るろうに剣心 -明治剣客浪漫譚-

RUROUNI KENSHIN: MEIJI KENKAKU ROMANTAN

MANGA

STATUS
COMPLETE
VOLUMES
28
RELEASE
September 21, 1999
CHAPTERS
259

DESCRIPTION

One hundred and forty years ago in Kyoto, with the coming of the American "Black Ships," there arose a warrior who, felling men with his bloodstained blade, gained the name Hitokiri, manslayer! His killer blade helped close the turbulent Bakumatsu era and slashed open the progressive age known as Meiji. Then he vanished, and with the flow of years, became legend.

(Source: Viz Media)

Included one-shots:

Volume 1: Rurōni -Meiji Kenkaku Romantan- (second one-shot for the series, which Watsuki calls a "side-story")

Volume 3: Rurōni -Meiji Kenkaku Romantan- (first one-shot for the series, which Watsuki calls the "pilot")

Volume 6: Sengoku no Mikazuki (Nobuhiro Watsuki's debut one-shot)

Volume 28: Meteor Strike

CAST

Kenshin Himura
Sanosuke Sagara
Kaoru Kamiya
Yahiko Myojin
Makoto Shishio
Hajime Saitou
Tomoe Yukishiro
Aoshi Shinomori
Soujirou Seta
Enishi Yukishiro
Seijuurou Hiko
Megumi Takani
Misao Makimachi
Souji Okita
Jinei Udoh
Anji Yuukyuuzan
Kamatari Honjou
Yumi Komagata
Souzou Sagara
Hannya
Tsubame Sanjou
Yutarou Tsukayama
Kanryuu Takeda
Katsuhiro Tsukioka
Gein

CHAPTERS

REVIEWS

Sakata
100/100
The Cross-Shaped Scar
__Rurouni Kenshin: A Review__ __Introduction__
Rurouni Kenshin is honestly a work of art and a masterpiece series. The main character Himura Kenshin is an example of how to make an amazing protagonist and easily one of the best of all time. Despite knowing the things the author of the manga has done (it’s really disappointing and disgusting) Rurouni Kenshin is a masterpiece of a manga, In my opinion the manga outshines the anime apart from Trust and Betrayal, it’ll take about 2 hours of your time and you’ll experience one of the best backstories ever. As a Gintama stan who loves samurai shit this manga will make you fall in love with it if your into these type of things.

__Characters__
The story of how Himura Kenshin atones for his past sins of being Himura Battōsai, a man slayer. Himura Kenshin as a Rurouni, basically a wandering samurai, is trying to change his ways of his backstory as a killer. He stumbles upon Kamiya Kaoru who means a lot to him since she got saved by him from someone who was from that dojo who wanted to crush it and as a thanks made him stay in her dojo because Kenshin had no where to go. Their relationship at the beginning is about respect but later on she changes him and motivates him because of Kenshin’s shattered worth. He later meets Yahiko, a poor 10 year old boy who pickpocketed Kenshin because that was his job since he was helping out the Yakuza with money. He was also saved by Kenshin himself who saved him from the debt from the Yakuza and let him stay and the dojo, Kaoru would make him train so he could become a fine swordsman to protect himself. Sagaru Sanosuke, a former member of the disgraced Sekiho Army in his childhood. He became a fight merchant under the name Zanza, Meeting Kenshin, Sano put his feelings aside and ended his fighting merchant days. Sanosuke became an ally of Kenshin’s and fought with him. There a lot of other characters, like Tomoe and Shishio that I really like and are amazingly written.

__Art__
The art in Rurouni Kenshin is classic and really freaking good for its time, I actually was really hesitant of starting Kenshin because of its old art style but it’s great. The art makes you feel intrigued and wonder how better will the art style get? From the beginning to the end the art style constantly improves. The ongoing Kenshin manga, the Hokkaido arc’s art style is phenomenal too. It really tells you how much artists can improve over the years, this is obvious and for most mangakz but Kenshin has some uniqueness too it. Like Hideaki Sorachi, creator of Gintama, his art has emotional impact when something cool or something sad happens and I feel the same with Kenshin. Lots of hard work and emotion goes into them, These are some of my favourite panels:

I would really recommend the anime and manga of Rurouni Kenshin because they’re are simply fantastic. Apart from the filler in the anime, everything’s amazing. I would highly suggest the Trust and Betrayal OVA since it shows the origin of how Kenshin grew up and his tragic story that he had went through, and read the manga since the anime doesn’t cover the whole thing. This is my second review on this site so let me know anything for improvements.

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BeybladeTakumi
98/100
The perfect example of a timeless masterpiece.

Overview

This is one of the few times I am struggling to review a manga, not in a poor stereotypical fashion but in a way where I am trying to portray to you just how incredible Rurouni Kenshin is - but I can't. I could simply list a few statements such as; 'must-read-this-before-you-die', 'top-(insert number here)-manga-of-all-time', or use as many possible synonyms for 'masterpiece' as I can to try and convince you to read this manga.

Yet I don't know if I can. Many have seen the anime and view the dates as warning signs for "nostalgia" and animation which is simply too old to enjoy in modern terms - but that can't be farther from the truth in regards to the manga. I could write many more reviews on other sites, point to the statistically high amount of reviews which rate this manga in the 90+ range, or how when we sit in circles and forums talking about the greatest manga's we've read and the inspiration for many other pieces - Rurouni Kenshin is a manga which is always bounced around at one point or another.

Maybe it's the shonen tag and because of that it is slighted to be with other pieces because swordfights, ninjas and samurai are the predominant features of this all time classic - which sets up flags for readers as they bandwagon the manga with others. Yet, Rurouni Kenshin is not a 'samurai-manga' - let me see if I can elaborate just a bit before proceeding further.

As a reader and being apart of the anime community, do you know how we all like to 'tag' and 'group' things? Another "Isekai-Harem" anime, another "OP Main Character", or with one glance through of some artwork and the first chapter you're able to summarize how an anime or manga will be played out? You can not define this manga in the same way as you can majority of other pieces. This is not a 'shonen samurai manga', Rurouni Kenshin is a masterpiece story which is classified as a shonen and has samurai in it.

-

Rating: 98

What makes this piece so highly rated for me? Every part about it. True, when I saw the overview of the manga at first I was hesitant, expecting a 'boys manga' with lots of sword fighting and a group of friends who bring justice to a torn society. That can't be farther from the truth.

The art and story are perfect. It's honestly incredible just how well written and illustrated this piece is. It continuously keeps your attention, feeling natural, unforced and well paced as you read along. The art itself is the definition of 'balance' - not overly detailed or overly simplistic, it does what many manga's struggle to do: compliments the story where they work in unison to portray what is needed to the viewer. When you read it you are hooked, completely immersed and importantly - not distracted by the art or bored with the reading.

The characters are so well developed, with the perfect amount of backstory for almost all characters - which is a rarity. The growth and development of these characters is honestly the best part of the whole manga for me personally. It's a common trait which is found in classics and older shonen manga's where you instantly hook up with the characters, having a common ground with them and even before backstory kicks in - you feel as if you just "know" them. When you explore the characters and even when side-parties are introduced, it grows the story in a healthy manner - making you want more.

I could go on and on, but I'm not going to. Rurouni Kenshin is a manga which cannot be defined by a few tags or even with a demographic, whether you enjoy sword fighting or not I implore you to give this manga a read. The length is a healthy amount, feeling just right at 255 chapters, nor are there any portions which feel overly stretched.

The reason for the 98 is because it's damn-well near perfect for me and when it's that highly rated, the difference between a few points and perfection comes down to personal preference.
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joshiffy
100/100
Spoiler-Free Rurouni Kenshin Review
Rurouni Kenshin Review
__joshiffy's spoiler free review on Rurouni Kenshin__ _"You can die anytime, but living takes true courage."_

Introduction

I began Rurouni Kenshin a while ago, I was interested primarily in its' artstyle and character designs. This was before I found out about Wakui's controversies, which I will keep outside the review. Obviously, I do not endorse his actions nor have I supported him in anyway whilst reading the story.

I didn't expect this story to captivate me the way it did, but I am pleasently surprised of course. I want to keep this review personal to myself, as I believe it is a story that is best experience for yourself, so I will try to keep it spoiler free.

Plot Summary

A once savage and murderous samurai assassin from the Bakumatsu Period struck fear in the hearts of many who dared to cross him.

His name was Himura Kenshin, the Hitokiri Battousai. That name would follow him even in the years he left that world behind. Now in the Meiji Era, the man wanders. Atoning for his sins and seeking a path of peace. A path that would be hard to come by as his haunting legacy continues to creep up on him.

Finding new friends, Himura Kenshin begins to protect the peace and fight against the horrors that he was once a part of. He will face off new foes with his friends and allies, forming relationships that he never thought would have been possible back in the old era.

__Why it works for me__
There are many reasons as to why the formula works so well for me. It's a tale of a character seeking redemption for their own actions.

He never feels sorry for himself, nor does he ask for forgiveness, he just wants to make things right in the present, knowing that his past will always be a part of him, something that he will never escape as new villains continue to push him to bring back his old self.

It's such an invigorating tale of self-importance that every time I look at a picture of Kenshin or watch a video with him in it I just remember the story, his ideals and his outlook. He was masterfully crafted. He is such a strong main character that truly resonates with me as a result.

__What else?__
I want to remind you that this is a spoiler-free review of Rurouni Kenshin, as I absolutely recommend anybody to read this first, rather than spoil themselves on the plot. A part of what makes Rurouni Kenshin so special is the fact that it is a journey of self-redemption, and so being with Himura Kenshin through that journey in full is something I 100% recommend. I understand the ethical side of not wanting to read the story, but nevertheless I still absolutely recommend it for the sole purpose of the Jinchuu arc alone.

Where there is a history of horrible bloody evil, there will always be a shadow that creeps up. That shadow... is something you will have to see for yourself. Something that challenges Himura Kenshin to the very core.

__Final words__
Rurouni Kenshin is my favourite story of all time, so I absolutely recommend it. There are other characters I haven't highlighted on in this review, but that's because I don't want to spoil anybody on what they will eventually all mean to Himura Kenshin. There's Kaoru Kamiya, Sanosuke Sagara and many more to boot, especially Yahiko Myōjin which becomes one of my absolute favourites.

So if you're reading this review and haven't read or watched Rurouni Kenshin yet, what are you waiting for?
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