1
kobeno1
Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
This review may contain spoilers
Killing Gives Birth to Hatred, and Hatred Kills In Its Turn
Himura Kenshin is a samurai and former assassin who has killed countless times. He soon discovers that each time he kills, it costs him a piece of himself.
Vowing to live by a new code. A code in which he refuses to kill, Kenshin becomes a very unorthodox and yet inspiring character who uses his incredible fighting skills to help those who can't fight or defend themselves.
The Wanderer finds himself coming across young Miss Kaoru who owns a fencing dojo. Her dojo is wanted the new town bureaucrat who finds that in the new Japan, money is power. Not the samurai. He buys what he wants, and sends his own paid thugs and assassins to deal with those who refuse to sell.
Kenshin finds his new vow tested to its limits. For someone who has killed countless times, what's one more? And what does it matter if it's done to protect or save someone?
The fighting choreography is probably the best I've ever seen. The speed and skillset of each move is so lightning-quick that if you blink, you'll miss a sequence.
And yet this movie is so much deeper than a mere "samurai/martial arts" film. It's about love. It's about redemption. And it's about realizing that it's never too late to change. "No one is not worthy" Kenshin reminds one of his opponents. He's not only speaking about his foe, but also reminding himself that he's not lost.
The best pearl of wisdom is spoken to the high police official who believes that Kenshin is insane for applying a code that--in his mind--is ludicrous and can't possibly work. Kenshin replies, "Killing gives birth to hatred, and hatred kills in its turn. To break that chain, I carry a sword that will not kill." Indeed, Kenshin carries a blade that is backwards to help him prevent killing.
This series is simply a work of art. It has mystical elements, bordering on the "superhero" genre, but at its core, it's about the power of justice. There are elements of humor as well as a lot of flamboyance, but I believe that this is intentional, as I'm guessing that manga series it hails from is much the same.
I watched "The Beginning" and "The Final" before Netflix finally gave us the other three films. So far, none of these films have disappointed me at all. Two hours and twenty minutes seem to fly by.
Vowing to live by a new code. A code in which he refuses to kill, Kenshin becomes a very unorthodox and yet inspiring character who uses his incredible fighting skills to help those who can't fight or defend themselves.
The Wanderer finds himself coming across young Miss Kaoru who owns a fencing dojo. Her dojo is wanted the new town bureaucrat who finds that in the new Japan, money is power. Not the samurai. He buys what he wants, and sends his own paid thugs and assassins to deal with those who refuse to sell.
Kenshin finds his new vow tested to its limits. For someone who has killed countless times, what's one more? And what does it matter if it's done to protect or save someone?
The fighting choreography is probably the best I've ever seen. The speed and skillset of each move is so lightning-quick that if you blink, you'll miss a sequence.
And yet this movie is so much deeper than a mere "samurai/martial arts" film. It's about love. It's about redemption. And it's about realizing that it's never too late to change. "No one is not worthy" Kenshin reminds one of his opponents. He's not only speaking about his foe, but also reminding himself that he's not lost.
The best pearl of wisdom is spoken to the high police official who believes that Kenshin is insane for applying a code that--in his mind--is ludicrous and can't possibly work. Kenshin replies, "Killing gives birth to hatred, and hatred kills in its turn. To break that chain, I carry a sword that will not kill." Indeed, Kenshin carries a blade that is backwards to help him prevent killing.
This series is simply a work of art. It has mystical elements, bordering on the "superhero" genre, but at its core, it's about the power of justice. There are elements of humor as well as a lot of flamboyance, but I believe that this is intentional, as I'm guessing that manga series it hails from is much the same.
I watched "The Beginning" and "The Final" before Netflix finally gave us the other three films. So far, none of these films have disappointed me at all. Two hours and twenty minutes seem to fly by.
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