Customer Reviews

Samurai X: Trust

5 star:		(78)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

In 1854, Shinta, a young boy sold into slavery is the sole survivor of an attack that kills an entire caravan. He is only saved because Hika, one of Japan's legendary swordsmen comes upon the slaughter. Hika is so impressed with Shinta's courage that he renames him as Kenshin, and takes him as a pupil. Ten years later, Kenshin Himura parts with his master to become an assassin in the service of the Chosho clan - helping the plot to bring down the Tokugawa Shogunate and restore the Emperor.

These are spectacularly violent times, marked by riots and killings on both sides. There is plenty of work for an assassin, even one who is barely out of his childhood. Kenshin becomes a deadly killer, soon considered one of the most dangerous in Japan. In one of his early missions, he receives the first half of the X-shaped scar that marked his face. And so sets up a chain of destiny that provides much of the charm and depth in an otherwise grim tale of politics and revenge.

The two episodes in this DVD, along with the two in 'Betrayal' are a prequel to the long running TV series that has captured imaginations in both Japan and the US. Here we learn of Kenshin's beginnings and accompany him through events in 1864 leading up to the end of the Shogunate. In parallel to the historical drama being played out is Kenshin's relationship with Tomoe Yukishiro, the woman whose betrothed lover was killed by Kenshin. Tomoe keeps Kenshin from losing all his humanity and saves him from wasting his life in a senseless gesture.

This is a beautifully created series. Free of the 'limitations' of the TV series, director Kazuhiro Furuhashi chose to create a darker story line with much more delicate film values. Artwork and music enmesh the viewer without ever overwhelming the story with technical excess. Scenes of beauty interspersed with the sudden violence of the assassin's work.

Because of the prequel nature of these episodes, 'Trust' and 'Betrayal' are a perfect starting point for those interested in the series as a whole. And, even if you go no further, you will never regret the time spent.

This DVD contains the first two episodes of the 4-episode mini-series, exploring the past of Himura Kenshin. The animation is of a different quality than the television series, with dark, almost phosphorescent colors. For those who have seen the first thirty episodes of the Kenshin TV series, you will notice the graphic violence to have sharply increased. While this is not "Fist of the Northstar" or "Ninja Scroll," the battle scenes are not for impressionable children.

The Japanese voice of Kenshin returns for the same role, while the otherwise alien cast does a wonderful job for the Japanese dialogue. This hybrid DVD boasts an English track, which at times contradicts the Japanese subtitling, but is of a superior quality than general anime (for taste-comparison, I consider "Princess Mononoke" to have had the best dubbing of any anime film I've seen). It becomes apparent the voice-casting for the English edition was to better define characters for the US audience. This a hybrid, so you can switch between languages and subtitles as you please. Both sets of dialogue are supported by a soundtrack rivaling that of the US's big budget war films. In particular, the ominous "Shades of Revolution" track drives the grittier and more intense scenes.

There is a brief, expositional scene that reveals the greater points of Kenshin's childhood, and his real name. After this opening, there are ten or fifteen minutes of ragged time transitions, before the story levels out. Episode two is also intense, but maintains intensity through linear storytelling, though there is one heavy-handed element, that I will neglect to comment otherwise upon, because it would be a harsh spoiler.

Do not expect slapstick in this series, for there is little to no comic relief in any episode. The love story will draw a fair share of fans, while the action, which tapers off towards episode two, is certainly worthy of its own following. If you purchase this DVD, it is almost necessary to purchase Kenshin: Betrayal. I wish all four episodes had been collected on one DVD (Mediablasters does put out two-hour DVD's), but you can't have everything.

Himura Kenshin, also known by many as the Hitokiri Battosai. Unlike the title suggested, he was NEVER A SAMURAI to begin with. He didn't received such title from any but Sony Corporation. Who's too dumb to even recognize his legendary status as the finest assassin ever graced the anime world. Ok, the review: I won't describe how incredibly poetic the story is, but the music and the animation quality is a degree above Ghost in the Shell. The dramatic music in the background fits the mood of the OVAs ( Orignal Video Animation ) perfectly. The character design is a big step toward realism oppose to the TV series' big eyes and big hairs and big... etc.

The tone of the show is one of the gritty and dark and very bloody. Speaking of blood, there's about three dozen bucket of them shed in this show, but nothing was overdone; everything from the tearing of human flesh to the sound of metal alloy of the Katana forcing its way down toward the inside of human brain is captured flawlessly.

The dubbing is TERRIBLE, not only does Kenshin doesn't sound like his Japanese counterpart, most of the meaning of the words were altered to be more appealed to the US audience, I recommend you all to set it to Japanese and with subtitles. One last secret, when you purchased the DVD, turn it flat with the cover sides up, then slip out the cover paper SLOWLY... turn it upside down and prepare for an AMAZING surprise! IT's the ORIGINAL COVERS of the Kenshin OVAs, instead of that ANNOYING Samurai X, ( what a cheesy title! ) there's the orignal title in Japanese " Rurouni Kenshin ".

If you LOVE " amazing bloody swordfights, political conflicts, sadness, moody atmosphere and tragedy of love " then by all means, BUY THIS DVD! P.S. the love area of this show was handled with such a grace and care, it's not cheesy by any means.

The Samurai X OVA (Original Video Animation) Trust and the second part called Betrayal is truly one of the classics of modern Japanese Animation. The story is about a gentle boy, born in a time of violence. He is trained as a master swordsman, and becomes an assassin during the Japanese civil war of the 1800s (known as the bakumatsu). This story is about the conflict between one's ideals and one's actions. The conflict between Kenshin's desire for a peaceful world, and his occupation as a cold-blooded murderer.

This story is very violent. Assassinations are shown in a very graphic way, but the violence is used to emphasize the dichotomy between the ideological youth's dreams and actions.

The conflict is brought into focus when the main character, Kenshin meets a woman named Tomoe who makes him question the life that he has chosen.

The graphic violence makes this a title for a mature audience, but a mature teen may also appreciate this work. The main character comes from the anime / manga series Rurouni Kenshin that is set ten years after this story. I stongly recommend that you watch this work subtitled in Japanese, as the original voice acting is very fine.

Don't let the violence prevent you from seeing this excellent work.

First off, I wish this DVD had included the second disc(betrayal), since they could've easily fit both within one DVD. Also, the DVD didn't have much in the way of "extras" that should've been included. Ok, enough about the rants.

I won't go into telling a summary of the story. For those who don't know, Samurai X is actually Rurouni Kenshin in it's OVA/OAV format. This is not the TV show. Samurai X can be compared to Ninja Scrolls, Ghost in the Shell, etc. Why? For one, it doesn't offer cute little half naked goddesses that appear from the sky to live with some idiot 16 year old teenage kid. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Tenchi and some of it's variants immensely. Secondly, there's a strong plot that is weaved very intelligently. The movie is serious and very direct. As many of the reviewers have already stated, this first DVD is packed with a lot of action and gore. Don't let that fool you, the gore just adds more to the flavor of a serious storyline.

The art is one of the best I've ever seen in animation. The movement is very fluid, down to the facial expression. The environment is beautifully drawn, espcially the snow that starts to fall. One gripe I do have is that a bit of CGI was thrown in during some parts, however, it doesn't deter from the actual storyline. The music is perfect during every single moment of the film. Yes, it's all classical/symphony type. Like one reviewer said, no J-POP! Very emotional and very powerful indeed, this rarity among anime only seems to pop up once every few years.

Short Version - This is part 1 of the two part Rurouni Kenshin OAVs, and although it has its share of flaws, it ultimately proved to be extremely worthwhile. A must-see for any serious anime fan or anyone serious about true art.

Long Version - As a die-hard fan of Rurouni Kenshin, I could seriously hurt myself before giving anything involving Kenshin a rating of below three stars (see my review for the movie), but thankfully, this OAV series was just short of perfection. My 5 star rating is actually more like a 4 1/2, but I had to round up. Below, is the explanation for this as I rate several aspects of the OAV.

Plot: "Trust" essentailly details the dark beginnings of our favorite rurouni (wandering masterless samauri) and is the long-awaited animated version of the Memorial Arc. Set in the year 1864 at a time of civil revolution, Himura Kenshin leads the afflicted life of a shadow assassin for his political faction, the Ishin Shishi. He is only a young boy himself, but every night when he receives a dark envelope with a single name inside, he must go out to commit murder. Drenched in human blood and unshakable memories, he longs to find inner peace. Will the mysterious young woman he meets one night outside a tavern be that salvation? Or, more importantly, can he afford to trust her with all the danger that stalks him?
Intricate and poignant, the plot of this OAV is the foundation upon which it stands. Not once does it falter in providing this support. 5/5

Pacing: This anime had an almost perfect pacing, like clockwork. The speed felt neither too slow nor too fast, although it did drag in a few places. But it wasn't too long before something happened to capture your full attention again. All in all, the pacing reflected the mood of Kenshin's life very well - a languid, dream-like sort of state where everything steadily flows forward without stopping, but you wish that you could halt for just a moment to take a look around at where you are. 4.5/5

Animation: This OAV gets much praise from both critics and fans alike for its "life-like" animation and rich backgrounds. However, I found the animation to be strangely wooden and uninspiring. The people especially looked quite disturbing when I first viewed them. They all had rather blank expressions, and even Kenshin looked like a rag doll. The backgrounds are draped in shades of black and dark greens, and, granted, this is supposed to be a very dark film, but I felt it was gratuitous in its sombreness. At many parts of the film, a lot of what's happening in the foreground simply blends into the background due to lack of contrast and this detracted from the viewing experience overall. Plus, the odd CGI shots thrown in were needless. 3.5/5

Music: ABSOLUTE MASTERPIECE!! If you watch this OAV series for any reason alone, it has to be for the music. In tune with the gloomy atmosphere, the music (composed by Taku Wasaki) is primarily composed of steady, drawn-out rhythms that bring to mind images of slow-motion sword battles and starless desolation. The battle music for the OAV is heart-pounding; made more so by the fact that the orchestra builds up masterfully and gradually to a climax - unlike a lot of other scores whose fight themes are simplistic banging of drums. There is no j-pop to be found here, nor the decidedly more electronic sound of the TV series' OSTs. Classical orchestra and woodwind sounds comprise the entire score - which is a wonderful thing. This is the type of score you can listen to in times of joy, in sadness, or even just when you want to fall asleep to something that'll inspire your dreams. Trust me, one listen and it'll all make sense. A very enthusiastic 5/5

Accuracy: The OAV is pretty good about accuracy although I did notice some deviations from the manga's original storyline. The OAV left out some parts from the manga that I thought were pretty important for the story. For one, the storyline was stripped of any possible spark of humour or lightness. In the manga, the story was still dark, but traces of cheer could be found at odd moments. Nothing like those here, and it irked me that Kenshin was made out to be completely devoid of the brighter emotions. But other than that, a commendable effort. 4/5

Voice Acting (seiyuu): The original voice actors from the TV series return for this OAV, with the talented Mayo Suzukaze as Himura Kenshin. Not many of the characters from the TV show showed up in the Bakumatsu, however (obviously), so the cast was mostly new actors. Not one of them were poorly chosen, however, as always, and the characters were all brought to life on the screen with believability and impeccable timing. If professional seiyuu can't emote, I don't know who can. 5/5

OVERALL: After averaging all the scores, we come up with 4.5, which would round up to a five. As I've covered, this anime was certainly not perfect - but it came pretty close. I am a huge fan of the TV series, and at first, I disliked the OAVs immensely, simply based on how different they were from the series I adored so much. But after several viewings, you come to appreciate and love the OAVs on their own, and not just because you can compare them to something else or to another anime series. The Rurouni Kenshin OAVs stand on their own as a pinnacle of Japanese animation, and "Trust" is without a doubt a strong and engaging prelude to the incredible second half. I recommend both DVDs with my most sincere enthusiasm and love for this series. You will not be disappointed.

[ The same guy from Rurouni Kenshin, but before his no-killing days. ]

This anime is one of the best i know of. Of course i'm just saying that, but you get that feeling after watching a lot of Anime... at least i do. And i guess it's a successful anime if you can say that about it right after watching it.

Genre: Action, Samurai. Its second title is Romantic Tales of the Meji. While leads one to believe these are romantic tales... which they are. But the first disk isn't all that romantic... the second disk may be.

ArtStyle: I'm a casual Anime viewer and i can say that i have never seen art style similar to this one... though they look like so many art styles i just can't put my finger on a similar one. Realistic, no funny faces or odd features. Dark.

Gore: Blood, killing, sword fights.

The first disc, this one, is about a boy named Kenshin, you see him as a young child. Now this is not about Kenshin from the Ruroni Kenshin TV series... by no means, he kills in these. So you see him as this great fighter who no one can beat. But he finds this woman one night who catches the end of a battle he was in, and gets rained on by some of blood from Kenshin's opponent.

The second disk is about what happens after disc one (of course) but it focuses on the Woman a lot too. The second disc, Betrayal is a must buy, it is a very powerful, if you are a Kenshin fan.

These two Dics tell you how Kenshin got the Cross shaped scar on his face. It'll make you think about it the next time you see another episode of Ruroni Kenshin.

I recommend this to any Anime Fan, beware the second disc those that are big action fans. Oddly enough, as different as the art may be, the voices are the same as the TV series.

I couldnt't believe what i saw the first time I watch Samarai X:Trust(Rurouni Kenshin).There's everything in this:great story, beautiful animation, plenty of violence, and very unique characters.For those that don't know, this is sort of a background to the Rurouni Kenshin anime tv series, and this was made after the tv series.The main character goes by the nickname Hitokiri Battousai, and hes an awesome assassin(almost ninja-like) who is trying to make the world a better place at the cost of people's lives, but he soon realizes another path in life he should take.Saying anymore would ruin it,but you jus have to watch it cuz i can't praise it enough.There's Trust and Betrayal, 2 dvds, with Trust being the best.However, one dvd cant survive without the other.Theres also a movie that follows the tv series, and I suggest viewing all of it eventhough the tv series is 95 episodes long.The tv series is much more comical and a lil less violent(but violent enough), but its still great.If you're more interested in serious,dark,and Ninja Scroll-like stuff, then Samarai X(both Trust and Betrayal) are highly recommended.These 2 dvds can stand alone as its own movie, its jus that great.In my opinion, I'd have to say that Rurouni Kenshin is the best anime series I've ever seen, and if you end up not liking it...well, i guess thats your opinion, but i doubt anyone would say that.Buy it!Buy it!Buy it!

Story The story was about Kenshin's life before he became a Rurouni. It is about when his is still an assasin. When Kenshin's caretakers are brutally murdered, Kenshin is taken in to be taught by the great master of the Hiten misturugiryu, Hiko. Kenshin becomes the assasin, Battosai. Kenshin meets a woman named Tomoe, and the mysterious and beautiful "romantic tale from the Meiji era" begins.

Visuals This OVA is really really gory. The gore isn't like Guyver (blood flying everywhere like a fountain) or other shows you might be used to, but its ALOT more realistic and beleiving. The sword of Kenshin tears its way through its victims, with a splattering tearing sound, as blood spurts realisticly through the open wound. I'm not saying that the gore is a bad thing, I think without it the film would be bland and fairly boring. Even if you don't like blood, don't worry, its still worth seeing. Just cover your eyes. The animation is wonderful, and the characters have greater detail in them compared to the TV series. Nice touches like actual water splashing against animated rocks really light up the film. It may seem a bit cheesy looking, but its still a nice addition. Realistic snow fall and flames make it even better.

Sound If you have a DVD player with surround sound, crank up the volume, turn on that subwoofer and you will here the blades slashing, the wonderful classical music playing and great dialouge. This movie has good sound.

Music This is really a part of sound but... The music is really great! Its powerful and strong and it goes well with the film. You don't here one vocal J-Pop type song during the whole movie. Tells ya how serious the movie is doesn't it? The music plays at the best times and adds a huge effect on the movie.

Buy it? Yes! ...Its good, real good. Although, if you haven't ever seen the TV show, you might want to do some researching before you see this film. Dont expect to completely understand it the first time you watch it. See it again! If you are looking for a good anime film and you don't know what to buy, think of Rurouni Kenshin OVA. YOU MUST SEE THIS OVA

This is my favorite anime series, and for good reason. I found it to be the best combination of action and storyline, all brought together by beautifal animation and music. This is a good series for both men and women. For the men the fight scenes are explict and brutal, and for the women the entire story is based around a tragic relationship, and it works perfectly. I love everything about this 2 part series, the only thing that I find error in is putting them on 2 different DVDs. All 4 episodes could have easily been put on one dual layer DVD, but since this is such a great series I guess they knew you would buy them both so they would be making twice as much money (same thign with Macross Plus), regardless it's still worth the money.