Rurouni Kenshin Tsuioku Hen [Blu-ray]

I ordered this JAPANESE EDITION of the Rurouni Kenshin Remembrance based on other reviews saying how “truly awesome” it is and what a great buy even if it’s expensive. I especially looked for reviews that said the Japanese cast voices and English subtitles were well-done because I dislike English dubbed anime and poor English subtitles that can ruin an otherwise great anime production. This digitally re-mastered HD Blu-Ray format of the classic is definitely awesome if you have the right smart 4K TV and a good 4K blu-ray player to do it justice. The old Sony blu-ray player I had could not do it for 4K. So I even upgraded to a new $300 4K region-free blu-ray player to ensure I could enjoy the full experience of this dvd and other 4K dvds I ordered.As some other reviewers have said, you may have to adjust the aspect ratio of the TV screen from the picture setting menu to fully see and read the English subtitles. I have a LG 4K OLED65CX and had to use “Original” format to do this. So I am viewing this blu-ray edition in the aspect ratio as it was originally shown on TV in 2003. This means there are 6” wide black bars on both right and left sides of the screen. No problem…still visually stunning with sharp picture and rich color on a 65-inch screen. Using the full screen format cuts off the English subtitles so only those who understand Japanese and don’t require subtitles could use an expanded screen format.Is this Aniplex blu-ray edition worth $89.99? Maybe not if you’re not a real hardcore anime fan or especially a fan of the Rurouni Kenshin series. It’s hard to justify paying $89.99 for only 116 minutes of viewing time. I actually watched all five live action films starring the incredible Takeru Sato as Kenshin (The Beginning and The Final both on Netflix, and the other three – Part 1 - Origins, Part 2 - Kyoto Inferno, Part 3 - The Legend Ends are on Amazon) before going backwards to find the original anime series. After seeing a video from the original edition on YouTube, I knew I wanted to buy this 4K anime edition of this part of the RK series. Just wish it was half the price!*See attached photos from this Japanese Edition viewed on a LG 4K 65” TV. Included 2 scenes without dialog (one is a night fight scene) and 3 other scenes with dialog to show the high quality of visuals and easy to read English subtitles.

Bottom Line: you definitely want this blu-ray version if you're fan or this movie, or if you're an Asian cinephile with a good TV and surround sound.Yes, I know this is expensive, but this is because it's an import from Japan, since there's no US distributor. CDs, Blu-rays and the like are quite expensive for reasons that are beyond this review, and IIRC the cost is around $80-100 US equivalent if you buy it in Tokyo (which is not at all out of line for a one-disc movie/CD in Japan - they're expensive!!!). But it's definitely worth it for two demographics:1. fans of the movie: you like this movie in the first place, get this. The mastering and HD presentation on this is light years better than the previous US DVD set. Colors, resolution, clarity, contrast are excellent on my so-so TV set. This makes the beauty of the animation stand out. Likewise, the sound is a set better if you have a decent surround system (but the lossy dolby soundtrack on the US DVD set was pretty good).2. Asian cinephiles: one of my favorite Samurai type movies - if you appreciate this genre enough to seek out releases that don't have wide distribution outside of Japan (I do for many foreign movies, especially Asian movies) definitely get this. Conceptually/philosophically, this is as good IMO as anything else of the genre. Cinematography is excellent, though there are lots of subtle visual cues that only those who really know Japanese culture will fully understand. The dramatic flow and plot line are also quite well done. It's had a lot of re-watch value for me.Notes:- contains both Japanese and English subtitle and soundtrack options. Japanese soundtrack with subtitles is the way to go.- Only criticism I have of this is that since they used the four-episode OVA format (good) they kept the now redundant credits at the end of each episode (a bit odd) and instead of having credits after Kenshin gives up the sword (like in the OVA and movie version) they the credits roll after he burns the house and the scene shifts to Kyoto's Daimonji-yama (bad and annoying but by no means a deal breaker).

I have a collection now of over 60 blu ray transfer animes and this is by far the sharpest, cleanest and most color rich transfer I own. I had the original Trust and Betrayal on dvd and it didn't hardly come close. It was way too dark even if you adjusted your tv or system and looked a bit choppy on newer smart tvs. My 1 regret is not having a 4k to watch it. However there are a few off points I'll mention but they weren't enough for me to alter the score I gave. First off the text for the language and sub's at menue are incredibly small I had to squint just to see what was what to switch it up. 2nd- the letterbox formation is in 4:3 aspect (black bars on left and right) I thought this was just a default and could be changed but scoured the menue and couldn't find one. Not saying there isn't one but not one I found. I used the aspect ratio changer on my tv and set it to wide screen and it fills the screen completely and correct. The last point is obvious depending if you get a better deal than I did on price.This is my favorite anime so when I saw it I had to have it as it is a limmited press and payed a good bit for it but even at 40 -50$it is quite expensive. I payed $80 on release but even half is alot for anything less than a complete series of anything else which usually range in the $25-40 range. Won't go on about eveything else the other positive reviews cover the rest.