Samurai X - The Motion Picture (Rurouni Kenshin) [DVD]

To date (12/2/02), this is the only theatrical film based upon the story and characters of the Rurouni Kenshin series. I will skip a summary of the plot, since this will have been covered adequately in other reviews.ADV, not AnimeWorks, produced this American release, and the dubbing team is the same actors who voiced the OVA miniseries (i.e., not the main series crew). This is one of the chief problems with the film (insofar as its American release is concerned); for while the dubbing crew did an outstanding job for the OVA, in my opinion, they had a hard time shifting to the occasionally light-hearted and comic tone required for the theatrical film. (They do much better when the tone shifts to drama.)The dubbing writers chose the odd tactic of representing the antagonist (he isn't really a villain) as being someone who can mimic and improve upon other people's fighting styles--in this case, Kenshin's Hiten Mitsurugi. It's a novel notion, and almost works; but it doesn't really match what is happening on the screen, and certainly doesn't match the original dialogue (so far as I know--the subtitles say he's using his own style, and that fits the series psych-philosophy of dueling much better.)The storyline takes place during the continuity of the main series. Exactly when, is a matter of debate. Internal evidence (as well as production characteristics) indicate that it should be placed after the main series Kyoto arc, but before the concluding feng shui arc of season 3 (when most of the government buildings in Tokyo are wiped out). There are some secondary thematic similarities to the 3rd season Shimabara arc; but the film has a more dramatically satisfying conclusion, in my opinion. (At least the fight scenes are better--so far as they go; they aren't better than the majority of fights during the Kyoto arc...)Artistic values are fairly high 3rd-season level, although not yet at the level of the final main series ep nor the OVA. I found no music in the movie (or on its soundtrack, which I've bought) from the 1st or 2nd seasons; it's all from the 3rd season. (Or it may be that the 3rd season borrows music liberally from this movie, the 2nd season, and a little from the 1st season... The 'new' music first appears in the aforementioned Shimabara arc.)Although the ep isn't strictly canonical (it isn't borrowed from the manga, so far as I know, and other eps don't reference it), I still recommend it as part of a series watch-through.Personally, I prefer to watch it just prior to the beginning of the Kyoto Arc (essentially the whole of the 2nd season).There is nothing too far out of line for shifting the order this early, except for Sano's one use of the futonokiwami move: but in English this is ignored (I don't remember if he says the name of the move in Japanese); and all throughout the 3rd season he is unable to punch with that hand (having broken every bone trying to use the punch on Mikoto Shishio). Besides, as is common for 'strong man' characters in most fictional stories, the RuroKen writers tend to ramp Sano's strength up and down however necessary for the situation at hand: he's splitting huge trees in half with one punch in season 2, partly for comedy-value, _before_ he learns the futo', for instance! Punching a blockade out of the way is in the same vein, I think.Hajime Saito's involvement with the story may seem problematic; but I argue that it can still fit a pre-2nd season 'ep'. We know from season 2 that Kenshin knows Saito is alive; that Saito has been keeping an eye on Kenshin; and that Kenshin wasn't expecting Saito to come after him in _this_ fashion (maybe come after him some day, but not like _this_). This is commensurate with Kenshin meeting Saito briefly in this film. Nothing in season 2 indicates that Kenshin is surprised to learn Saito is a police officer. Saito meets virtually no one in the film who has any bearing to the Kyoto Arc. Saito's involvement in the film is admittedly abrupt, in terms of a 'plot introduction'; but if the film is screened right before Kyoto starts, then the hanging question "Who _was_ that guy!?" is satisfactorily answered right from the beginning.Thus, my recommendation of view order: Season 1 (skipping the False Prophet DVD 4, as to taste), temporarily skip the train robbery ep (DVD 5), then do the short arc introducing Sano's friend (DVD 6), then do the train robbery ep, which the theatrical feature could be seen as beginning with. (The 'modern day' majority of the movie begins with Sano and Kaoru doing their steam/ghost argument while riding the train to Yokohama. Title credit song is highly annoying, btw. |g|) Then after the theatrical, go straight to Kyoto Arc and play out from there. (The coastal pirate arc of Season 1 can be skipped, or put in earlier, as to taste.)

I have seen this movie as well as the series and the OVA's about 8 times total and I still have yet to see what is wrong with this movie besides the fact that you need some knowledge of the series to understand it. The writers did a good job into not potraying the two opposing sides (kenshin and takimi) as either good or bad as we see that the main point was that although killing was necessary to create or defend a government during what is potrayed as the Dark Ages of Japan which was during the time of the Tokugawa Shogunate there is no such thing as a perfect government thereby making all that bloodshed very much pointless. The animation is a little better than the series and it is good for it's time. The music is by far the best with the exception of the intro song. The music provides a melancholy tone and makes the listener feel pitiful with the events that are going on. I do somewhat agree with some reviewers that the plot is predictiable but this movie is supposed to reinforce the fact the eventhough kenshin has seen the light and is bound by his will to keep the promise he made after killing another man slayer named Gentatsu who's death haunt's Takimi constantly and is portrayed as such in the movie by a constant flashback of that moment. For the reviewer who did not see the artistic side of the fact that the same scene was repeated over and over you need to understand that if you were to see a loved one die in front of you while you could not do anything about it you will have the same exact harsh memory in your head it's part of the human mentality. Since I am cutting it close to 1,000 words I will just say that the movie is Worth buying if you are mature enough to understand the plot.

All right ,I have to tell you im obssed about Kenshin and this was a good movie In the beginning of the movie,they show a scene...all right? then during the first thirty minutes, Kenshin,Kaoru,Sanoske,yahiko talk...then they show the the scene at the beginning of the movie again.Then Kenshin and his group meet this new person with really THICK eyebrows,then they show the scene at the beginning again. They just kept on showing THE FIRST SCENE!I was like!OKAY THAT"S ENOUGH NOW!YOU DONT HAVE TO KEEP ON REPEATING IT OVER AND OVER! but toward the end it got interesting,there was action and it was really good then romance then drama. Although,this movie is more like a T.V. series compared to Reflection,Trust and Betrayal, they drew them a little different. The songs were good too,Oh and watch it first in english,cause if you watched it first in japanese,you wont be able to stand the english dubbing.That's what I always do.

This movie, if you buy it, you should watch the TV series up until the beginning of the Shishio saga, at least. If you watch this movie before that you'll just end up confused, saying who is that Cop Dude and so forth. It was just meant to be a quick episode that probably didnt fit into the timing of the regular series.....still worth getting tho if your a BIG fan like me >^.^<as for the Trust/Betrayl OVA's YOUR BETTER OFF NOT GETTING THEM OR WATCHING TILL YOU FINISH THE ENTIRE SERIES.....trust me it'll just be better than. It answers some of the questions you might have had during the series....if you watch them first than you'll just spoil the entire series for yourself.IN CONCLUSION: TV SERIES FIRST, KENSHIN MOVIE SECOND, AND OVA'S LAST is the order in which you should watch them.~TenKen~

Kenshin and friends decide to take a trip to the coast to see new some new buildings, some people who can't let the past go start a fight. a ghost from Kenshin's past drawls him into the fight. Kenshin also get the chance to tell a woman that he killed her older brother and to help her find her way in this new world.

This is a good DVD I first watch this when I was in middle school don't buy if you aren't familiar with Rurouni Kenshin series other wise you will be lost

The live action flim based on this is ten times better than this crap

Nun, Kenshin reist mit Kaoru, Yahiko und Sanosuke nach Yokohama (als Touristen)und wird dort in Unruhen und Machenschaften verwickelt, die sich nicht erledigt haben, wenn sie zurück in Tokyo sind.Kenshin selbst gerät in eine Krise, da er allein weiß, dass diese Entwicklungen auf sein Handeln im Bakumatsu zurückzuführen sind....während Yahiko ernsthaft darüber nachdenkt, ob er die Truppe verlassen soll um zum Feind überzulaufen.Vom Inhalt her eine gelungene Fortsetzung der Serie (auch wenn bisher nur auf dem US-Markt erschienen). Für jemanden der nicht zumindest den Manga ( Carlsen )gelesen hat oder die Fernsehserie gesehen hat,ist "Samurai X" nicht in einen größeren Zusammenhang zu bringen.Vorkenntnisse aus "Betrayal" und "Trust" sind nicht notwendig.

The anime is great dvd works well came on time !