Rurôni Kenshin: Meiji kenkaku romantan - Tsuioku-hen

I'm not easily impressed by a movie. Even worse with an animated one. But this one got me drooling. I picked this one up by recommendation, and I'll recommend it to anyone from now on. I was familiar with the story of the TV series, but that didn't excite me in the least. But at least I knew what I was looking at (and I suggest that people considering to watch this should familiarize themselves with the TV series first).

Although the violence is very graphic and the dialog can be a bit of a drag if you lose track, everything else perfectly makes up for it. The animation is fluid, the art is beautiful, the pacing is impeccable and the soundtrack is gorgeous. Now combine all these elements in a single concluding scene, and you've got at least half of its viewers reduced to tears.

This movie is very re-watchable. I've seen it at least 6 times already, and I'm eager to watch it again. Like most people advice; you should avoid the dub like the plague, but even the subs can be a bit misleading. I've had the pleasure to have seen 3 different subtitles on this movie, and the degree of accuracy of any of them is debatable. Although the plot doesn't suffer from this, the story and especially the details and references to factual Japanese history do.

But this shouldn't stop you from watching this movie, instead, it should encourage you to set out and find out as much about this movie as you can.

Samurai X is my fav. set of anime movies. The movies make you mad, happy, and even sad. I've cried every time I've watched the ending of Samurai X:reflection, i'm afraid to watch it now. Samurai X: trust and betrayal tells the story of how he became the hitokiri and how he fell in love for the first time and felt pain for the first time. Samurai X: reflection, looks upon kenshins now painful life away from kaoru with his disease and it also looks back on his past at some of the major events. this set of movies are very amazing and will not upset.But of course to understand some parts of Reflection (such as the parts in the past) it might be good if you watch the t.v. series, Rurouni Kenshin.but, either way, these movies RULE!

Forget the famous Rurouni Kenshin TV series. This has nothing to do with it. Well, yes, it's supposed to be a prequel, but the tone, mood and depth of it makes it a completely different story. It's a lyric and very adult tale about love, death, politics and betrayal that deserved, not only a theatrical release, but also massive exposure.

Production values are extraordinary and it's packed with more expressive resources than all western animation ever. Look specially for one of the best representations of smell in the history of filmmaking.

But the best part is the story. Layer over layer of meaning and symbolism create a tight, dark and deep tale. Nothing is said, nothing is shown that doesn't bear deep significance, be it a cryptic sentence, a shot of a child's toy or a slash through the face.

And then there's the fights. When "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" opened everybody talked about how the fights revealed character. Well, Rurouni Kenshin does the same thing much better, and it doesn't need 10 minutes each time. The fights are short and brutal, swords actually cut the flesh, but there's so much being told each time.

One of the most beautiful things here is what's left off screen. Rurouni Kenshin is a historical epic, but history isn't shown directly to the viewer, it isn't spelled out for you. We focus on the characters. They go through history, sometimes they even change it, but we are not shown the politics and the fights for power. We stay with Kenshin, an assassin, a mere pawn in those fights. We see the killing and then we hear the vague echoes of what it causes. The story is moved forward, but we have to build it back together with the information we receive through Kenshin's eyes. Yes, this is what critics mean when they talk about a `demanding' film.

Rurouni Kenshin is a work of art. Well worth your time and money. It comes in two one-hour volumes (two chapters each), but the best way to experience it is seeing them all back to back, as a two hour feature film. Two thumbs up and go get it.

If you look for an anime who has a romantic, horror, action, drama with a great philosophy and can make you learn about life even more, you should see Rurouni Kenshin Tsuiokuhen.

This anime is just too adorable to be missed (but be sure you're over 13, don't fear of blood, and don't have a heart disease). It's so realistic, tragic, but also fantastic. The coolest thing of this anime is the two characters, Himura Kenshin (Hitokiri Battousai) & Yukishiro Tomoe. They are such cool cynical character who really show the characters of Japanese in 19th century time. They are the coolest couple of all time anime history!

I can compare this anime with some great historical drama movies I've seen such as Life is Beautiful, Gone With The Wind, and The Last Emperor. Only one that you can't find in this movie: Laughter. Well, this is not a drama comedy like the TV series after all.

And by the way, the soundtrack is so wonderful too. Really magnificent!

What you would call me if i say there is no true love? ...A fake? a fool?

i was watching the ninja scroll OVA before this ...halfway down the line i got bored with all the mechanical gadgets used extensively in the scroll . I felt disappointed , and decided to quit it.

Then, i just thought .."lemme check this so called kenshin as well" (sarcastically). To my amazement i was glued to my seats after experimenting the first few minutes . what a score ! man o man. what a storyline..boy o boy! what a scenic..girl o girl!

Believe me . i was so touched by the movie that i missed my dinner !

i wonder how people make such movies that can take your soul away..