A review by frasersimons
Rurouni Kenshin, Vol. 1 #1-3 by Nobuhiro Watsuki

dark funny tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I’m partial to this, since it’s the first anime I really enjoyed. The manga holds up really well. The humour is handled better and, at least in this translation, Kenshin just refers to himself as “this one”, instead of weird, antiquated codas every sentence in the anime, which I greatly prefer. Otherwise I remember everything that happens still, and it covers a heck of a lot of ground, unlike other manga I’ve been reading lately (20th Century Boys being absolutely glacial). Each instalment is pacey and well plotted. A ton of things happen, characterization is good, and you get a bunch of asides about the historical aspects that certain things are based on, which is just really enjoyable, since I know literally none of the subject matter. 

Also, Kenshin is just a great character, especially as a hero. Is feminine, he doesn’t want to fight, he doesn’t act like an INCEL, there’s no harem trope. It’s like a completely different Shonen than the ones I’ve been making my way through. The worst affront is that the author tends to damsel the women after he characterizes them well. Strong, independent, smart. But, oh yeah, they gotta be kidnapped. How else could we make interesting stakes for Kenshin? It’s a bit lame, which makes the last issue less interesting.