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| Reviewer: Sam Brown |
Certificate: 12 |
Format: Dubbed |
Distributor: ADV |
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S A M U R A I X |
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For those of you who don't read UMAA, don't be fooled by the title. This is the first of a four-part video prequel to Ruoroni Kenshin, the hit samurai anime and manga. For more information on the original television series you can check out: www.anipike.com/rkenshin.html, but for now I'll concentrate on this episode. A young boy, Shinta, watches in horror as the slavers he was sold to, as well as his fellow slaves, as massacred by unknown assailants. Just as he is about to be killed he is saved by a wandering swordsman, Seshiro Ito, a man with a fine line in dramatic dialogue and an obsession with sake. Ito takes Shinto under his wing and trains him in the art of the samurai, renaming him Kenshin. Later, in 1864, Kenshin is given to Koboru Katsura's "patriot" Choshu clan, who are fighting for the restoration of Japan against the ruling Tokugawa Shogunate in Kyoto, the capital of old Japan. In return, Katsura must give up swordfighting. 
The distinctive scar on Kenshin's cheek, a wound that will not heal,
is explained. In the line of his duty as an assassin, Kenshin kills
Kyosato, who is due to be married to a girl named Tomoe. Later Tomoe
sees Kenshin dispatch a Nuabonshu Ninja sent to dispose of him, and
Kenshin takes her in...There's a LOT of blood in this one. I can't find fault with ADV's dub, which comprises of a cast largely unknown to me. The animation and style, being an OAV, is excellent, and the swordfighting scenes are superb. Plus, as this is a prequel, the continuity baggage the UK anime fan usually find themselves coping with isn't much of a problem. A word of warning though, this is hardcore historical drama, anybody looking for light-hearted moments had best look elsewhere. But if you're a Hakkenden fan, this is ideal. 8/10 - Classic. And I apologise for any names I got wrong! Back to Menu |
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For more serious ninja style action series check out Ninja Scroll. Assasins,
demons and lots of martial arts fighting ^_^Read the review |
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