In the 90s,
there was an anime series that I and my peers looked forward to watching daily.
We tried not to miss an episode of the swordsman, the one-time Samurai Hitokiri
Battōsai, as he went about helping villagers and bringing down oppressors.
The Hitokiri
Battōsai manga series was successful enough to spawn an anime (cartoon)
series, and after a long wait of 13 years, this wonderful live-action movie of
the tales of Hitokiri Battōsai (Rurouni Kenshin) was made.
Continuity is the movie’s strong point, and that’s nothing compared to the fluidity of the fighting style displayed. The fight coordinator and director, Keishi Ōtomo, made sure that the fame and skill of Hitokiri Battōsai—which we’ve seen and read about in the anime and manga—were well portrayed. The actor, Takeru Satoh, was also a high point in the movie. Transforming from anime to live action can sometimes be difficult, as some of the motions in a cartoon can’t be easily adapted, but Satoh tried, and it was impressive.
The film, like
the manga and anime, focuses on fictional events that took place during the
early Meiji period in Japan. It follows the story of Hitokiri Battōsai, a
former samurai who gave up fighting and now uses a reverse-edge sword to avoid
killing.
The movie shows
how he tries to live a sword-free life but keeps falling into situations where
he has to draw his sword again.
After the Samurai
X days in the 90s, all that many of us fans had were memories of the past.
Many collected the entire anime series to watch as often as they pleased. So,
when I happened to stumble on this movie, I was curious to see if they would do
justice to one of the best cartoons of the 90s. While watching this film, I
actually believe the producers did a good job, and I do hope a sequel will be
made.
The sad thing I
had to face while watching this movie is that I had to wait over 35 minutes to
see Kenshin take on a gang. I can understand the need to give the viewer some
form of suspense, but I thought it would have been better served with a fight
early and then the long wait. That first fight scene was so impressive that I
just had to rewind to see it again. This is one of the coolest movies to watch,
and I recommend it to all Samurai X fans.
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