Rurouni Kenshin: The Motion Picture

Rurouni Kenshin: The Motion Picture (るろうに剣心 -明治剣客浪漫譚- 維新志士への鎮魂歌), also known as Rurouni Kenshin: The Movie and Samurai X: The Motion Picture, is a Japanese animated martial arts film directed by Tsuji Hatsuki, produced by Katsunori Narumo and Akio Wakana and written by Yukiyoshi Ohashi. It is based on the Rurouni Kenshin manga by Nobuhiro Watsuki. Set in the Meiji Era, the plot follows the clashes between the two warriors, Himura Kenshin, a pacifist who wishes to stop a rebellion from Takimi Shigure and a band of desperate rebels who have sworn to settle one final score with society. The movie takes place somewhere after the Kyoto arc. It was released in Japanese theaters on December 20, 1997.

Plot

During the Bakumatsu, two hitokiri warriors from the Ishin Shishi, Himura Kenshin and Gentatsu Takatsuki, face each other which ends with Kenshin's victory. The story then moves to the Meiji period where Kenshin is now a pacifist travelling from Tokyo to Yokohama with his friends Kamiya Kaoru, Sagara Sanosuke and Myojin Yahiko. There, Kenshin befriends the former samurai Takimi Shigure while stopping a group of sailors from attacking the young woman called Toki. The former Shinsengumi captain Saito Hajime, now a policeman, warns Kenshin not to get in touch with Shigure as the government's intels finds him suspicious, as he is linked with criminals and terrorists.

Yahiko befriends one of Shigure's underlings, Yasuharu Musashino, and learns that they are rebels preparing to take down the Meiji government.

Reception

Critics praised the movie's narrative and animation but often criticized the English dub. THEM Anime Reviews compared the film to Studio Deen's OVAs of Rurouni Kenshin due to the surprisingly dark narrative and violence despite the movie using animation style from the television series which is more lighthearted. The fight sequences, themes involving the rebellion and animation were praised though the English dub was panned for changing several parts of the original Japanese movie.[9] Similarly, MichaelDVD praised the animation while suggesting the plot stands on its own to newcomers or viewers who have only seen the original video animations although Kenshin is portrayed more as a pacifist in contrast to his dark persona from the OVA.[10] In another comparison with the TV series, SciFi noted that the movie was realistic as it discards fantasy elements seen in Watsuki's works and optimistic and humoristic scenes are nearly absent. SciFi believes that fans of the OVA would enjoy The Motion Picture due to its tragic elements and relationship with Kenshin's dark past. The site also noted the story was complex as a result of the drama that plays within most characters whose personalities conveyed appealing swordplay through impressive animation.[11] Although Kenshin is portrayed as a pacifist, the climax features him going into an enraged berserker state which surprised the writer as that was hardly seen in other adaptations of the series. He had mixed feelings about the animation as he viewed it as not up to "theatrical quality, but closer to OVA quality with a few scenes straight from the TV series thrown in." with an average storyline but lamented Saito's smaller role.[12]

Anime News Network found the narrative enjoyable for fans of action and politics though the, like THEM, he found the English dub too different to the point where Shigure's characterization was too different from the Japanese version.[13] Blu-ray.com enjoyed the handling of the politics and the handling of Kenshin's characterization from the OVAs but felt the plot might come across as too convoluted. Nevertheless, the writer praised the character arc of Toki due to how she deals with the tragedy that changes her life in the movie. Due to the high price of the movie, Blu-ray listed the film as "recommended" and suggested fans to wait to find it at a reasonable price before buying it.[14] Mania Beyond Entertainment rated the DVD a B, enjoying the focus on Kenshin and Shigure but lamented how the movie relies heavily on the mortal duel between the former and Gentatsu to the point where this scene is used in several flashbacks. The animation was also praised by the reviewer as the constant flashbacks make a massive contrast with the main story since there is a clear change in regards to the clothes that seem more fitting in the more Westernized Meiji era.[15] About.com was more critical, calling The Motion Picture an extended episode of the TV series which might come across as not entertaining to both newcomers and returning fans.[16]

director	Tsuji Hatsuki
producer	Katsunori Narumo Akio Wakana
writer	Yukiyoshi Ohashi
based on	Rurouni Kenshin by Nobuhiro Watsuki
starring	Mayo Suzukaze Miki Fujitani Yūji Ueda Miina Tominaga Hirotaka Suzuoki
music	Taro Iwashiro
studio	Gallop
distributor	Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan
runtime	90 minutes

Rurouni Kenshin: The Motion Picture

Plot

Cast

Production

Release

Reception

External links

References