Himura Kenshin is a wandering samurai who has taken an oath not to kill ever again. Instead, he uses his sword to defend those who need his help. He has, of course, his own reasons for his non-killing ways. I won't give away the true cause of his unwillingness to kill--you'll just have to watch the OAV to find that out. However, I will tell you- for those of you who have yet to watch the show- that Kenshin feels a need to redeem himself for all of the lives he took during the revolution. He has a guilty conscience and he feels that the only way to change this is by protecting the lives of those who have survived the turmoil that marked the previous era.

Throughout the course of first 30 episodes or so, nothing too serious happens. Rurouni Kenshin during this period is basically a show that is aimed at casual viewers. For a while, its pretty much the same recurring plot. Kenshin makes funny faces and funny noises--> Kenshin meets former enemy--> Kenshin beats former enemy--> THE END. I'm not saying that this is bad, because it is in fact excellent. However, once you have seen the Shishio saga, you will know what I'm talking about. Once you hit this part of the series, you'll start to wonder how you ever got to living without it for all those years of your life. Heck, it made me wish I were born to a Japanese family. There is quite a bit of thinking to do, and for those of you who are so deprived as to have series such as Pokemon be your only Anime experience, I suggest you start off with something simpler like Dragonball Z. This way, you can become accustomed to some flashier animations and action sequences, as well as the enhanced plot and character development.

     Under normal circumstances, hearing about a show that focusses around a central character who vows not to kill, one would begin to assume that it would suck in terms of action and violence. Be warned: if you make this misconception and decide not to watch the show, you may be missing the best experience of your life. Kenshin may have made a promise not to kill again, but he never made the promise not to completely pound the living $H!T out of an opponent. And believe me, on many occasions, that is exactly what he does. Many of the opponents that challenge him wind up barely even being able to stand. A great example of this is when Kenshin fights a local gangster that has a vendetta against any members of the former Ishin group named Sagara Sanosuke. Kenshin wallops him good, but Sanosuke has incredible stamina and continues to stand up to Kenshin's attacks, until he finally admits defeat and collapses in a pile of his own blood. And don't forget that this occurs in just the third episode!! Imagine what happens later on in the series as the skill of the animators increases and there is less of a need to develop characters (instead of showing motives and such in just ONE episode, they will more often use two or three).

     The characters in Rurouni Kenshin are very well thought out. As with most other Anime out there, Kenshin doesn't just focus on developing one character. Rather, there is a group of people that get together to achieve similar ends. You've got Kenshin, who fulfills that whole idealistic strong guy role. Kaoru would be the girlfriend, with Yahiko being the relatively weak guy who agitates the girlfriend. Sano is the big brute of the group and Megumi is kind of his girlfriend. But it should be known that the characters that shine the most in this series aren't the good guys. Its the bad guys. In my opinion the bad guys are the most well thought-out and developed of them all. In some cases they have mysterious pasts that never really explain much about their behaviour during the series. But, just examining the character from one point in the series to another point really shows some maturity in the writing of the show. More on the characters can be found in the character guides of the site.

     Visually is probably where the most fault can be found with Rurouni Kenshin. Most of the animation is alright, but its nothing to marvel at. However, that being said, there are a lot of times where inconsistencies in character animation can be seen. For instance, sometimes Saitou (Kenshin's rival) looks like a really old man. He is only a few years older than Kenshin and, although all inheritors of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu seem to evade the process of aging, I just can't believe that Saitou is supposed to look that old and weak. Especially when at some points in the series, he looks really young and powerful. However, thanks to the incredible writing of the show, and the sheer enjoyment I get out of watching it, this becomes a sidenote. And it is just a small graphical flaw. Overall, I'd say the visuals of Rurouni Kenshin were good. The architecture accurately depicts the era in which the series is set. And I can pretty much say the same for the backgrounds and colours used. If you have watched the OAV series, you will notice a beautiful contrast between the colours used. In the series, the colours are much more bright and dynamic, depicting an era that is supposed to be peaceful, while the OAV tends to use more dark colours to depict an era of death and injustice.

     The sound in Rurouni Kenshin is great. The only thing that prevents it from being excellent is the use of J-pop in the opening and closing. Now, I have nothing against J-pop. In fact I have several mp3's on my PC. But that does not excuse the horrible selection of music in the opening and closing credits. MAN!!! It SUCKS!!! AND, its annoying. Just wait until you hear the first season's opening when the singers starts wailing some high note that completely sends my irratation level through the roof. Take my advice and skip the opening sequence. After having heard that, you would think that nothing could salvage this. But, there is an excellent use of background music throughout the series. (....if only I could attach a name to most of the classical pieces...) If you listen carefully, you'll probably notice that, while sappy, the BGM is used perfectly to complement certain situations. Climaxes are often brought to a new level with some of the pieces that were chosen. My personal favourite is in episode 59 when Aoshi comes to cover for Kenshin. You hear Aoshi's theme start to play (I think its called Warrior's Blue), and Shishio says: "Our Alliance is dissolved." When I hear this, I'm just like, "Man, I wish I had that kind of direction. Steven Spielberg, eat your heart out..." That's another thing. As standalone mp3's on your PC, most of the pieces- especially the character themes- are perfect for those days when you're just sitting there, staring at your monitor for hours on end when you should be doing your homework or out looking to consummate your "love" for another woman. Not that I've ever found my self in that situation or anything.. I was just saying... well, you know... just in case...

     Anyway, I think that for any reasonable, non-biased Anime fan out there, Rurouni Kenshin is a must see. You shouldn't call yourself a true fan until you have seen at least 10 episodes of this series. Action, comedy, violence, romance.... This show has got it all. Well, not ALL. Its not hentai, after all. But it is an excellent series and you should stop wasting your time here and see it using any means necessary. Rurouni Kenshin is my favourite anime series of all-time, and it gets my mark of approval. (Note: for those of you who are wondering, I don't yet have a mark of approval. So, STOP LOOKING!)

     BTW, I give this series an AA rating. PG-13 is out of the question, because 13 year olds are too stupid to comprehend some of the stuff that happens. Well, technically, so are 14 year olds, but that extra year of maturity certainly helps a lot.