A review by joaniemaloney
Rurouni Kenshin, Vol. 1, Volume 1, by Nobuhiro Watsuki
5.0
A beautiful story about atonement. I'm rating just volume 1 but really, this is for the entire series. I started and finished this series (in a super short amount of time that I would advise against) all thanks to the live-action film. Everyone was buzzing about this and that for the sequels (!!!) and I had to read the original work to know all about it, from the very beginning. I have no patience to wait for sequels if I can just read the original work and know everything.
Himura Kenshin is burdened with his past as a ruthless assassin and so, vows to never take another life again. As expected, the change in his ideals do not sit well with his former enemies, and his ability to kill is how he's defined by everyone. Kenshin is a wonderfully nuanced character and when I first saw the film, I was really curious to see how the two sides of him, past and present, would work to create this one person. There's a warmth to him that was very refreshing to see and I think the character development was done quite well because the progression made sense. It isn't an abrupt change - he still struggles to keep his past self, that killer instinct, in check. It's an ongoing progress. How do you restrain that part of yourself when it may be the difference to saving your life, or the lives of the ones you care about?
Of course, the story isn't just about Kenshin. He wanders and by chance, gets to know Kamiya Kaoru, the assistant instructor of a school that teaches a style of swordmanship that emphasizes not killing, but living. The dynamic between these two is possibly my favourite thing about this series. I enjoyed the friendships that blossomed with the other characters as well, but Kenshin and Kaoru was the strength of the story for me. I wasn't expecting to care about these characters so much but it all snuck up on me. I can't comment much on the art or the action scenes - there were plenty of the latter - since this is the first anime I've read so there isn't anything to compare to, but I had such a blast reading this from beginning to end. WOW.
I may be getting too greedy but now I want at least two more movies in the series so we can get everything adapted. PLEEEEEEEEEASE.
Himura Kenshin is burdened with his past as a ruthless assassin and so, vows to never take another life again. As expected, the change in his ideals do not sit well with his former enemies, and his ability to kill is how he's defined by everyone. Kenshin is a wonderfully nuanced character and when I first saw the film, I was really curious to see how the two sides of him, past and present, would work to create this one person. There's a warmth to him that was very refreshing to see and I think the character development was done quite well because the progression made sense. It isn't an abrupt change - he still struggles to keep his past self, that killer instinct, in check. It's an ongoing progress. How do you restrain that part of yourself when it may be the difference to saving your life, or the lives of the ones you care about?
Of course, the story isn't just about Kenshin. He wanders and by chance, gets to know Kamiya Kaoru, the assistant instructor of a school that teaches a style of swordmanship that emphasizes not killing, but living. The dynamic between these two is possibly my favourite thing about this series. I enjoyed the friendships that blossomed with the other characters as well, but Kenshin and Kaoru was the strength of the story for me. I wasn't expecting to care about these characters so much but it all snuck up on me. I can't comment much on the art or the action scenes - there were plenty of the latter - since this is the first anime I've read so there isn't anything to compare to, but I had such a blast reading this from beginning to end. WOW.
I may be getting too greedy but now I want at least two more movies in the series so we can get everything adapted. PLEEEEEEEEEASE.