Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji kenkaku romantan - Ishinshishi e no requiem

I judge movies and tv shows based on its emotional impact on me, and needless to say this was one of the most beautiful experiences I have ever had with a movie.. Just plain outright amazing, a very impactful and inspirational film.. Just when I'd thought I've seen everything from Rurouni Kenshin, I find this movie.. The soundtrack was outwright beautiful and heartwarming, the animation was second to none, and the fighting sequences were some of the best I've seen from any Rurouni Kenshin overall. I am so glad this film lived up to my expectations, definitely a must watch.

Samurai X the Motion Picture is a good movie but it wasn't as well done as Rurouni Kenshin the T.V. series. I watched this before the T.V. series, and was a bit confused as to who everyone was. This isn't really a problem and is easily fixed by watching the movie. An annoying aspect of the movie is the showing of one flashback seven times. Seeing the same scene over and over really got boring. The animation didn't seem as good as the T.V. series either, but was still pretty good.

I gave Samurai X the Motion Picture an 8, but it's really more of a 7.5. It's a good anime, but nothing seemed to make it special.

This movie was well executed. This, since it is really a puzzle piece that fills in the gaps left in the animated series Rurouni Kenshin, will be viewed by some as a bit weak, and only for fans. However, as a stand alone movie it is also quite good. The artwork follows more of the style of the series. The movie has its own storyline, but some see it as a lot of flashback. It is certainly an action oriented movie, and the ending is a bit of a twist. Also, the movie follows the shonen theme of the manga with the shojo undertones that makes Kenshin what it is. The movie is definitely worth seeing at least once, even for those who are not fans of foreign animation. This shows just how well a movie can pull all the elements together from a series and blend them with (at the time) high quality animation and quality voice acting.

I am a big fan of Rurouni Kenshin, I have seen every episode of the series and was excited to see more adventures from the wandering swordsman. As a fan of the dub, I was thrown off when our heroes sounded different than any version I had seen, but these English voice actors do a fine job. The story is very true to the feel of show. There is tension with a government, a group of violent rebels and Kenshin in the middle trying to make peace while keeping his vow to not kill. Much like so many movies from anime series, the film does not reach the same highs as the series. But this one does a good job showcasing what makes these characters so likable.

I have never seen a single episode of the 'Rurouni Kenshin'-series, but I was fully able to enjoy this movie. I wasn't really sure what I could expect. I can say it was a very pleasant surprise. May be the story is not very good but there is so much more that is great that it didn't bother me. The story isn't bad either, it is pretty standard. It is about revenge, of course with some hidden secrets, and great samurais like Kenshin himself.

The animation is perfect for a movie like this. The fighting sequences look great and powerful, almost like you're in the middle of the fight yourself. The opening sequence amazed me in every positive way possible. Only the way this movie looks makes it interesting and entertaining to watch. Like I said, I wasn't sure if I was going to like this movie, but I did. Even more than that.