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Ruroni Kenshin
Episodes Reviewed: 1-current, Toonami
Overall Grade: A+
*sigh* another perfect anime courtesy of Cartoon Network.
Storyline: 10
Set in Meiji-era Japan, we follow the story of the "legendary" Hitokiri Battosai, the man-slayer. Otherwise known as Himura Kenshin, the wanderer who wears the face of one with a comical and gentle nature. He has discarded his previous style of living and has taken an oath to never kill again. He has also taken up protecting the innocent with his reverse-blade sword... useless for killing. After saving the life of Kaoru Kamiya, he stays at the Kamiya dojo and tries to live a normal life with her and her family and friends. Of course, at this point the Meiji era has many opposers and criminals, and it's usually up to Kenshin or one of his friends to put a stop to whatever evil force arises... like bandits, assassins, mean-tempered sumo wrestlers, and evil organizations that recruit accomplished warriors in order to overthrow the government. Quite a bit of variety, eh? But some of those enemies are quite tough, and threaten to shatter the Battosai's attempts to lead a normal life and his oath to never kill again.
Type: Action/Comedy
Ch. Development: 8
You can actually see the characters changing gradually with each episode. We'll also see how some of those relationships work out. Amazing how bitter hatred can turn into friendship in a small amount of time, eh?
Sexuality: 4
Crude humor, and vulgar bandit talk.
Romance: 5
The obvious relationship between Kenshin and Kaoru is really hard not to notice.
Drama: 8
There are some scenes where you just have to go (or think) "whoa." Not only that, but there is quite a collection of strange super-sword-techniques that are impressive and, well, varied.
Action: 7
Sword action, martial arts action, blood... check.
Comedy: 6
Odd situations, friendly hitting-people-over-the-head, ironic one-liners... check.
Dub
Dub Voices: 10
They're okay to listen to, and they deliver their lines almost perfectly.
Dub Music: nonexistent
Dub Lines: 8
I'm currently wondering if Kenshin's quirky use of language is made up here or not.
Censorship: Sometimes there's blood, sometimes there isn't.
Ruroni Kenshin has all of those things that make an anime great. It has the perfect balance of action, comedy, and romance. Since it's a TV series, there's no worries about nudity or excessive violence. The variety of cool characters and attacks keep the series interesting, as does the variety of villains.
One of the more interesting parts of the series is Kenshin. At times he is seemingly invincible, but there are also times in which he's in trouble and he has to find a way to defeat a tough opponent without killing him. This leads to impossible-yet-entertaining strategies and the use of his Hiten-Mitsurugi techniques. Of course, there are times when he nows he can't win, and he has to decide if he should find a way to a bloodless win, or revert to his old self as the man-slayer.
Finally, the biggest reason to watch RK is because it's basically free if you watch it on CN, and you're better off doing that because the series lasts around 100 episodes... which is a real drain on your funds.
That's my Story and I'm Sticking to it!
