Samurai X 1: O Filme

I went to see this film last night with absolutely no knowledge of the manga upon which it was based, which was both a good and a bad thing. Good, because I understand how the average movie goer like myself will feel about this film. Bad, because I feel like as a fan of the original comic, I would have taken a lot more out of this film.

I'll start with the positives - this movie is beautifully filmed. There is not a single unattractive shot within it. I really feel like this movie was made for fans, by fans, because it is so lovingly crafted. The sets are gorgeous, the lighting and colour palette lovely, and the choreography of the fight scenes? FUN. It's actively enjoyable to watch Kenshin dance around with his sword. You actually believe that he is this extraordinary swordsmen, agile and swift.

Which brings me to Sato Takeru, who plays Kenshin himself. Again, I feel like he was a fan of the series, as he seems to be so invested in the role. I've no idea what the character of Kenshin was like in the manga, but Sato's portrayal is so layered and believable, I can't imagine it strays far. On that note, I felt like all of the actors did quite a good job. I've a friend who assures me the personalities of all the female characters do not line up with the manga, but I was actually completely satisfied with them! I was particularly enamored with Aoi Yu (whom I don't think has ever disappointed me in a role) who did her best with the script given to her in the role of Megumi.

But this brings me to what I felt were the weak points of the film. First, was the over inclusion of bit characters. I said this to friends afterwards, I'm sure if I was a fan of the series they would have been charming cameos from beloved fan favourites. As it is though, to me their inclusion seemed pointless, and stole time that could have been better spent on plot development.

And honestly, the plot for the film? A bit weak, and never properly fleshed out. A lot of characters who seem important to the story are never given proper motivations, leaving them seeming 2 dimensional - and the story as well, as a result. Particularly at the end, I feel like the storyline fell to pieces in a series of rushed character inclusions/fight scenes. This is the problem with a film made by fans for fans - while you can feel the love that's been poured into it, you can also see that they're trying too hard to put EVERYTHING in to a two hour film. These sort of films really suffer because they don't have someone ruthlessly eliminating the excess, and making the film more accessible to the public at large.

I read that they're hoping for an international release for this film, and I'm not terribly convinced that it will succeed. Fans of the original anime overseas will be at best a niche market (at least for the domestic release, there's a good chance the majority of the audience will have at best a passing familiarity with the series) and I feel like the rapid inclusion of bewildering useless characters will leave many in the audience feeling somewhat alienated.

I thoroughly enjoyed the film, don't get me wrong, and I intend to seek out the manga as a result. However, I feel like they've pigeonholed themselves somewhat with their audience, if not so much domestically, then definitely abroad. However, if you can manage to be like me and just sit back and let the beautiful cinematography and Sato's truly excellent portrayal of Kenshin wash over you, you'll derive plenty of pleasure from this film.

Lets get this out of the way: Im no kenshin fanboy. I've read the manga and have watched the anime. That's it. So when I heard about a live action movie I thought 'Oh my god'. Uwe Boll-like crap induced horror scenarios crossed my mind. But what a pleasant surprise. They haven't cocked it up. In fact, they did a pretty damn good job of making the manga come to life.

STORY

The story is basically the first 2 arcs of the manga mixed up and slightly changed to fit into a 2 hour movie. It's pretty good. nothing too fancy but it works and doesn't bore.

EFFECTS & CHOREOGRAPHY

No. Bleeding. CG. Like, none. everything you see is done by real humans. thank god there are still directors who know their stuff. a rope helps here and there but nothing as stupid as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. there was but 1 instant in the entire movie where a move looked slightly 'unnatural'. You'll know what I mean when ya see it.

the fights are simply awesome. real swordfights and at speeds that make your eyes go 0_o. slick moves, smooth as silk with a great pace. and the occasional brawling, courtesy of Sanosuke. the action is top notch. some of the best, if not -the- best sword fight scenes I've ever seen.

ACTING

The characters are all portrayed as they should be. there is no crappy acting. Kanryu is slightly over-acting but I guess it kinda fits his character anyway. solid acting all over. some dayplayers in the background seem to have been given little instructions of what to do at times though, it seems. they sometimes look rather lost or keep repeating the same motions. but no matter. you wont notice unless you re nitpicking.

OVERALL

The entire movie has a slightly 'cartoonish' feel over it. the way people talk, the way they move. but it still all seems very natural and appealing. The music is very nice as well. no tunes from the anime, but some nice original scores that fit the bill.

all in all this movie is what so many game/anime-turned-movies should have been. It's well made, with good actors, good music and it doesn't bore you for a second. Word has it there will be a sequel. if it can rival the quality of this movie, Ill be back for part 2.

Rurouni Kenshin Trilogy is the best anime based live action movie ever! All three of it are the best. I didn't really appreciated the anime series when I was a kid but then I grew up and I saw the first movie. I was like, "Wow, even live action movies based on an anime is possible!" Because of this movie, I'm now interested to watch the anime series.

The story was great, the characters were also great, even the setting. This is the movie that made samurai battles more realistic. As anime fan, I also like this movie from start to finish. The sequels were also great and I might review those in the future.

In conclusion, Rurouni Kenshin is a must watch especially to Samurai X fans and other anime fans out there.

When I was a teenager, I used to love watching the highly-popular anime series called Samurai X (an international title otherwise known as Rurouni Kenshin in its native Japan) back in the late 1990s. Now, over ten years later, writer-director Keishi Otomo finally brings RUROUNI KENSHIN to life. At first, I was doubtful whether a live-action adaptation from such a popular manga can live up to its high expectation since most like-minded movie like this always ends up as a rip-off. But thankfully, fans of the anime/manga series will be (mostly) satisfied the way this first live-action adaptation of RUROUNI KENSHIN has turned out admirably.

The movie opens briefly on a gritty battlefield in 1869 during the battle of Toba-Fushima, where a young samurai named Hitokiri Battosai (Takeru Sato) almost single-handedly defeated a score of enemies. He walks away from the battlefield as the Empire is finally declared victory and thus a new era has born.

Ten years later, Battosai becomes a wanderer and now calls himself as Himura Kenshin. He vows himself not to kill people anymore and even carries a reverse-edged sword. He arrives in a countryside of Japan and subsequently meets Kamiya Kaoru (Emi Takei), the owner of a fencing school used to run by her late father. After Kenshin manages to save her from getting killed by a fake Battosai named Jin-e (Koji Kikkawa) and also helps her to stop a group of thugs trying to take over her dojo, he moves in with her. Apart from them, Kaoru also has an orphaned boy named Myojin Yahiko (Taketo Tanaka) who happened to be her only student.

Meanwhile, Jin-e is actually a hired ex-samurai who works for a wealthy businessman named Kanryu Takeda (Teruyuki Kagawa). Takeda is also a notorious criminal who runs a huge opium operation. Megumi (Yu Aoi), who is being forced to make opium, manages to escape from his mansion and subsequently seeks shelter at Kaoru's dojo. Things get worse when a number of innocent people around the countryside are suffering from rat poison in the community wells, but luckily Megumi, who used to be a healer, manages to cure them with sufficient medication. She knows that this is the work of Takeda, and prompts her to return to his mansion so she can kills him. However, she fails to do so and ends up being a hostage. To save Megumi, Kenshin and his newfound friend, Sagara Sanosuke (Munetaka Aoki), who was a street brawler, make their way to Takeda's mansion and settle the matter once and for all.

Most of the cast are spot-on excellent. Takeru Sato is excellent as the titular character and he certainly looks the part fans have to use to see him in the anime series -- his trademark red-haired and long ponytail, curvaceous lips, wide eyes, his outfit and even the way he runs, jumps and draws his sword. Not only that, fans will also be delighted with Sato's signature delivery, "oro?" as well. As the street brawler Sagara Sanosuke, Munetaka Aoki carries that familiar rough-and-tumble attitude effectively, while Teruyuki Kagawa is gleefully over-the-top as the villainous Kanryu Takeda. The rest of the supporting cast are equally captivating -- ranging from Yu Aoi, Koji Kikkawa and even Taketo Tanaka. The only (slight) disappointment is Emi Takei as Kaoru. Her character is supposed to be a tomboy-ish type, but yet she is too pretty to pull off the part convincingly. Most of the time you'll see her more of a damsel-in-distress than a so-called tough vixen she meant to be.

RUROUNI KENSHIN is particularly noted for its impeccable technical values here. It is clear that Keishi Otomo has poured his heart to make this live-action adaptation as stunning as possible. The art direction and costume design are perfectly detailed, while Takuro Ishizaka's lush cinematography is right on target. The action sequence is also top-notch. The sword-fights choreography is fast and furious, yet it's well-staged with an adequate help of elegant slow-motion. The particularly final 30 minutes is downright entertaining -- Kenshin vs. Gein (Gou Ayano), the masked ex-samurai; Sanosuke vs. Banjin Inui (Genki Sudo) in a brutal fisticuffs; and of course the final sword-fight between Kenshin and Jin-e in a forest. Added to the excitement is Naoki Sato's energetic score which often gives the already well-choreographed action scenes a much-needed kinetic boost.

The movie has its flaw, though. Clocking at over two hours long, the story feels laborious at times, especially in the middle section. At the same time, the movie is a bit overlong as well. But such flaw is forgivable because RUROUNI KENSHIN manages to accomplish a rare feat for being a highly-satisfying, Japanese live-action adaptation I've ever seen so far.

...you will love this live action version. The actor portraying Kenshin was perfect. So are Saito, Sano and Megumi--so perfect in fact, that I recognized each of them at first sight. And was filled with all sorts of warm/fuzzy feelings as if I was seeing long lost friends again for the first time in years.

I am not sure how people new to the Kenshin franchise will respond, because the film's creators leave out a lot of character development that we get in the slower paced manga and anime TV series in order to jump straight into the action. Since this is one of the best manga/anime series to come out in a long time, I suggest reading the manga, seeing the anime and THEN watching the live action film for maximum enjoyment.

"Oro!"