Rurouni Kenshin Review

Before I begin, I watched and read Rurouni Kenshin long before the creator's unpleasant crimes came to light. This review will only judge the quality of the work not the person who drew it.

Kenshin Himura has been wandering the lands for many years, the older than expected samurai was formerly Battousai the Man Slayer, taking out every foe possible bar the Shinsengumi, he eventually crosses paths with Kaoru Kamiya, a woman who teaches a more peaceful sword art compared to Kenshin's own Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu which he practices with a reverse bladed sword to stop killing and atone but still defend himself should he find himself attacked which is frequently.
Joined by a former bandit, a thief and a medic dubbed a witch, the band of misfits and outcasts setout to stamp out remaining corruption from the remnants of the wars that Kenshin fought, everything from ninja, former Shinsengumi, pretenders to the Man Slayer title and finally the brother of the lover that Kenshin slain.
Kenshin draws alot of comparisons to Trigun with a man wandering around trying to be a pacifist but is constantly drawn into conflict, the difference being that Kenshin's world has more political weight to it as actions often have a much wider effect on the world, it's a very well written story certainly in the manga but the anime had more than it's fair share of problems ranging from poor filler arcs, a poorly executed final season, frequent tonal whiplash and a lacklustre dub.
When it does do something right, it becomes quite compelling and gripping to watch, the ending also comes with a conclusion while sad is strangely fitting.
That's the crux on which I judge Rurouni Kenshin.
Final Verdict: A fantastic samurai story in the manga but the anime suffers with unbalanced tone, poor story structure and an inability to take things seriously especially with that first opening theme, it can do decent fight scenes but that's about it.

End