Rurouni Kenshin

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Sounds like I really need to read Rurouni Kenshin. I kind of like the TV series, but I love Trust & Betrayal. If the manga's even better than that... damn.

Trust and Betrayal is basically the anime adaptation of the Remembrance arc, but while I love that OVA/movie, I find the manga version to be a bit superior due to some additional story content that was cut for time in the anime version, and also because of those insiteful intermissions in which the time flashes forward to the present and you have the regular RK characters reflecting on the events of Kenshin's past (since, in the manga its more interconnected into the story of the Revenge arc). On that end, whereas you only got to see Enishi as Tomoe's bratty little brother in the OVA, you get to see him as fully grown bad-ass ready to seek his vengeance on Kenshin in the manga (there is also the Reflection OVA, but the less said about that, the better).

Yeah, the manga is definitely the best version of the Rurouni Kenshin story-line, and easily the greatest thing that has EVER come out of WSJ, in its entire history. It's basically the single greatest shonen series ever written.

[Foggle]

Yeah, the manga is definitely the best version of the Rurouni Kenshin story-line, and easily the greatest thing that has EVER come out of WSJ, in its entire history. It's basically the single greatest shonen series ever written.

Better than JoJo's and Otokojuku? Oh my.

[Rynnec]

I still need to get through the Tokyo arc (Should I just finish the rest of it through the manga?). I have the first 3 volumes of the Kyoto arc via the Viz Big Omnibus, and I love what I've seen/read of it.

Tokyo really was much better in the manga, I'm not really sure why they stuffed the filler in the anime like that.

I hope one day they do another anime, though disappointingly I know it won't have Freckles as the theme song which would be a massive step down. 

It also wouldn't have Heart of Sword and 1/3 Junjou na Kanjou.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Heart of Sword is basically the best song from the Rurouni Kenshin anime, and the that I feel fits the series the best.

For what it is, Freckles is a pretty amusing theme, though certainly not one of my favorites.

I do really love the OST to the anime, though. It has the right mix of suitably somber and reserved themes, while also playing out the intense and epic sounding tunes when the time calls for it. That music that was playing when Kenshin was fighting Soujiro....man was that some awesome stuff.

[gunswordfist]

Tokyo arc- 8/10 - I love the little fights Kenshin and crew get into here. Honestly the first or second fight Kenshin had in the entire series is probably my favorite due to how I loved how it was drawn. The one vs many fights are so much better in the manga. Also, the Aoshi arc is damn good. For Sano and Yahiko, I thought this was the best instance of them helping out Kenshin. It didn't feel forced, out of place or anything. Hell, this also might be the only time where all 3 of them work as a team in the entire series (they get split up in the mansion though and it's one on one style like how they pretty much always fight). All headlined but a villain that's cruel yet deeply cares about his team. Jeez, I almost bumped this up to a 9. Oh, and in the anime, this arc was the first time I've seen an animated series openly talk about drug use and suicide. The Toonami cut didn't really hold back. Aoshi arc gets a 9 from me on its own.

Kyoto arc - 10/10 - Kenshin gains so much in this arc, Saito is used the best here, I love the main villain group and the fights and story are great.

Remembrance - 9/10 - Damn, ek makes me want to reread this. I'm not sure what to say about it myself.

Jinchu - 8/10 - A very necessary arc but a bit too disjointed. Well by disjointed I mean the secondary characters weren't used well. Especially Aoshi. He killed one important villain and figured out Kaoru's corspe was a fake but that's about it. This all happened because the arc was pretty much just for Kenshin and about him moving on from the most tragic part of his life but I wish Watsuki found a way for everyone else to have a decent role here. Ok, not as bad as I make it sound but still not enough.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Jinchu - 8/10 - A very necessary arc but a bit too disjointed. Well by disjointed I mean the secondary characters weren't used well. Especially Aoshi. He killed one important villain and figured out Kaoru's corspe was a fake but that's about it. This all happened because the arc was pretty much just for Kenshin and about him moving on from the most tragic part of his life but I wish Watsuki found a way for everyone else to have a decent role here. Ok, not as bad as I make it sound but still not enough.

I completely disagree. You totally missed the point of Aoshi's character development. You just look at his actions but not his actual character. First off, going out of his way to find out Kaoru's location was a big step for his character. Previously he had really gone off the deep end when he had lost his team in the Tokyo arc, and had been so consumed with wanting to defeat Kenshin to honor them that not only did he cause them trouble, but he ended up regrettably turning on his own people, and even nearly killed his old master. A big running theme of this arc is leaving  the past as it is and moving forward with your life. On that end, Aoshi's character gets plenty of development in that regard. That line he says about having an ordinary future as a shopkeeper or such not being such a bad thing is a moment you see just how far his character has come from what he used to be. You are focusing on the wrong things. Killing off one guy and finding Kaoru's location were what he did in the arc (which by the way IS a pretty big freaking deal, so I don't know how you have a "that's it?" attitude towards a character accomplishing a pivotal plot point), but finishing his character development was the main point of Watsuki including him in the arc in the first place.

As for Yahiko, this was a big coming of age character arc for him. I don't mean just in terms of getting stronger, but in terms of taking on more responsibility as well. This was the point where he finally realized that he didn't just want to be seen as the kid who hangs out with Kenshin from time to time. He wanted to legitimately fight alongside him in the same way that Sanosuke did. This was where he finally stepped up for himself and told Kaoru to but the bullshit aside and progress his training to get him to a level in which he could actually be more useful (it was heavily implied that she was just keeping his training going slow, but that he was talented enough to progress his training at a much faster rate). He also has a great character moment when he shows his courage and leadership when he got a bunch of police officers to help him defend the town and stall for everyone to escape when one of Enishi's minions went on a rampage.

And did you just forget about Sanosuke getting an entire mini-arc all to himself? The point of that arc was not only to tie-up loose ends with his character's past regarding his family, but it was also a way for him to realize that he needed to be there for others who cared about him, regardless of any problems he had with them. On that end, it was his redemption for initially abandoning his family to fight in a war, when he looked down on his father for just being a "lowly farmer" when he believed that they should be helping in the war effort. On that note, in this portion he had just abandoned Kenshin because he was tired of him sulking over Kaoru's death, and was furious that he couldn't get Kenshin to snap back into being like his normal self, not really taking the time to consider the other person's point of view. Overcoming that character flaw of his was the point of Sanosuke's own personal segment of the arc.

You're saying that the Revenge arc (or Jinchuu arc, with 2 u's, BTW) didn't give any other characters aside from Kenshin a chance to shine, but clearly that's untrue if you look at all of the development that the other characters got in this arc.

[Spark Of Spirit]

I just really liked everything about the Revenge arc. It wasn't as epic or explosive as Kyoto, but it wasn't trying to be. It wraps everything up perfectly.

Also, I do like Freckles the most of all Kenshin's themes. It's like its Smile Bomb to me.

Sounds like I really need to read Rurouni Kenshin. I kind of like the TV series, but I love Trust & Betrayal. If the manga's even better than that... damn.

Read the manga.

I still need to get through the Tokyo arc (Should I just finish the rest of it through the manga?).

Read the manga.

Yes Avaitor, read the manga.

[Avaitor]

Yes Avaitor, read the manga.

I read it like 3 years ago. I LOVED it. Top 5 manga for sure.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Yes Avaitor, read the manga.

I read it like 3 years ago. I LOVED it. Top 5 manga for sure.

Just covering my bases, glad to see another fan!

[gunswordfist]

Meh, I said not enough chances to shine, not none. Pay attention.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Meh, I said not enough chances to shine, not none. Pay attention.

And yet you're still full of shit.

Go blow a cactus.

[gunswordfist]

Meh, I said not enough chances to shine, not none. Pay attention.

And yet you're still full of shit.

Go blow a cactus.

I don't want your ex.

[gunswordfist]

We can all agree that the Raijuta arc is the series' worst, right? It's the only part of the manga that I did not like.

[Grave]

If you're strong you live and if you're weak you die. That's been in my head for at least 2 weeks now, and I can't believe I haven't posted in this thread at all since I've been here.

It's been so long since I've actually watched or read this, so going off of memory will do no good in terms of rating, but once I get around to it ratings will definitely be coming.

What I can bring up at the moment, though, is that Kenshin is the best protagonist in shonen, and it sucks that no one can/will follow. I understand that shonen is aimed at teens and whatnot, but my goodness, you'd think people would understand the success of this series and try having adults be your main protagonist for a change.

I do remember liking all the characters except Sano, and even then, I'd say he's better than the rest of your average hot heads in shonen. I definitely have to read the series again, but I think it was the anime that made me not care much for his character. It'll come back to me eventually.

As for my favorite character, that's a tough one because I like Kenshin, Hiko, Aoshi, Saito, Soujiro, and Shishio equally. Speaking of Shishio, just thinking about the anime, I'm not entirely sure if anyone else could voice him outside of Steve Blum because his voice just fits him perfectly. I'm trying to think of v/a's now and place them as Shishio, and trying to hear this in my head just don't sound right at all. I can't even picture the great Crispin Freeman's voice on him and his voice usually sounds great on any character that's a badass.

[LumRanmaYasha]

I understand that shonen is aimed at teens and whatnot, but my goodness, you'd think people would understand the success of this series and try having adults be your main protagonist for a change.

Toriko is 25, and all the other main characters are in their mid-20's as well.