Kenshin le Vagabond

Ruroni Kenshin (Known in Samurai X in the US) is one of the greatest animes of all time. Ruroni Kenshin has everything an anime fan could want: a compelling story, interesting characters, and equal amounts of bloodshed and character development. I have seen a few episodes of the subtitled version and the first two OAV's "Trust" and "Betrayal.

I recommend both of them, but the subtitled version is much better.

If you haven't seen it before, then buy it (don't rent) and add it to your anime collection. It is an essential anime title for the anime fan I also recommend Ghost in the shell, Ninja scroll, the Dragonball Z and Gundam series

If you're looking for a great samurai story it doesn't get much better that Ruroni Kenshin.

Kenshin is just about the best samurai to ever pick up a blade, but now that Japan has settled into the peaceful Meiji period guys like him are no long needed. In fact, ex-samurai are scorned by the public in general. So Kenshin sets out to try and find a normal life for himself. In time Kenshin finds a home and friends in a Tokyo dojo but ghosts from his past keep popping up as do people out to destroy the new government. Kenshin, who has vowed never to kill again, isn't about to let anyone disrupt the new life he's built for himself. So such times come he reluctantly heads out to knock some heads.

I really just can't get over how great this show is. Richly draw characters, great action, compelling stories, romance, humor and more all set against a very real felling backdrop of late 1870's Japan. RK works not only as a good anime, but historical show as well.

One other thing I like about the show is the villains. RK's creator (whose name escapes me at the moment) is an admitted fan of American comics and you can see that in some of the villains. Psycho killer Jin-E bears an (pardon the expression) uncanny resemblence to Gambit from the X-Men. I've also seem elements of characters like Spawn, Wolverine, Omega Red, the Absorbing Man, the Incredible Hulk and Daredevil in some bad guys. Really cool.

In short, Kenshin is a show that belongs on the shelf of anyone who calls themself an anime fan.

This is one of the greatest anime series I have ever seen. I have been introduced anime on relatively recently...1997 at earliest. In that time, I've gotten my hands on a number of really good and really bad shows. Kenshin is definitely among the best.

The dynamic emotions of Kenshin himself as well as the mix of humor and philosophy of life vs. death in the show make it exceptionally entertaining and captivating.

The mutual devotion between Kenshin and his friends, Kaoru, Sanoske, Yahiko, etc... is amazing to watch as it develops and is put to the test.

The sadistic enemies, and the foolish ones, all provide foils that drive the plot and cause the viewer to be moved as Kenshin struggles to throw off his murderous past in favor of a life defending his honor, his friends, and the innocent.

If you are a long time anime-buff, or a new fan of the genre...this series is a must-see.

Rurouni Kenshin, is one of the best animes I've ever seen. I first discovered RK when I downloaded the first chapter of the manga. Then I became addicted to it as the story of a wandering swordsman trying to atone for his sins really got me excited and started downloading more manga issues. The first time I saw the anime version was after I downloaded the first episode. Now Rurouni Kenshin comes on my satellite dish on LBC SAT from Lebenon. I give this anime 10/10 it is an anime masterpiece that shouldn't be missed. A must see not just for anime fans but for fans of the samurai or chambara genre(Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurais and Zatoichi) as well.

Without any doubt this is one of the best animated series ever done and my favored of all times.

The way they combine fiction and real facts of Japanese history occurred during the Mei Ji era make it more interesting.

What make it different from other Japanese series is that in this case the main character, Kenshin Himura, has a real purpose to fight for in order to mend all those terrible things he did in the past.

Another point about it is the way they combine drama, action, romance and comedy. The backgrounds and the music are just brilliant and exquisite. There's no doubt these series has one of the best soundtracks.