SAMURAI X

Trust and Betrayal

Review by Matthew Anderson

2 OVA series

Company: ADVision

Running Time: 75

Region: 1

Rating:PG (Language and Violence)

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EXTERNAL EXAM

It is the late 1800's, the twilight of the Tokugawa Shogunate. In Kyoto, a group of rebels are planning overthrow the government. They feel that the Shogun is corrupt and they wish to stop the oppression of the citizens. If they succeed, they will bring about the Meji Restoration.

Enter Kenshin, a victim of violence. After his guardians are killed in a bandit attack, he is rescued by Hiko, a master swordsman. Trained by Hiko in the Hiten Mitsurgi style of swordsmanship, Kenshin decides to use his talents to protect those who can not protect themselves. This puts him in direct conflict with his master, who worries that the boy's

heart is too pure to handle the fact that that killing in the name of good is still killing.

A few years later, Kenshin has become an assassin, good at what he does. One night he is wounded by the bodyguard of one of his targets. When the wound refuses to heal, it is then he understands the message that Hiko tried to tell him. Now Kenshin is questioning his whole world. The arrival of a young woman named Tomoe furthers his inner turmoil. At first not sure of each other, the become friends.

Now, with his world changing. Can his pure soul survive a life of constant killing, and what will he do with Tomoe, the young woman he has sworn to protect?

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DVD VISION TEST

VIDEO: Being a very recent OVA, you would expect nothing but a good quality source. You get it. The beauty of the art work and the fluid motion of the animation is well represented in this DVD. No pixels or color bleeds but there is some slight wrinkling detected.

AUDIO: The sound is very well done, with the beautiful music score surrounding you, as does the violence of the sword fights. Both the Japanese and English tracks are well mixed with good surround sound elements. The Japanese track has a softer sound.

EDITS: Japanese titles have been replaced with English ones, as have the closing credits.

EXTRAS: Text information about the time period and character info. Also, you can take out the cover and flip it over for the superior Rurouni Kenshin OVA covers, released in Japan.

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WIDESCREEN REVIEW

STORY: Samurai X (Rurouni Kenshin) is a prequel to the Fuji Television series. Masashi Sogo has written a very strong an moving masterpiece. There is no comedy what so ever, unlike the TV series. Taking the threads of Kenshin's past, he has done a great job of weaving them together, while at the same time, ensuring that the new viewer does not need to have seen the TV series to keep up.

ACTING: Since this series takes place in the late 19th century Japan, Japanese is the best way to appreciate the masterpiece this show is. Since the cast from the TV series has been reunited, it makes for a better performance because they know their characters, inside and out.

The English cast is a little flat and dull in some parts. Fans of the Anime Works dub will also be disappointed, since the voice actors are different. Overall, they do a decent job, but with this being a distinctly Japanese anime, it is just not the same.

FAN SERVICE: Plenty of cameo's of major characters from Rurouni Kenshin. Some of the battles seen in flashback during the television series are recreated here, with a little more intensity, and a lot more gore.

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FINAL EXAM

Rurouni Kenshin, the TV series is one of those anime that appeals to everyone. There are awesome sword fights, gut busting comedy, and plenty of suspense. This OVA is totally different, both in tone and in animation.

When the series starts, the Meji Restoration has been over for a year. We meet Kenshin, a wandering assassin. Through out the course of the series, we learn from him, and from his opponents about his past. His marriage, his master Hiko, and fighting men who have become his allies, all told in flashbacks. When the series ended, it ended very open ended. The OVA was announced soon afterwards, but it was not going to be the conclusion. It would be a prequel, tying together all the back history of Kenshin Himura.

When you write a prequel, there is a tendency to change things around. Fortunately, the OVA keeps itself well within the events established in the series. Even the dialogue has not been changed. Knowledge of the series is not require to enjoy Samurai X, but you may get a little extra satisfaction if you have seen the Anime Works release of the show.

Animation wise, gone are the wide eye designs, and simpler animation. This is a beautiful looking anime. The colors are more subtle, and the level of detail is high. Everyone looks Japanese, and dresses in period costumes. Except for Hiko. Still in his big collar, open shirt, disco looking outfit, he seems a little out of place with the beautiful kimonos.

Disc wise, this is a very nice release. The video looks good, the sound is mixed well. The extras a better than some. I do like the fact that you can view clips of the character. The only problem I have is some of the character information is a little inaccurate, at least in relationship to the TV Series. Saito does not die in the rebellion, but becomes a policeman, keeping order and teaming up with Kenshin whenever someone would threaten that order.

I feel that I should also mention that Samurai X is a total misnomer. Kenshin Himura was a hired killer, not a samurai. The samurai worked for the Tokugawa Shogunate, not against. Calling this Samurai X is like calling "Akira" "Psychic Battle Bikers". Ninja X would have been closer. I just don't understand why they didn't call it Rurouni Kenshin.

If you love Rurouni Kenshin, Samurai Eiga, or beautiful stories, make sure that you get a copy. If you are new to this series, and you enjoy this disc, check out some of the other "Samurai X" titles and the Anime Works release of Rurouni Kenshin.

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