Search - Samurai X - The Motion Picture (Rurouni Kenshin) on DVD

Misleading Packaging AND Reviewers

06/05/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"To get it out of the way first, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie--I am huge fan of the Rurouni Kenshin series, and the movie, while not quite as good as the series' best parts, succeeded in giving me more of the same stuff I love so much (as long as you don't watch the horrific English dub--even compared to the series' English dub it's horrible). Now on to the important part--the confusion that has been steeped upon this release. Here's what everyone should know, but seems to ignore (at least in reviews): "Samurai X" is the American title used to replace the Japanese title, "Rurouni Kenshin," when this movie and the OVA's were released by ADV. The original series (it came first, only after the comic) is being released under its original title by Anime Works. The Kenshin OVA's (under the American titles "Samurai X: Trust" and "Samurai X: Betrayal") were made later as a prequel to the series, chronicling the early days of Battousai the Manslayer/Hitokiri. By the time the series begins, 10 years later, the main character Kenshin has given up his past role of Battousai in order to somehow make up for his evils, so he lives as a wandering swordsman (note: not a samurai by any means, ever!) who refuses to kill. The Rurouni Kenshin movie takes place around the time of the series--as in, the same supporting cast appears, and Kenshin is currently a wanderer. Not only does the movie's story occur within the context of the series, but stylistically it fits as well. Comparing the RK movie to the OVA series, in terms of story or style, is useless. They are two completely different works based on the same series, one made to portray the dark and violent aspects of Kenshin's early life, and the other meant to act as a direct companion to the material in the series. One reviewer relates the series and OVA's as being two seperate universes, and the movie an amalgamation of the two. Well, that is just flat-out wrong. All three works have been created along a timeline in terms of story, and in the case of style, have been created to reflect the period of Kenshin's that is being chronicled. The only reason the name "Samurai X" was given to the OVA's and movie was to make them look "cooler" for an American audience by Sony & ADV after they acquired the rights. The American name says nothing about the contents."

"In the sadness, I was holding my dream tightly."

Marc Ruby? | Warren, MI USA | 01/12/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The timing of this film is after the 'Samurai X' OVA's. The year is 1879, sometime during the progress of the 'Rurouni Kenshin' television series. The bloody overthrow of the Tokugawa Shogunate has been followed by the Meiji restoration, but all is not well. Samurai led by Takimi Shigure regret the passing of the old days and plan to start a counter-revolution. Himura Kenshin, one of the samurai who fought to overthrow the Shogunate, finds himself forced by destiny to oppose Shigure. In the past, a mistake by Shigure left his closest friend, Takatsuki Gentatsu without sufficient resources for a raid. Unknown to Shigure, Kenshin is the samurai who killed Gentatsu. Both men were deeply affected by this, at the restoration of the Meiji, Shigure was sworn to vengeance. And Kenshin had his sword blade reversed, determined never to kill with his sword again.Now, in Yokohama, Shigure plots the death of the British Governor. When Kenshin helps protect Takatsuki Toki (Gentatsu's sister) Shigure befriends Kenshin and eventually asks him to take care of Toki if something should happen to him. In the meantime, forces in the government intend to use Shigure as a means for achieving their own ends, creating a multi-layered scenario of betrayals that will culminate in the final battle between the two honorable opponents.Despite (or perhaps because of) the highly romanticized depiction of samurai behavior and swordmanship, this becomes a dramatically engaging story instead of a simple tale of blood and swashbuckling. Kenshin's youthful appearance and the antics of his friends keep the film from being overwhelmingly tragic. Thus it is a well-balanced plot with many subtexts to add to its richness.Artistically, the film is first-class. The battle scenes are cleanly detailed, and the choreography of the sword fights is beautifully done, if a bit fantastical. The scenes have a fluid grace that will cause the viewer to stop action often, just to admire the illustration. This film, and the related tales of Rurouni Kenshin set a new standard for Samurai based anime, that is rarely equaled. Watching the OVA series before seeing the movie version will provide the viewer with useful background information, but the film stands quite well on its own, making it a fitting introduction to this popular and long-running series."

Samurai X the movie...more from the anime than the OAV

sailor_red | Somewhere in New England | 08/07/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Reading the previous reviews, I've decided to speak up. I love Rurouni Kenshin. It's my second favorite Anime out of all the Anime's I've seen. (I've see quite a lot) However, in the release of this wonderful story, there are a few mishaps that have caused general confusion. First of all, ADV, who released the OAV's went and released the Movie...without letting people know that the movie was based on the character personalitys of the origional seres. (released by Anime Works) The movie takes place somewhere in the storyline after the Kyoto arc of the TV series, which is quite a few years after the OAV's which took place at the end of the bakumatsu. (The revolution Japan underwent before the Meiji era began.) In the OAV (Trust/Betrayal released by ADV) Kenshin was a ruthless murderer. In the TV series he's become a Rurouni (wanderer) who only fights to maintain peace and refuses to kill. This is the Kenshin we see in this movie."

Neither here nor there

LostInTokyo | Tokyo, Japan | 03/17/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Let me start first by saying that RK is currently my favorite Anime - I think the Trust/Betrayal set and the entire TV series so far are FANTASTIC and worth 5+ stars. Unfortunately, Samurai X - The Motion Picture is neither "here nor there".The Trust/Betrayal series takes a little getting used to (because it's different from the TV series), but the pair is a masterpiece - the quality of the Anime, the music, and most of all, the storyline, are all first rate. At first, when I saw the cross scar on Kenshin, I thought the Anime may be somewhat cheesy, but the Trust/Betrayal series totally dispelled that idea...The TV series from Media Blasters isn't as deep or dark as the pair, but the storylines are tight, the action fast, and there's a great mix of lighthearted situations along with deeper tales - you'll care about the bad guys as much as the good!Now, we get the Samurai X - TMP. The animation is in the style of the TV series, but it's as long as a movie. The story is flabby and doesn't get anywhere until the second half (not as well written as the TV series) and the animation quality tries to be more than the TV series, but doesn't quite do it. If you are an RK fan, there's nothing I can write here to convince you of anything, but I would just suggest that you RENT this one first.So far, I have purchased ALL the RK DVDs and I intend to purchase the entire TV series on DVD. The one exception is this one - I've cancelled my order after having rented it. It truly deserves 3.5 stars - suggestion: rent it first, before you buy."