Rurouni
Kenshin
The Hitokira Battousai or Man Slayer from
the English version, was a legendary samurai who had killed over
a thousand men. Kenshin was that man. Yet he has given up his killing
ways, and he wants to atone for his sins. And so begins the journey
of Rurouni Kenshin the wandering samurai.The series has three major
story arcs or sagas.
The first saga is all about Kenshin overcoming
the killing machine within him. This is, in my opinion the backbone
of the series. You are introduced to some of the most dynamic characters
that will reappear later throughout the series. The villains Kenshin
face are as dynamic as our hero. They all have depth to them, and
you will very seldom see a villain on the show that is one dimensional.
They all have "reasons" that justify their actions. Although
this is great to give that human quality and feel to an animated
character, it does tend to drain you. In the mist of some heavy
and intense battles and fights, the villain or the spectators LOVE
to take you through the two combatant's life stories. Some times
it's cool just to have a character that is just evil without reason.
The second saga is by far the best of the
series. Kenshin must defeat Shishio, a guy who became what Kenshin
used to be without reverting back to the killing machine he once
was. The villains are meaner, stronger, and more dangerous than
the ones Kenshin and his crew faced in the first saga. Even more
so, Kenshin's childhood is revealed.
The third saga is more of a
cooling down period from all the things that happened in the second
saga. It introduces a few more characters, but they aren't as charismatic
as the characters in the earlier half of the series. The pace of
the storytelling becomes shorter than what was seen in the previous
saga as well.
-Zojitzu
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