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24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Anime, 'Classical Cinema'-Style, January 23, 2001
This review is from: Samurai X - Betrayal (Rurouni Kenshin) (DVD)
The translator of this series says in his notes on the disc that this series is much the same to anime as Kurosawa Akira was to Japanese filmmaking. I find it hard to disagree as both draw from many of the same themes and styles. The series, known to the rest of anime fandom as the "Rurouni Kenshin" OAV series, tells the background of the series hero Himura Kenshin who is a major (fictional) source behind the civil war at the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate in the late 1860s to early 1880s. By the time we meet him in the TV Series, he is a wanderer who is dedicated to peace and has a past of incredible violence that he can never seem to completely live down. This series tells the back story for Kenshin. This disc is the second (of two) in his story. Many themes of classical Japanese literature and film are found in the OAV Series - and especially in this disc - and the pace of it is highly evocative of movies like "Ran" and "Gonza the Spearman". The art is simply incredible - and done in large part with computer-generated animation. In many ways, the animation style is much like the early episodes of "Serial Experiments Lain" with a much brighter feel. The muscial score is lovely and does a surprisingly good job a steering clear of J-Pop like that which is found in the TV Series. While not totally classically Japanese, it fits well with the story - which is not totally classically Japanese either. There are many reminders that the series is not a complete throwback to classic Japanese cinema. The romance, while maintaining a very classical twist, owes much to modern anime melodrama. The action sequences, while very impressive, are very indicative of what one finds in anime of the last five to ten years - not cinema of half a century ago. Likewise, the almost seemingly airbrushed images of fire, waves and falling blossoms give a modern anchor to this tale. On the whole, almost nothing to fault in the series. It is simply a masterpiece of animation and can rightly be ranked with critically acclaimed pieces by Miyazaki and Ishii as well as cinematic works of filmmakers like Kurosawa. You do not need to have seen the TV Series to follow the plot and, in some cases, may find it a hindrance. For any fan of not just anime, but of film or Japanese culture, I highly recommend both this disc and its predecessor.
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20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Masterpiece, May 21, 2002
This review is from: Samurai X - Betrayal (Rurouni Kenshin) (DVD)
Whether you are an anime fan or not, the OVA series, Samurai X Trust (part I) and Betrayal (part II) are storytelling and cinema at their finest. The promise of Trust is completely fulfilled by Betrayal. All of the top-notch qualities that made the first set of episodes stand out (beautifully animated visuals, compelling characters, engaging story, etc.) is wrapped up in this last half as Kenshin, the assassin and Tomoe, a mysterious girl he rescued, barely escape Kyoto with their lives. The third episode takes place while Tomoe and Kenshin hide out in remote Otsu, posing as husband and wife. The compassion and kindness that the viewer knows Kenshin possesses comes out as he happily adapts to a new life as a farmer and husband. For Tomoe it is a revelation since the only Kenshin she knows is that of an assassin, a murderer who brings the bloody rain. Her feelings for Kenshin become confused as she struggles with the reality that the peaceful husband she knows now also killed her fiance, her first love. She asks herself, "The first gift you gave me was death. How shall I repay you?" Their precarious peace is about to be shattered by the unexpected arrival of Tomoe's brother, who has news he thinks will bring Tomoe great happiness. Episode four brings us to the stunning conclusion of Kenshin's story of which episode three was but a brief interlude. Tomoe has confessed her secrets, though not that Kenshin himself was the one who killed her fiance. She has also admitted to herself, and to Kenshin, that she loves him. As fate would have it, the traitor suspected in Trust is actively working to bring down Kenshin for his crimes and the bucolic interlude in the mountains has played directly into his hands. As Tomoe realizes, "My love for you will not be enough to save you from the consequences of your actions." His tragic story plays out in an inevitable chain of events that will leave you heartbroken but strangely satisfied. In the end many questions will be answered, including the outcome of the battle between Tomoe's love and her desire for revenge, Kenshin's struggle between the killer he has become and the protector he could be, and most importantly how he wins the other half of his cross-shaped scar(which comes only at great cost to himself and others). A classic tale that will leave an indelible impression on your soul, much as it has left scars on Kenshin's face.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Cross-Shaped Wound, March 14, 2003
This review is from: Samurai X - Betrayal (Rurouni Kenshin) (DVD)
This DVD contains the last two episodes of the Samurai X OVA, completing the prequel to the long running and justifiably popular Rurouni Kenshin series. These are set in the period leading up to the overthrow of the Shogunate and are a historical drama that tells the tale of one of the periods most deadly assassins, and a hero of the Meijin restoration. What happened in this story created the myth of a wandering samurai who fought for the people, and refused to use his sword to kill. The first episode here, "The Previous Night at the Mountain Home" is a complete contrast to the episodes of the previous DVD. It picks up the threads of the relationship between Kenshin Himura and Tomoe as they live in exile. Exquisitely slowly, Tomoe finds herself growing deeply in love with the man who killed her fiancé. And Kenshin, emotionally distant as an assassin finds that rural life with Tomoe is teaching him the lessons about the value of life that his sword master was never able to explain to him. The final episode, "The Cross-Shaped Wound," brings this phase of Kenshin's life to its inevitable conclusion. When an assassin struggles with the meaning of his life, tragedy must ensue. Kenshin faces a last attempt on his life hampered by his doubts. Sworn to protect Tomoe, she protects him instead, completing the second cut of his scar, and starting the painful healing process. Delicate film values mark these episodes, which repeatedly echo the illustrations of Japan's contemporary artists, while the formal dialog evokes classical Noh drama. All of this is carefully balances by scenes of extreme violence. Strangely evocative of Kurosawa's style. After going through the episodes multiple times, I have become convinced that this is one of those rare cases where the dubbing comes closer to the essence of the Japanese than do the subtitles. This is quite a victory for Lowell Bartholomee, since writers of English language scripts for anime are not noted for successes.
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