Rurouni Kenshin

[Jay L. Corbell]

I had Thanksgiving dinner with Richard Hayworth and Lex Lang about six or seven years ago.  I was... 12 I think? Maybe 13.

They were guests of my mom's boss at the time, who's house we were dining at.  It was pretty awesome, I got to nerd out a little bit and we talked about anime.  They even did the Kenshin and Sanosuke voices for me. 

[gunswordfist]

Not sure if serious.

[Jay L. Corbell]

Completely serious :c

The perks of living in Houston ;_;

Actually, I don't recall if we were living in Houston then...  but either way it happened.  My mom's boss microwaved a silver-lined plate and it sparked in the microwave.

[talonmalon333]

So I've come to realize that, after all these years, I never actually finished this series. Years ago, I saw the first two arcs and wasn't sure if I really wanted to go into an arc made up of pure filler. Even then, I honestly remember very little of what I did see.

So I want to start from the beginning and cover the entire story this time. However, I would like to ask you guys what the ideal way of completing the entire story would be, between the manga and the anime, as well as the OVAs. What would be the most ideal way of going through Rurouni Kenshin, and what should I skip?

[Spark Of Spirit]

Just go read the manga.

You've already seen the part of the series worth seeing. Seriously just go with the manga, it's one of the best.

[Peanutbutter]

Funny this got updated, because I've been enjoying a re-watch of the anime dub. Yahiko and Kaoru's voices are occcasionally a little off, but I like being able to see this uncut. The arc where Aoshi shows up still holds up to me.


To answer Talon, if you want to watch the anime again, just watch until the end of Shishio. I'm planning on watching every episode because I want to see for myself how the filler stuff at the end, I'd use Wiki to gauge out where the arcs are if you don't want to sit through any padding.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I'll second what Desensitized said. Just go with the manga from start to finish. The only part the anime adapts particularly well is the Kyoto arc, which is great in anime form, but overall the manga is just a more consistent experience when judging the story as a whole. Its also my favorite manga ever, so there's no way that you can go wrong by choosing to read it.

[talonmalon333]

Are any of the OVAs recommended? I heard one is a masterpiece and the other is awful.

[Rynnec]

Trust & Betrayal is the one that's considered excellent, while the general consensus Reflections and Shin Kyoto Hen is that they should be avoided at all costs.

[talonmalon333]

So I'll need to find a way to get a hold of everything. But soon I'm going to read the manga from start to finish. Afterward, I might just rewatch the first two arcs of the show for the heck of it (I also remember quite liking the dub), and to compare it directly to how the manga is at that point. Lastly, I'll definitely check out Trust & Betrayal, assuming it's indeed good.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I like the dub. It's a bit dated in some areas, but I love the voices for Kenshin, Saito, Sanosuke, Aoshi, and Shishio.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Whenever I hear Kenshin, I hear Legato and vice-versa.

It really takes a while to shake that impression off before I can get settled back in.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Whenever I hear Kenshin, I hear Legato and vice-versa.

It really takes a while to shake that impression off before I can get settled back in.

It's especially jarring when you consider how much their personalities contrast. Kenshin is a calm, kind-hearted soul seeking atonement, and Legato is an evil bastard who would kill children if it would get Vash on edge (and ironically Vash is a lot more like Kenshin).

[Spark Of Spirit]

Whenever I hear Kenshin, I hear Legato and vice-versa.

It really takes a while to shake that impression off before I can get settled back in.

It's especially jarring when you consider how much their personalities contrast. Kenshin is a calm, kind-hearted soul seeking atonement, and Legato is an evil bastard who would kill children if it would get Vash on edge (and ironically Vash is a lot more like Kenshin).

Watch a Rurouni Kenshin episode, then put on a Legato episode of Trigun and don't look at the screen.

Your mind will freak out just a bit!

[Rynnec]

Whenever I hear Kenshin, I hear Legato and vice-versa.

It really takes a while to shake that impression off before I can get settled back in.

It's especially jarring when you consider how much their personalities contrast. Kenshin is a calm, kind-hearted soul seeking atonement, and Legato is an evil bastard who would kill children if it would get Vash on edge (and ironically Vash is a lot more like Kenshin).

Watch a Rurouni Kenshin episode, then put on a Legato episode of Trigun and don't look at the screen.

Your mind will freak out just a bit!

That is some seriously meta shit.