Product Details

• Actors: Yûji Ueda, Miki Fujitani, Tetsuo Komura, Noriko Namiki, Ikuya Sawaki
• Directors: Kaeko Sakamoto
• Writers: Nobuhiro Watsuki
• Producers: Kaeko Sakamoto, Eric P. Sherman, John M. Cusimano
• Format: Animated, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Language: English (Unknown), Japanese (Unknown)
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Anime Works
• DVD Release Date: October 31, 2000
• Run Time: 125 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00004U5RY
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #121,575 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Rurouni Kenshin - Shadow Elite, Vol. 3" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rurouni Kenshin is THE BEST anime series out there so far, June 13, 2000

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rurouni Kenshin - Shadow Elite, Vol. 3 (DVD)

Rurouni Kenshin stands for wanderer Kenshin. During the "bakamatsu", the war which brought about the Meiji period in Japan, a legendary "hitokiri" (assasin) was instrumental in putting the new government in place. Near the end of the war, he decided to become a rurouni and atone for his crimes of killing.

Some years later Himura Kenshin was stopped on the street by the owner of a dojo and from there the story begins.

I can't stress this enough but the story have the most wonderful plot ever :). It is a serious yet lighthearted series. Historically, some of the characters existed and some of the events did happen :). Fight wise, many weapons were real and certain moves real as well. Fantastic & intricate plotline - a tangle of politics, morality, the past coming into clash with the new era and Kenshin himself trying to atone for his sins and protect those around him.

Alright, now that the intro is done for those who don't know. I suspect this video contains episodes 9-12. If so, 9-11 is the continuation of what started as a new short story from episode 8 with the introduction of a new important character and the tangle the new character is in. Episodes 8-11 introduces a group of new character and the plot become important to what will happen way later on in the most important 1st arc of the series - the Kyoto arc. Specific to 9-11, there is a lot wonderful skillful fighting and character building. Beautiful plot and story - you do not wnat to miss these episodes.

Episode 12 is specific to one of the main characters and is an episode of character development with style :).

I do hope this has been useful in getting people to want to purchase the series :). I am obssessed with the series and believe me it is THE series to obssess over so buy it!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitely the best eps of the first season., December 2, 2002

By 

Jason Pratt (Dyer, TN United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rurouni Kenshin - Shadow Elite, Vol. 3 (DVD)

This DVD features episodes ('eps') 9-12, first season. All four are critical eps, insofar as they deal with important characters and/or feature highly distinctive and entertaining stories.

Eps 9-11 conclude the four-ep arc started in ep 8 (the final ep of the previous DVD), and the threat level against Kenshin & Co. continues to ramp up very satisfactorily.

Ep 9 is the weakest of the arc, in terms of flat-out action; but sets up the reason for the action in eps 10-11, and meanwhile it does feature the first solo fight of Kenshin's main sidekick, Sanosuke Sagara. Of particular interest in eps 8-11, is the introduction of Aoshi Shinomori (sp?), a fan-favorite villain/hero who (in these eps, anyway) is actually a better fighter than Kenshin! (Let's put it this way: Kenshin forces an impressive draw, and although he ends badly cut-up by Aoshi, he never managed to get his own blade through Aoshi's defenses.) Another impressive feature about this arc (and about the series in general) is that the villains aren't always entirely villainous. Arguably, these eps (along with ep 8 from DVD 2) comprise the best story-arc of the first season.

The 12th ep seems at first to be slightly disposable, but has its own unique charm: it's marks the first time that young Yohiko has gained enough strength to stand up effectively for justice by himself. A minor continuing character is introduced in it. It is 'canonical', in the sense that it comes from the manga, and future episodes refer back to it.

These episodes still feature one of the better end-title song/credit sequences for the series, 'Tactics' (although the actual words, when translated, are extremely dippy. |g|) The opening title song, 'Freckles', is still here. The 12th ep may feature the second end title-sequence/song for the first season, which I found to be less impressive. (Typical cheerful sappy J-Pop.)

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It is cool but nothing like Legend of Kyoto, November 24, 2004

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Rurouni Kenshin - Shadow Elite, Vol. 3 (DVD)

Okay let me start off saying that this DVD contains Violence, minor profanity, and a LOT of blood. When I say a lot I am not joking. If your about 8 or under watch the kitty versions on cartoon Network (You will still get the point and they are not that corny). But if your parents say yes then feel free to buy it. it may say 13 and up but people don't always follow the ratings. I am 11 and I still think it is a little babyish about how Kenshin never wants to kill again. I first heard about this series on Carton network but i could not exactly get to see a lot and it was close to when they started to end putting it on. So later on I heard about it from one of my dads freinds who let's me borrow some of his DVD's. Then when he let me borrow some i was amazed at the animation. Like this DVD, the second one was pretty good too, I saw it with my freinds and they liked it. This one is really focused on the fate of Megumi Takani. A guy named Kanryu Takeda who is in a way working with the Oniwaban group led by Aoshi Shinamori is trying to catch her to make opium. It was the first time I heard that word but anyways the battle scenes are pretty good but there is another episode in this DVD about a girl who Yahiko has a crush on. She is being used by this gang of theives who want to use her to get money. But when Yahiko gets her out of that mess she is F R E E. One funny thing to do in this episde is when Karou kamiya (Yahiko's teacher) comes to congragulate him you change the voice speaking thing to Japanese. And it sounds really funny. One thing that puzzles me is why do girls like Aoshi. I know he is a sort of nice guy but can't you see the way he is cruel the rest of the world? He doesn't give a darn about innocent pedestrians. Please. I need to know that way i can... well thats no ones buisness. This DVD was like so good but you need to see the rest of the series to like this even more. I havn't seen all of Legend of Kyoto or Meji Era, but if they are both better then Wandering Samurai then they would both have to be extremly good to top this series