Customer Reviews

Samurai X - Reflection - Director's Cut (Rurouni Kenshin)

5 star:		(58)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

The 'Samurai X' OVA's stand separate from the body of the Rurouni Kenshin series in that the subject is the events preceding and following the television stories. While the contain a commonality in characters and are the go further in the direction of presenting more of the motivations that lie behind master assassin Kenshin Himura's decisions and provide us with closure on the story of a life full of regret and the quest for atonement.

All of the OVA's, 'Reflections' included, lack the comic relief of the TV series. In that sense they are an acknowledgement of Kenshin's contribution, and the ongoing price he would have to pay for being a murderer. In 'Reflections,' Kenshin seeks the ability to be at peace again. And Kaoru, the loyal wife of his later years wants desperately to be as important a part of his life as his first love, Tomoe, who sacrificed her life at his hands so that he could go on to fight the Shogun.

The pressures of their lives drive them apart on more time, as Kenshin travels to China to help the living. But the real story is the retelling of their relationship and it's themes in carefully interwoven flashbacks. The threads of destiny and duty wind tighter and tighter as the drama, reminiscent of Greek tragedy as well as Noh plays, comes to its bittersweet conclusion.

It is almost unfortunate that 'The Cross-shaped Wound' (the last episode of the previous OVA volume) reached such a high standard of artistry. 'Reflections' is wonderful, beautifully written, illustrated and scored, but it lacks the utter magic of its predecessor. I can't fault it though, it is the difference between excellent and perfection, and I am delighted to have experienced both in the same series.

Part of the stories charm is the maturing of not just Kenshin and Kaoru, but many of the supporting cast. Yahiko Myojin, a loyal friend, is a story unto himself, and several villains also make surprising developments. All of this gives the story a compelling multi-dimensionality that is infinitely satifying.

Because Rurouni Kenshin is a historical romance surrounding real events, as well as a story with deep samurai roots, it appeals to a broad audience. In a sense, it stands at the apex of the use of anime as classical Japanese drama. Thus, it is worth seeking out for many reasons, illuminating and uplifting as well as entertaining. Above all, it will become an unforgettable memory.

One of the most disturbing images in the new Kenshin OVA Reflection, is to see Kenshin failing in the grip of some sort of disease. This illness however, is a reflection of two distinct things: in the story presented here, Kenshin is not afflicted with some earthly disease such as leprosy or turberculosis. Megumi tells Kaoru that Kenshin is only a man, and that all of the fighting he has done will eventually take its toll. Kenshin also talks about having given up his sword and suffering in a different way to continue atoning for his past - and that is what I believe causes his illness. The lesions are an outer reflection of his inner turmoil and guilt, feelings that his once strong body can no longer supress. Kaoru doesn't contract it because it's communicable, but rather because her soul is so bound up in Kenshin's that she shares all of his pain, spiritual as well as physical. She willing shares his burden out of her great love for him.

The story of Reflection takes a beloved character and reflects a flawed understanding of just who Kenshin was and what his story was about. His essential nature has always been that of a deeply scarred man attempting to atone for his past. He has always suffered and felt guilt for the killing he has done, yet he is also the wanderer who has cared for many people. A man who never abandoned his principles such that his very example has helped other unhappy and guilty souls find peace and purpose (i.e. Megumi, Sano, Saitou, Aoshi, even some of Shishio's Juppengatana). To believe that this man would, after all his been through - even after making his peace with Enishi - STILL be wandering around Japan, abandoning Kaoru and their son, is just unbelievable. The whole point of the story as I understand it is that Kenshin finally finds a home with Karoru at the Kamiya dojo since it was a place where he was accepted for both his past and present selves. He has found peace by defeating (or accepting) his past demons in the form of Shishio, and ultimately Enishi. Not only did Kenshin find rest from his wandering, but also a chance at happiness. The corruption of Kenshin's body is simply a reflection of how corrupt the story of Reflection ultimately is.

It's hard as a Kenshin fan to accept that this is the latest, and presumeably last, installment in Kenshin's story. I believe that while there are some minor good things - such as seeing Kenji (his fight with Yahiko was the highpoint of the story) and finally getting to see Enishi's arc (if only briefly) were minor pleasures in what is ultimately a bittersweet ending. I believe that the original name, Year of Frost, was well very chosen. This is the melancholy version of how Kenshin's story might have turned out if things had been different. I personally prefer the story where Kenshin not only finds peace and forgiveness for himself, but happiness too.

I bought the Region-2 DVD of this director's cut before the domestic release of the original version, so this was actually my first exposure to it. I was forewarned by summaries and spoilers about how much of a downer it would be, but boy, is this OVA a downer. Although the animation is as beautiful as the first OVA (Trust/Betrayal), its dramatic structure is imho much weaker due to various factors.

The first half of Reflections is built around fragmentary recaps which can't be fully understood without prior familiarity with the original manga and/or the parallel first two seasons of the tv series. The plot then proceeds through the manga's Jinchuu Arc in a manner that's only slightly less cursory, and similarly requires foreknowledge of either those manga volumes (not yet translated by Shounen Jump as of the DVD's release date) or the Trust/Betrayal OVA, or optimally both.

And then there's the whole question of how the OVA depicts Kenshin's behavior after the manga timeframe; in many fans' opinion, he completely reverses the direction of character development that was shown throughout the manga, negating the peace he'd supposedly found. So while Reflections is dependent on its context, it simultanously undermines that context's core themes, which is a really irritating paradox.

A mitigating factor in the Director's Cut is that it adds some happy scenes that weren't present in the original version: Kenshin's second wedding; early scenes from his marriage including the birth and childhood of his son. Kaoru and Saitou also have a brief conversation about, er, something. (Maybe if I actually understood Japanese I could attempt a summary.) Nitpickers will be entertained to note that the wedding is grossly anachronistic, as the "traditional" Shinto ceremony wasn't invented until 1900.

Still, the animation really is dang beautiful. The recaps of key fights from the manga/anime are full of grace and power; in more introspective scenes, individal cherry petals or fireflies float weightlessly through the air. The character design is slightly different from either the first OVA or the tv series, but certainly recognizable and vital.

In the long run, while you kinda have to be a diehard RK fan to really appreciate this OVA, most diehard RK fans may end up in a maelstrom of pathos and indignation by the end. Watch at your own risk, and keep some tissues ready-- even if you don't need them for your eyes, other people nearby may need to stuff them into their ears.

'Reflection' is a fitting title to the last chapter of the life of our favorite wandering swordsman, Kenshin Himura.

Ruroni Kenshin is my FAVORITE anime/manga of all and while this OVA is one of the saddest movie I've seen, anime or live-action, I feel it's an appropriate ending to the series.

Gorgeously animated, it's identical in style and spirit to the first OVAs Trust & Betrayal. While the first OVAs had dark and somber colors, 'Reflection' is full of bright and vivid colors that's mesmerizing to watch.

Unlike the TV show & first OVAs, this story (goes beyond the manga) is told from Kaoru's point of view, from when she first meets Kenshin to their life together 15-18 years later. You get to see Yahiko, Sano, Megumi, even Hiko once again and meet Kenji, Kenshin & Kaoru's son (the manga only shows him as a toddler).

You will see reenactments of familiar battles in the TV show, but the animation here is far superior, the battle in the moonlight with Jinei and the Jinchuu battle with Enishi are just AWESOME!

The instrumental sountrack is haunting and beautiful, composed by Taku Iwasaki who also did Trust & Betrayal.

Buy this if you are true Kenshin fan and have an open heart and mind.

The Reflection DVD is one of the best and saddest OVAs that I've ever seen. Many things, such as Kamiya Kaoru's boldness to share Kenshin's pain of his disease to Kenshin not being able to catch a fish three feet away from Sagara Sanosuke made me feel bad about his condition because it feels so real. The ending (before the credits) made me cry for a while... because it's sad to see such a wonderful anime end.

Things you need to know before purchase:

-Buy this ONLY if you are a true Kenshin fan and have seen the other parts to the series. I say this because, if you only like this as a series to see a few episodes and skip a bunch and watch some more you will be confused throughout the whole thing.

- The animation is extremly beautiful, but it's unappriciated by a lot of people, and looks completly different from the Rurouni Kenshin anime TV series.

- Most of the DVD is flashbacks to other times during the anime, and has been re-animated to fit that style. (From the meeting of Kamiya and Himura to the fight with Enishi, all is a flashback.)

If you like the first OVA, you may well like this OVA. However! If you are a fan of the TV show, I can't in good conscience recommend it. The problem with this OVA is that it deviates from the manga, in a bad way. The first OVA was faithful to the manga, although overall I think it was darker and more realistic. THIS OVA, however, rewrites important points in the plot of the earlier parts of the manga (which were animated in the TV series) so that it can be more depressing and make Kenshin ... sad! Also, the end of Kenshin's battle with Enishi is completely, completely different from how it happened in the manga. In a bad way! This OVA depicts what would happen if Kenshin hadn't undergone any character development in the Kyoto plot arc, and still had the same attitude as in the pirate arc at the end of season one. And it's nothing good. If you like the first OVA but do not like the TV series, go ahead and buy it. If you can't stand to miss something with "Kenshin" in the title, go ahead, but prepare to be really depressed, and if you are familiar with the manga version of the Enishi plot arc, really annoyed with the OVA-making people. And if you like Kenshin and thus do not want to see him suffer like this, trust me, this does not happen in the manga, and it isn't compatible with events depicted in the TV series (which is truer to the manga); take solace in that.

Okay, now, any Rurouni Kenshin fan should have a very hard time accepting this ending. I have a lot of reasons and here are a few:
1)Nobuhiro Watsuki, the creator of Rurouni kenshin, didnt write or appear to have any say in this, it seems as though Sony decided to inflict cruel fates on his characters.
2)Anyone who is a fan of either the tv series or the manga knows how Kenshin evolved as character throughout the series, facing his inner demons and repeatedly emphasizing the will to live, in "Reflection", Kenshin is presented as though he never lived through any of the experiences in the series, just so they can make him wander again in angst and have a tragic end.
3)Everyone in Reflections was out of character by far.

The one-star rating refers specifically to Reflection: Director's Cut. I would rate the original Reflection release--a two-part OAV--four stars. It had its content problems, as most Kenshin fans know. But I loved the quality of animation and the strength of the music, and I went with the content. I didn't feel ripped off, as it all seemed a worthy effort (even if doing a feature of Jinchu Arc would've been energy much better spent.)

The director's cut, however, makes me feel VERY ripped off. Why? It may provide about 14 minutes of extra footage, and further interviews with the Japanese voice actors; and for those who like the American track, there is a commentary track by the American voice actors. It also gets rid of the melodramatic dialog over the end credits. HOWEVER, it does an absolutely abysmal overhaul of the soundtrack once you get into the "part 2" material, ejecting some of the BEST and most exciting scoring for a rehash of music from Trust and Betrayal. The fight with Enishi is one such instance. In the original Reflection, this fight was electrifying, loaded with tension, the scoring absolutely wonderful. Well, that scoring's gone here. Why? Who knows. And the fight scene suffers terribly from this change. Other tampering with the music includes "blanket tossing" the opening theme around, and really ruining Yahiko's fight with Kenji. Such musical revisions all seem so careless, deflating what was previously exciting or touching or thought-provoking. They lack accent for emotion, and when spanning scene shifts, they ignore dramatic enhancement ... a terrible thing to do an anime that was originally, with respect to its scoring, nearly flawless. It also cheapens the Trust and Betrayal music, which I happen to love when it's used well.

The most I'll do with this DVD is pop it in for the extra 14 minutes when watching my original Reflection ... if I even do that. To be frank, I wish I had waited and gotten this thing used on the super cheap. The 14 minutes are worth something, I suppose, particularly as Saito shows up in one of those minutes; but nothing here is worth the full price of the disk. In fact, the sense I got from this was that nobody really cared what in heck they were doing, and that grates.

For those who are interested in either Reflection release but have not seen other Kenshin material (Trust and Betrayal; the Rurouni Kenshin series), the story here may confuse you and will probably not have much of an emotional impact. I'd recommend starting with the earlier Kenshin stuff. And when you're ready to see Reflection, go for the OLD release. Not this one. If you become a fanatic, you'll still want the director's cut. But seeing the original OAVs will ever be a far more satisfying watch. And by then, you may find lots of these director's cuts for sale used ... mine may be one of them.

My first reaction upon watching this was total denial. Then there was anger, 'How could they do that to MY Kenshin?!!' Then I tried to accept, but that didn't work. So, I Googled for "Nobuhiro Watsuki interview" found out that the original creator of Rurouni Kenshin didn't have anything to do with it & was personally in favor of happy endings--I was vastly relieved. It's confirmed. It really didn't happen.

For those who're confused, it happened like this:

-First there was a comic series by Nobushiro Watsuki called Rurouni Kenshin--it eventually came to 28 volumes.
-Then there was an anime based on the comic, also called Rurouni Kenshin (96 episodes). The first half of the series comes directly from the comic, the second half deviates quite a bit.
-Then there was the first OAV, the US title is Samurai X: Trust & Betrayal. This was based on Kenshin's backstory (ten years before the beginning of the tv series) as it was told in the comic--it's just a tad more serious and the art is a little different.
-Finally, there is this monstrosity. It flashes back to past incidents from the TV show/comic--but retells them all so that they're more depressing. Then it tacks on an original ending that, in my opinion, contradicts the entire point/theme of the previous 96 episodes & 28 volumes of story.

Basically, there's very little new story in this movie--it's mostly just a rehash of what's gone before. The little that was new, I found to be poorly thought out and not in line with the rest of the series.

This OVA indicates how deeply its producers cared about the character Kenshin. Yes, a happy ending will be somewhat satisfying, but it will not raise the series into the status of "unforgettable" or "legendary".

The production value is very high, the stylized rendering of the characters are very well done, they look different, but recognizable at the same time. Contrary to one of the reviewer's opinion, I don't think Sanosuke is a bum in this OVA :) I like the adult Yahiko the best, he lived up to Kenshin's expectation to be an honorable samurai. He's an appropriate heir to the Sakabatou because he understood how Kenshin thinks, even taught Kenji about it.

Most of us are aghast when seeing the bittersweet ending, actually we shouldn't. The whole series (manga/tv), although rife with humor and "Oro" moments, also clearly portrayed the conflicted feelings of a great person who can't help but getting tangled in the intricacies of the (sometimes sinister) government politics of a nation in turmoil.

Besides, another side of Kenshin that a lot of us forget is that he is a patriot. Why do you suppose he went against Sishio? Remember when he's half-conscious fighting Sishio, he said that a new generation of warriors will emerge after him, that he had done his duty protecting Japan. I don't think remorse is the only thing that pulled him to China.

All of us would like for Kenshin to be more respected at the end of his life by the people he has helped so much: the government (and by extension, the people of Japan), but the fact is, Kenshin never cared about such things, at the end, he got what he wanted.... "Tadaima, Kaoru!"

** Spoiler alert **

I especially like the ending when Kaoru revealed that the cross-shaped scar has finally... completely... healed. Seeing that, to me is more satisfying than "happily ever after"-ending.

Also Kenshin was smiling when he died. Just like Kaoru wishes, that "someday he'll smile to me from the bottom of his heart"

Another point that I think very profound is that while Tomoe is Kenshin's 'saya' or sword-sheath, the one who gave him the purpose and strength, it was Kaoru's love that ultimately healed him.

All in all, this OVA is a befitting tribute to a legendary character, fictional he may be, a lot of people's life has been touched by him.

I wish is that they create a new series about Kenji, and who's that girl with him at the end of the film (after credit)??