Rurôni Kenshin: Seisô-hen

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.

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.

https://youtu.be/0gX_3H4fxbU The link is a YouTube Video Review watch before you watch this Anime!. $ Really good Art. $ Really great Sound. $ If you like anime, its worth the watch!! $ this show is for adults! $ a lot of blood $ Enjoy guys!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).

I have one major complaint about Seisô Hen. Seisô Hen was not written by Watsuki (creator of Rurouni Kenshin, so the ending in the manga is different than the OVA. The ending to this OVA is far more depressing, and according to an interview with Watsuki, he prefers the manga ending because "Kenshin went through so much crap he deserved a happy ending". The beauty of Rurouni Kenshin being fiction, you can choose which ending to believe in. Quite frankly the ending entirely ruined it for me.

That aside, what you do have is a masterful OVA. The animation, artwork, and sound are of spectacular quality. When it comes to technical merit, this gets a 10/10. However technical qualities won't make up for the ending.

If you've read the manga, go ahead and give it a watch. Just keep in mind that the ending is not what Watsuki wanted. I've seen it once and plan on never watching it again

Truly Beautifull. I havent seen the series, but has seen the first OVA and Requiem for the res... So much of this film was pretty messy as sequenses from this long series swirl by one after another without much explanation. But I read up on some Fan sites and the events, history and characters became much clearer, and I could appretiate the soul of the film without haveing seen the series. And I have to say that a film can move me deeply but I rarely cry, at all... But through the end of the second part I just wept. It was so sad and so beautifull... The categories I have judged separatly, and it still ended up as an all 10(nearly), but the most exellent parts of this anime are the characters and the great story. Maybe I will watch the series one day, but for me the serious, mature Kenshin that is portrayed in the 2 OVAS will allways be the one who stays in my heart and soul. Do see The first OVA or the series before you see this film as it is not stand alone in any way. Average 9.8(10)