This review may contain spoilers
I finally watched the first Rurouni Kenshin movie, staring Satoh Takeru, and it was so good! The perfect blend of character driven movie and an action flick, just the right amount of both.And the action was honestly breathtaking. The speed at which they fought, the elegance of it! It was incredible. And seeing Satoh Takeru swinging a sword? Holy...!
Speaking of Satoh Takeru, he was ah-mazing here! The way he could go from cute and goofy to murderous in a heartbeat? Perfection. I've seen two dramas with him so far and he was really great in both but here? Here he shined!
One Rurouni Kenshin movie down, 5 to go, yay!
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Endearing with great action sequences
There are some points of this movie that are a bit cheesy, and I wasn't a huge fan of the caricature-ish main villain and the addition of guns (close combat is just that much more captivating).All that aside, however, there was something just so endearing and fun about this being the first movie where we would get all our character introductions and see the gang come together, even if sometimes the storylines felt disjointed.
The main actor just KILLED it though. The transitions from hitokiri badassery to wholesome-guy-carrying-vegetables were great and the combat scenes were perfect, in terms of choreography and cinematography and sound effects. They're just so fun and satisfying to watch, and I especially loved that it was combined with hidden identity reveals.
There was a perfect balance of humor and seriousness — Sanosuke's scenes especially.
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Story:
- Simply put - Amazing. I was so impressed and oddly proud of how closely they followed the original plot and storyline from the anime. Yes there were a few changes due to timing and making sense of Kenshin's backstory but it was so satisfying seeing everything come together. Some scenes in this movie are mirrored perfectly from the anime and that makes me so happy that they were able to make my favorite anime come to life.
Acting/Cast::
-BRILLIANT! When I saw Takeru Sotah as Kenshin I immediately fell in love. The acting is excellent and again they paid close attention to all the small details that I was looking for.
I highly recommend this movie if you enjoyed the anime.
I highly recommend this movie if you enjoy epic sword fights....
Just watch the damn movie!!!!
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A Live-Action Marvel: Thrilling, Indescribable, and Unbelievable!
This Live-Action adaptation is an absolute thrill ride, leaving me speechless with its incredible execution! The plot is masterfully crafted, flawlessly preserving every detail of the main anime, even in movie format. I was hooked from start to finish, and the way the story unfolds on the big screen is truly amazing.The characters come to life with such depth and authenticity, thanks to the excellent crafting of their personalities and development. They truly feel like the beloved anime characters we know and adore.
One aspect that blew me away was the attention to detail in the costumes. They are so exquisite and true to the original anime that it feels like we've stepped into an entirely new and breathtaking world. It's hard to believe it's not an entirely new movie, given how well everything is recreated.
The fighting scenes deserve a special mention, as they are nothing short of awe-inspiring. They flow seamlessly within the storyline, never feeling forced or overwhelming. I was able to follow every move effortlessly, which made the action all the more immersive and thrilling.
I can't stop praising this Live-Action marvel; it's a dream come true for any fan. The thrilling action, captivating plot, and awe-inspiring costumes combine to create an indescribable cinematic experience.
If you're a fan of the original anime or just love an action-packed, visually stunning film, don't miss out on this incredible adventure. It's a Live-Action masterpiece that deserves all the praise it receives and more!
Please note: This marks only the beginning of an epic five-movie series.
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Amazing adaptation - but skip the sequels...
The first of the original 3 Rurouni Kenshin live-action movies is absolutely brilliant. It's mostly a very close adaptation of the section(s) of source material that it covers; the occasionally-silly humor and OTT feel of certain elements are well-done and form a nice balance with the serious parts; the directing, filming, acting (including an especially impressive performance from the actor playing main character Kenshin, as he actually did all of his own fight scenes and stunts! 😳) are all excellent; and the action is *perfection* (not to mention that said action somehow manages to be realistically bloody when called for without being excessively graphic, which is pretty impressive in and of itself). There were of course some cuts and condensing of plot due to the restrictions of the movie's length, but they were minor and didn't affect enjoyment (or mine, at least, which is saying something coming from an adaptation-faithfulness stickler like me 😜). Indeed, literally the only complaint I have is that Kaori is quite a bit more badass in the manga than she is here; however, I could live with that simply due to the sheer awesomeness of the rest of the film. It's an excellent standalone movie that is easy to enjoy whether you're a fan of the manga or not, and I definitely recommend it.---------------------------------------------------------------------
...Now, that said, I was *EXTREMELY* disappointed with the 2 followup movies, and you can read my thoughts about that on their entries. However, thankfully, this first movie is self-contained, so you can easily just watch it on its own without losing anything (and that is exactly what I would suggest).
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The colors and the music are just amazing. Everything looks much more realistic than I thought it will be. The battle scenes were just breathtaking, without too much special effects, but still spectacular in kind of realistic way. The story is a nice mesh-up of the arcs at the begging of the manga (Thank God, they didn't try to cover the whole manga!). The characters were put up nicely and had some part in the story, not just being there, only for the fans to see them... Also the biggest surprise was that Sato is actually a pretty good Kenshin. Much more good than I would have ever given him credit for... After the first few scenes I found myself even liking him as Kenshin quite a lot... Still surprised at that!
Still... the movie gets a 9 from me, because I still don't like the rest of the cast, but as a whole this is one really good live-action, so Kenshin fan or not, I would definitely recommend it.
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This review may contain spoilers
swift moves as its finest
• This is a film with a running time of 135 minutes. As I said, my expectations for Japanese adaptations are high. Altho hindi ko napanood anime nito since hindi nga ako mahilig sa anime, sobrang nakuha ako nito. Kung may irerecommend akong medyo ka-same vibes ng movie na 'to, i would recommend the "Word of Honor" & "The Untamed" series.• Pinanood ko 'to kasi nakita ko nareco sa fb na ang sabi mas maganda raw 'to compared sa One Piece LA, and hindi naman ako nabigo. thnx!!
• The story centers on a former assassin who quit murdering, but his pledge was put to the ultimate test.
• For me, mas hawig siya ng Word of Honor, this is one of my favorite series. Nakita ko si Zhou Xu kay Himura Kenshin. They have a lot in common, since nagdecide sila both magstop sa pagiging murderer naging both lowkey wanderer sila, same sila ng pananamit, same na may unique sword (i think hindi nabanggit kung saan galing sakabato sword ni kenshin), both protector, & the damn swift moves!!!! Btw, i like the details of where Kenshin's scars came from.
• Maganda fighting stance ni Kenshin, well executed ang mga fighting scenes (this is the reason why i love historical drama). He's not Hitokiri Battousai without the stance of battoujutsu >>>
• Battousai vs. mask guy & battousai vs. fake battousai are my favorite fighting scenes.
• Sa scene bandang 94:25 - 94:30 pinakita 'yong swift moves at do'n ako napasabi na hawig talaga sila ng WOH. Napasigaw ako d'yan no'ng nakita ko 'yong familiar na moves, kuhang kuha ako ng mga gano'ng skills, Hitokiri Battousai luluhuran🙇♀️
• If i had to choose between battousai and zhou xu, potah saksakin n'yo na lang aq T____T
• Jin-e said to kenshin "No matter what hitokiri is hitokiri. You won't be able to pretend to be just a rurouni forever." siya 'yong kumuha ng old katana ni kenshin, that's why he was called fake battousai.
• "When someone is killed, hatred is born. The hatred brings another murder. To break this chain, is a purpose of this sword which does not kill." (Kenshin)
How long will Kenshin be able to maintain his word? Will he truly never murder again, even if innocent people are in danger? I have one more question, who is Kaoru in Kenshin's life?
• I liked the plot, camera angle, transition, and intense ost. Kaya gusto ko rin ng mga japanese adaptation kasi iba atake ng visuals nila!! For me, Kenshin resembles Boun, whereas in Kaoru, i see Kathryn. Altho nakulangan ako sa background stories ng mga characters as if i was still looking for smth but this is all goods.
• Baka sa sequel super masatisfy ako, pero binibigyan ko pa rin 'to ng solid 10/10!!!
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This review may contain spoilers
Enjoyable regardless of the manga
I just found out that this was adapted from the manga while writing this review so I'll criticize this movie based on how I watched it.Knowing that this is fictional/fantasy still some parts made me confused. One of the characters has magic as he can use spells or maybe energy they call it when I thought that the drama will just surround about assassins. There was also a scene wherein Kenshin got hit twice on vital parts but he did not die nor even got hurt (maybe he also has this energy).
Nevertheless, I applaud the fight choreography. The BGM was also high in quality. However, I believe that some fighting scenes can be showcased better.
I'm not knowledgeable about history moreover Japan's so I wasn't able to enjoy it to its full extent. Anyhow I enjoyed the fighting scenes.
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Rurouni kenshin
Heard a lot about these movies, and they've been recommended a ton, so I decided to give them a shot. At first, I was a bit lost because I didn't bother with the synopsis. Turns out, in the current era, Hitokiri Battousai has ditched the assassin life and is now on a journey to help those around him.In Tokyo, there's a businessman hooked on opium made by a female doctor, Megumi, who wants to take over the world or something. There's this old samurai, "Saito Hajime," working for the police, hell-bent on stopping the businessman and uncovering the copycat killer who's claiming victims in the name of Battousai. So, he seeks out Kenshin, and this dude's past is basically tailing him everywhere, but Kenshin's not interested. He ends up meeting Kaoru, who lets him crash at her dojo.
The plot was solid – Kenshin battling his past, trying not to revert to his Hitokiri ways. I haven't read the manga, so I can't compare, but I think it holds up well. Asked for some good fight scenes, and they delivered big time. It was a blast.
Enjoyed the whole thing, loved Takeru's acting – missed seeing him around. It was cool to see him in a different light.
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