June 2000) (original) (raw)

Rurouni Kenshin

Or The Story With Many Names

by Jen Bomford

A samurai in the beginning of the Meiji Era, a period in which samurai were bereft of respect, power, and the right to wear a sword; a period of drastic change as a country isolated for three centuries is faced with a flood of foreign influence . . . sounds like a good setting for a story, doesn't it?

Well, it is.

Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan (Kenshin the Wanderer: A Romantic Tale of a Meiji Era Swordsman) began as manga series set in the late 1800s by Nobuhiro Watsuki. Watsuki has admitted to a passion for McFarlane toys, and it has been suggested that his character design is influenced by this; in fact, one of the villains looks remarkably like Gambit in a kimono (the character, Jinnei, is nothing like the Cajun charmer in personality, however). Watsuki's character designs are quite imaginative, varying from very traditional Japanese clothes to costumes with superhero-style leanings. In the Meiji era, clothes were fluctuating between traditional and Western style, and Watsuki reflects this in his art.

The protagonist is Kenshin Himura, a small, effeminate-looking wanderer with a cross-shaped scar on his cheek and a sword at his hip. Kenshin comes across as a clumsy but well-meaning goof; he speaks in a very humble manner, referring to himself in the third person as "this dishonoured one". However, Kenshin is a brilliant swordsman. Other characters make up the main group: Sanosuke Sagara, a rough-and-ready young fighter who becomes Kenshin's best friend; Kaoru Kamiya, a young women running a kendou Dojo and who is Kenshin's love interest; Yahiko Myoujin, an orphaned boy from a samurai family who comes to study under Kaoru; and Megumi Takatani, a talented doctor who becomes Sanosuke's love interest. There is a large cast of villains as well, usually characters from Kenshin's past.

Kenshin's past? Kenshin was the best killer in Japan, fighting to bring in the Meiji government. However, Kenshin has vowed never to kill again; the sword he bears is sharpened on the back edge, so when he fights it isn't lethal. He is usually kind and generous to a fault, doing all the laundry and most of the cooking for Kaoru while he lives at her Dojo - but he has his dark side as well. He actually changes personalities when he fights and is constantly worried that he will revert to being a killing machine.

One interesting aspect of this series is the mix of history and fiction. There are several characters based on actual historical people. The historical notes demonstrate that Watsuki has a deep interest in his country's history, particularly sword-fighting techniques. The most significant of these characters is Hajime Saitou, one of Kenshin's old foes who comes back to haunt him. Saitou is one of the more popular villains due to his nasty sense of humour and cool sword-fighting technique.

The manga has never been officially translated into English, which is puzzling because this is a VERY popular series in North America; there are many unofficial translation pages on the Internet where you can read the story in English. The manga is reasonably easy to find through comic book stores as well. It has been translated into French as Kenshin Le Vagabond. North American fans refer to this series as either "Kenshin" or "Ruroken".

As this series was so popular in Japan, it was made into a television series, an OVA series, and a movie. The television series for the most part follows the manga very closely, although it slightly changes the character design - it seems the animators were not willing to keep Kenshin quite as cute as he is drawn in the manga. Both the manga and the television series are long-running stories with lots of humour, fighting, and a hint of romance. If sword-fighting is not your interest, this is not the story for you. This is the main focus of the story - sword-fights, special techniques, and how being a swordsman affects a person living in a time where the sword is not only obsolete, it is illegal. The characterization is not that deep, but it is good, and the characters are extremely likeable. The overall themes are those of friendship and honour, and the villains are rarely mere black hats.

Although the manga is not available in English translation, the television series and OVA series are being released this month by North American distributors. The television series will be available from Anime Works, while the OVA is being distributed by ADV. However, one caution is that the OVA deals with Kenshin's past, and to be properly appreciated and understood, it should be watched after watching at least part of the television series. This is how the story unfolded in the manga, and it is how the anime was released in Japan. The television series is being released as Rurouni Kenshin, while the OVA series is being released as Samurai X. This very popular series, whether called "Ruroken" or Samurai X, is highly recommended.

Editor's Note: OVA or OAV are movies or series that have only been released to video. OVA/OAV productions do not have the stigmata attached to them in anime circles the way that direct-to-video releases have in North America. OVA/OAV are often of a much higher quality of animation than are the television counterparts.