Kenshin le Vagabond - Le chapitre de l'expiation

This new OVA brings a conclusion to the TV series. If you haven't seen any of the TV series (or read the manga) you should see/read them before watching this. Seisouhen doesn't explain anything about the characters.

The Seisouhen is split in two parts, the first is basically a recap of the TV series, and the second brings a conclusion to it all. It is drawn in the same way (or similar at least) as the first 4 OVA episodes were (American title: Samurai X), which is in a realistic (as realistic as anime gets...) and beautiful way.

There is not much action to be found in Seisouhen, instead it is very emotional (I actually shed a tear or two) and it is a beautiful finish to it all.

In conclusion: if you have seen some of the TV series and seen the other 4 OVA episodes (Samurai X) this is something you will not and cannot miss. If not, watching Seisouhen will be a complete waste of time for you.

Seisô hen basically means after so many years have lapsed. i think it's a beautiful production and its really worth a try. a word of caution though, i notice many who followed the anime/Manga didn't find this OVA very worthwhile. but if you didn't, and only watched Tsuioku hen, then your in for an awesome treat. it's mainly Kaoru reminiscing about her and Kenshin's past. about their past encounters and so forth, so to anime viewers, it's more like a whole summary of the series but to non-anime viewers, it's like a whole burst of information! all the stuff you missed out on! though anime viewers say that it isn't accurate. but oh well, i had nothing to lose. Kenshin goes off to china and just doesn't come back, Kaoru's ill after contracting his disease from him but still awaits his return. Kenji, out of frustration, left for Kyoto to seek the skill of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu from Hiko. Sanosuke manages to find Kenshin only to realise he's lost his memory, only with one thing left: he has to go home. so Sanosuke helps him out, sends him home to japan, back to Kaoru. then this is the best part. *weeps and sobs her head off*

the soundtrack is awesome. i got ordered and imported from Japan, waited a month for it. that's how much i adore it. just listening to the songs with your eyes closed or whatever, brings back all the emotions you felt when you were watching the show. yeah.

by the way, i didn't watch the anime. so it was superb to me.

This was an excellent film, or OVA as I've seen other people call it. But I have never seen any of this series or anything, so I watched it as a movie and had no knowledge of any of the characters or their backgrounds. At first everything was really confusing, but when I listened carefully to everything that was said and payed really close attention to what was going on, I was able to catch on and understand the plot and most of the characters' motivation. I loved the story, and I was in tears at the end because this was put together so well and I felt like I could feel what the characters were feeling, and everything was so sad and so sweet at the same time. If you haven't seen this yet, I strongly recommend it.

Kenshin lasted a long time: OVAs, Movies and more then three years of television - but all good things must come to an end.

Will Kaoru get Kenshin? What will happen to Yahiko and Sanouske?

This 2-part Kenshin OVA answers those questions and ends the series in a worthy way. It is not as good as some of the other OVA's and TV episodes, but not bad at all.

You could see it as a summary of the TV series plus a final episode.

Fans will definitely not want to miss this, if only to close the magnificent book of Kenshin.

Rating: 8/10

I'm a 20 year old guy from Boston, and I actually welled up this OVA ending to one of my favorites series was just so beautifully sad. And no, I'm straight, but the animation is top notch, the music is some of my favorite of all time (I bought the cd 2 years ago [import]), and as a fan of the series it was a fittingly awesome ending to this epic tale. I hope they continue it with the side characters, like Kenji who was extremely cool in his scenes. Oh well enough blabbering from me just know that this recently released DVD is well worth it for fans of the series.