Rurouni Kenshin

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Rurouni Kenshin
Original title る ろ う に 剣 心
transcription Rurōni Kenshin
Kenshin Logo.svg
genre Comedy , adventure , romance , shons , history , drama
Manga
country JapanJapan Japan
author Nobuhiro Watsuki
publishing company Shueisha
magazine Weekly Shonen Jump
First publication April 1994 - November 1999
expenditure 28
Television broadcast
Country of production Japan
original language Japanese
Year (s) 1996-1998
length 25 minutes
Episodes 95 in 3 seasons
idea Nobuhiro Watsuki
production Ayao Wakana, Hiroshi Hasegawa (Studio Deen), Koji Kaneda, Mitshuhisa Hida, Mitsuhisa Hida (Aniplex)
music Noriyuki Asakura
First broadcast Jan 10, 1996 - September 8, 1998 on Fuji TV
synchronization
cinemamovies
► Rurouni Kenshin - The Movie (1997)
► Rurouni Kenshin (2012)

Rurouni Kenshin ( Japanese るろうに剣心-明治剣客浪漫譚- Rurōni Kenshin - Meiji Kenkaku Romantan ) is a manga series of Japanese cartoonist Nobuhiro Watsuki , among other things, as Anime - television series was implemented. Rurōni is an artificial word created by the author, which should mean something like "wanderer", "vagabond" or "wandering rōnin ". Kenshin (literally "sword heart, sword soul") is the name of the main character.

The story takes place in the early Meiji period in Japan and tells of a samurai who has to grapple with his past as an assassin during the Bakumatsu riots.

action

prehistory

The nine-year-old Shinta is kept as a servant until robbers kill his owners. He escapes death only with the help of Seijuro Hiko , who becomes his master and calls him Kenshin . He learned the art of sword fighting called Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu and at the beginning of the Meiji Restoration he went into battle as a 15-year-old assassin for the Shishi to prevent further tragic fates like his. So he becomes the legendary Hitokiri Battosai . He meets the beautiful Tomoe , with whom he hides in the country when luck turns against her. You lived happily as a pharmacist and his wife for a while. Tomoe wants to avenge her fiancé, who was killed by Kenshin and left him with his first scar, but Kenshin doesn't know that he destroyed Tomoe's happiness. One day her brother Enishi shows up and reminds her of the plan to kill Kenshin. In the meantime, however, Tomoe had fallen in love with Kenshin and could still not prevent enemies of the Choshu patriots from trying to kill Kenshin. A fight ensues with traitors from the Choshu patriots. Kenshin attacks one of the men, but Tomoe intervenes, because she doesn't want anyone to die, and is killed by Kenshin. He gets his second scar and wins the fight. Kenshin had understood through the luck he had experienced with Tomoe that a sword is there to protect life. He then vows never to kill anyone again after the end of the Bakumatsu era and has been using an inverted sword, the sakabatō, ever since.

Tokyo Chapter

In Tokyo in the year Meiji 11 (1878), a murderer pretends to be "Hitokiri Battosai" ( assassin + swordsman ), who was a known assassin during the Bakumatsu riots. Now Kenshin Himura appears . He is confronted with his past and has to confront the impostor who threatens the young kendo teacher Kaoru Kamiya. After helping her, he can be persuaded to stay in her dojo . They were soon joined by the thug Sanosuke Sagara and the young orphan Yahiko Myōjin. All of them fought or suffered in the civil war and lost relatives or good friends.

She soon turns to doctor Megumi Takani for help as she is forced to work for an opium dealer. The friends help her and fight against the Oniwa Banshū , a ninja group that consists of former protectors of the castle of Edo and now work as mercenaries for the opium dealer under Aoshi Shinomori . The Oniwa Banshū fight against Kenshin, but are only killed when the opium dealer betrays them. Only Aoshi survives and then wants to take revenge on Kenshin. Later, Kenshin and his friends also fight against a separatist movement of swordsmen and the fake Battosai who wants to take revenge.

Kyoto chapter

Then Makoto Shishio wants to seize power in Japan. He gathers warriors around him in Kyoto, including Aoshi Shinomori, who call themselves Juppongatana ( ten swords ). Therefore, Kenshin is sent to Kyoto by the Japanese government to stop Shishio. On the way he meets the young ninja Misao Makimachi , who also belongs to the Oniwaban. Knowing nothing of the rivalry between Kenshin and Aoshi, she helps Kenshin. Later she tries to mediate between the two. Kenshin's friends follow him and he receives help from Saitō Hajime , a police officer he knows from the civil war. They manage to defeat Makoto and his allies and prevent a coup.

Jinchu chapter

Shortly after returning to Tokyo, Kenshin is haunted by Enishi Yukishiro , the younger brother of his late wife Tomoe. Enishi has lost her mind with the death of his sister and is obsessed with the idea of ​​taking revenge on Kenshin. He has gathered a small group of criminals, all of whom also have an account with Kenshin, and explains the war to Kenshin and his friends. Enishi's real goal is not simply to kill Kenshin, but to destroy him psychologically. He almost succeeds when he kidnaps Kaoru and lets Kenshin believe he murdered her. Ultimately, Kenshin fights with Enishi. His friends give him the strength to defeat Enishi, who wanted to kill Kaoru, but fails because she reminds him of his sister. Kenshin and Kaoru are reunited and Enishi lives on and has to atone for his deeds by living.

In the end, Kenshin and Kaoru get married and have a son named Kenji . Yahiko becomes a master of Kaoru's sword school and finally receives the sakabatō from Kenshin.

  1. ↑ jinchū ( 人 誅 ) is a made-up word that contrasts with tenchū ( 天 誅 ), "Heaven's punishment, divine punishment", where the sign for heaven is replaced by that for man.

Characters

main characters

Cosplayers as Kenshin Himura
Kenshin Himura
緋 村 剣 心
Bed .: Kenshin German roughly "sword soul " / sword of the heart 		Kenshin is the main male character in the story. He can be easily recognized by his cruciform scar on his left cheek and long, red hair. His weapon is the sakabatō , an inverted- bladed sword that does not kill. He leads this in Hiten-Mitsurugi-Ryū ( 飛天 御 剣 流 , "flying-sky-sword style"), whose philosophy is the protection of other people. A feared assassin during the Civil War, while living in the country with Tomoe, he learned to appreciate the simple life. When he lives with Kaoru, he helps a lot in the house, washes, cooks and looks after the children.

Kenshin often uses the exclamation oro , in comical or confusing situations, and de gozaru , an affirmation of what has been said before. That and his name are a reference to Watsuki's favorite Japanese comedian, Ken Shimura . The character of Kenshin is roughly based on Gensai Kawakami, who lived from 1834 to 1871 and was an assassin during the Bakumatsu, and Uesugi Kenshin , a daimyo of the Sengoku period . The character was designed as a contrast to Watsuki's first main character, a tall, black-haired handsome boy. In order not to make him appear too girlish, Kenshin got his cruciform scar.

Kaoru Kamiya
神 谷 薫 		Kaoru is the main female character and lives in a Dōjō in Tokyo. She has been leading this since her father perished in the Satsuma rebellion . She is a kendo master and teaches the Kamiya Kasshin-ryu (神 谷 活 心 流, style of the revived heart). This style has the goal of protecting others and is carried out with wooden bokutō . She is bad at cooking, which is why Kenshin often does it, and is easily quick-tempered.

She is often referred to as Tanuki by others, especially Sanosuke .

Sanosuke Sagara
相 楽 佐 之 助 		Sanosuke (also Sano ) left his family at a young age to join the Sekihōtai , a group of fighters during the Bakumatsu. The Sekihōtai fought for the imperialists, but were betrayed and destroyed by them. Sanosuke survived and became Zanza , a mercenary with a zanbatō , a large sword. When he is hired to murder Kenshin, he is defeated by him. He joins Kenshin, lives in the Kamiya Dōjō and they both become good friends. He often fights with his fists because his sword broke.

On his back, Sanosuke wears the kanji惡 ( Aku ), which means bad or evil . It's a relic from his time as a mercenary. Sanosuke's name is derived from that of the leader of the Sekihōtai, Sagara Sōzō.

Yahiko Myōjin
明 神 弥 彦 		Yahiko is an orphan boy whose father died in the Boshin War and his mother of syphilis . He comes from a samurai family. After the death of his parents, he has to steal for the yakuza . Kenshin and Kaoru help him get out of the yakuza and he has been learning martial arts from Kaoru ever since. He is very hot-headed, arrogant, rude and self-confident. Over time, he calms down, and by the end of the manga and film, he becomes a swordsman. Since he learns from Kaoru, he also uses the Kamiya Kasshin-ryu . During the story he also meets Yutaro , with whom he befriends, but who is leaving for Germany. Later the two meet again.

Yahiko's character emerged from Nobuhiro Watsuki's memories of his own childhood. Yahiko's exterior was designed after a typical boy with a ruffled head who peeps out at an angle from under his hair fringe and, according to Watsuki, belongs in a shounen manga.

Supporting characters

Megumi Takani
高 荷 恵 		Megumi was born during the Bakumatsu, her father died in the Boshin War. According to the family tradition, she became a doctor and also got to know western medicine. Her family was probably of a higher rank, as most Japanese were not allowed to have family names before the Meiji Revolution. She later got caught in an opium ring, from which the twenty-two-year-old was freed by Kenshin and his friends. She often helps them when they are sick or otherwise need medical help. She also makes advances to Kenshin from time to time.

In funny situations she is shown with fox ears, which brings her in connection with the kitsune and emphasizes her devious nature. For example, Sanosuke sometimes calls it kitsune .

Aoshi Shinomori
四 乃 森 蒼紫 		After the Meiji Restoration, the leader of the Oniwabanshū works with four followers for an entrepreneur and opium distributor in Tokyo. Other parts of the Oniwaban live in Kyoto. He wants to fight against Kenshin, because he used to be the Hitokiri Battōsai and he wants to bring honor to the Oniwaban. After the death of his comrades, he also wants to take revenge.

He is very calm, independent and rarely speaks. Mostly he also appears absent and emotionless. He fights with Kodachi , short swords, of which he later uses two at the same time.

Saitō Hajime
斎 藤 一
named after the historical figure of Saitō Hajime 		The former leader of the Shinsengumi fought against the Ishin Shishi and also against Kenshin during the Bakumatsu . At the time of the action he is a police officer who also takes on espionage assignments. He is still skeptical of the government and continues to follow his own philosophy of killing anyone who stands in the way of peace. In his role as a police officer, he meets Kenshin again and again and also goes to Kyoto to fight Makoto Shishio.

He fights with a Japanese sword, although the police should wear western swords, in the style of the Shinsengumi.

Misao Makimachi
巻 町 操
Makimachi after a city in Niigata Prefecture 		Misao belongs to the part of the Oniwabanshū who live in Kyoto. She was raised by Aoshi until he moved to Tokyo. When she was looking for him eight years later, at the age of 16, she met Kenshin on his trip to Kyoto. She later becomes the leader of the Oniwabanshū there.

She is hot-headed and spirited, but matures over time. She is also loyal and strong-willed.

Makoto Shishio
志 々 雄 真 実
 Shishio is the antagonist of the Kyoto episode. He was betrayed and burned by the government during the Bakumatsu, but survived and then seeks revenge. He acts according to the principle “the strong eats the weak” , social Darwinism , and wants to reshape Japan accordingly. He also relies on modern technology from abroad, such as the use of petroleum .

He also fights with the sword and also with his high body heat, which he uses to set traces of oil on fire.

Concept and style

The plot of Rurōni Kenshin consists of three arcs. These are the Tokyo , Kyoto and Jinchū chapters ( 人 誅 編 , Jinchū-hen). The last one, also called the "revenge episode", was not implemented in the television series. Instead, the anime has its own shorter story arcs and filler episodes. The flashback to Kenshin's time as Battōsai told within the Jinchū episode of the manga was implemented in the Tsuioku-hen -OVA. A later published second OVA, Seisō-hen , was also based on the Jinchū episode and this time implemented Enishi's revenge, but in a much shortened form and with a different ending.

The work focuses on the contradiction between Kenshin's vow never to kill again and the urge to become stronger in order to defeat his opponents and protect those he loves. The story takes place against the real background of the Meiji Restoration and the unrest at its beginning. Occasionally figures, for example high government officials, appear who have actually lived.

Elements of the shōnen genre are mixed with those of the shōjo genre, romantic and cute scenes. At the same time, the fights, although they are sword fights, are mostly unrealistic as in fantasy or science fiction works. These unrealistic battles take place against the backdrop of historical events and with historical people. In the later parts of the story there are several strings of battles that alone advance the plot. The design inspired many opponents by American superhero comics, especially through the X-Men by Jim Lee . In general, character design is characterized by a tendency towards angular faces and exaggerated muscles. Super deformed drawings can be found in comical scenes .

Manga

Emergence

As a forerunner of the manga series, two stories called Rurōni Kenshin Meiji Kenkaku Romantan ( る ろ う に 剣 心 明治 剣 客 浪漫 譚 ) appeared in the manga magazine Shōnen Jump in 1992 and 1993 . In the first story, Kenshin helps a rich girl named Raikōji Chizuru , who can be considered the prototype of Kaoru Kamiya . The second tells of the rescue of the eldest daughter of the Kamiya family, Megumi , from marrying a criminal. Kenshin gets help from Megumi's younger siblings Kaoru and Yahiko. Kaoru and Yahiko already have the character they have in the series, but Megumis is still very different. She is more shy and submissive, which is more true of Sekihara Tae in the main series .

Publications

Main series

Rurōni Kenshin appeared from 1994 to 1999 in the weekly manga magazine Shōnen Jump published by Shueisha . The total of 255 chapters were also summarized in 28 Tankōbon (anthologies). The series was published in English by Viz Media and Gollancz Manga , in French by Glénat and in Spanish by Ivréa , Glénat and Grupo Editorial Vid . The manga has also been translated into Italian, Portuguese, Polish and Swedish, among others.

The German edition of the manga was published in full under the title Kenshin by Egmont Manga and Anime (EMA).

From July 2006 to May 2007, Rurōni Kenshin Kanzenban appeared in Japan, a new edition of the series. This comprised 22 volumes and contains more chapters per volume. In contrast to the original anthologies, all colored pages of the manga are actually printed here in color, and each volume also contains newly created color images, new character sketches and newly designed covers. In addition, the last volume by Rurōni Kenshin Kanzenban also contains the story Yahiko no Sakabatō .

Yahiko no Sakabatō

In 1999 followed the 42-page story Yahiko no Sakabatō ( 弥 彦 の 逆 刃 刀 ), which was published in Shonen Jump. It was published in 2006 in the US and in Portuguese by JBC. In Germany, the story appeared in Volume 28 of Kenshin .

The story is about Yahiko, who travels to the Kikuhara Kasshin Shintō Dōjō to teach sword fighting. Once there, he was taken hostage and finally freed the daughter of the dojo master, Midori , and three students from the violence of the criminal Muto Kaname and his followers. He also prevents the police lieutenant Kitaki from executing the prisoner Muto on the spot. In the end, he returns to Tokyo and immediately goes to Akabeko to visit Sanjō Tsubame .

Anime

style

In the series as in the OVAs and the film, “jewel-like colors” are used, similar to modern woodcuts. These give the pictures a hyper-realistic appearance and make the period in which the series takes place appear cleaner and more beautiful than it was. The fights shown are choreographed, as is usual with animes, that is, for example, the opponents run towards each other from a distance before the fight begins. There are also short stills at the climax of the fighting.

Television series

SPE Visualworks (today: Aniplex) produced a 95-episode television series on Kenshin, directed by Kazuhiro Furuhashi . The animation provided up to and including the 66th episode Studio Gallop , then Studio Deen . Nobuto Sakamoto took over the artistic direction. The series aired on Fuji TV from January 10, 1996 to September 8, 1998 .

The series was broadcast on television in the United States , Mexico , Brazil and the Philippines , among others , and has also been translated into French , Dutch and Korean .

synchronization

role Japanese speakers ( seiyū )
Kenshin Himura Mayo Suzukaze
Kaoru Kamiya Miki Fujitani
Yahiko Myōjin Mīna Tominaga
Sanosuke Sagara Yūji Ueda
Megumi Takani Mika Doi
Aoshi Shinomori Yoshito Yasuhara
Misao Makimachi Tomo Sakurai
Makoto Shishio Masanori Ikeda
Hajime Saitō Hirotaka Suzuoki

Movie

1997 became the television series of the film Rurōni Kenshin - Meiji Kenkaku Romantan - Ishin Shishi e no Requiem ( る ろ う に 剣 心 - 明治 剣 客 浪漫 譚 - 維新 志士 の の鎮魂歌（れ く い え む）), which was released in Japanese theaters on December 20, 1997. In English, the film became known as Samurai X: The Motion Picture .

In the film, Kenshin and his friends in Yokohama meet a samurai named Takimi Shigure during a fight against foreign sailors. Shigure was Tatsuki Gensatsu's friend, who was murdered by Kenshin during the Bakumatsu. The following night, Shigure starts an uprising against the Meiji government, because they do not distribute the wealth fairly among the people.

The anime label Kazé Germany released the film in November 2012 under the title Rurouni Kenshin - The Movie on DVD and Blu-ray .

synchronization

The German synchronization comes from TV + Synchron GmbH from Berlin .

role Japanese speakers ( seiyū ) German speaker
Kenshin Himura Mayo Suzukaze René Dawn-Claude
Kaoru Kamiya Miki Fujitani Katrin Zimmermann
Yahiko Myōjin Mīna Tominaga Jan Makino
Sanosuke Sagara Yūji Ueda Alexander Doering
Hajime Saitō Hirotaka Suzuoki Sebastian Jacob
Makoto Shishio Masanori Ikeda Christian Rudolf
Misao Makimachi Tomo Sakurai Julia Meynen
Seijurō Hiko Shuichi Ikeda Jaron Lowenberg

OVAs

To Rurōni Kenshin were three OVA produced by Studio Deen serials. In the first two different historical personalities play a role and the historical background is more extensive. The picture backgrounds were partly designed with photographs. Both OVAs were published again in a "Directors Cut" version, in which the series were cut into two films. Some scenes have also been added.

Both OVAs were published together by SPV GmbH in 2006 in a special edition (with the soundtrack). The dubbing was done by "Circle of Arts". The main role Kenshin was spoken by Clemens Ostermann . Kazé reissued the OVAs in 2012 and released Trust & Betrayal for the first time on Blu-ray , for which the label had a new dubbed version created. René Dawn-Claude sets the main role Kenshin to music again .

The third OVA followed in 2011 on the occasion of the anime's 15th anniversary.

Tsuioku-hen

The first four-part OVA series Rurōni Kenshin - Meiji Kenkaku Romantan - Tsuioku-hen ( る ろ う に 剣 心 - 明治 剣 客 浪漫 譚 - 追憶 編 ) takes place before the television series and contains the part of the manga in which Kenshin's career as a swordsman and the development of his career The scar is cleared. It was published in Japan in 1999, later also in English, Spanish , French , Arabic , Italian and Korean , among others .

Seisō-hen

The two-part OVA Rurōni Kenshin - Meiji Kenkaku Romantan - Seisō-hen ( る ろ う に 剣 心 - 明治 剣 客 浪漫 譚 - 星 霜 編 ) concludes the story of Kenshin. It was published in Japan in 2001, later also in English, Spanish, French and Arabic, among others. In the first part of the OVA, actions from the manga are told that were not previously implemented as anime.

In the first part, the aged Kaoru waits for Kenshin, as Kenshin takes part in an advisory capacity in the First Sino-Japanese War . She recalls that she was kidnapped by Yukishiro Enishi and that Kenshin saved her. But now Kenshin and Kaoru are very sick. Therefore, Kenshin returns to Japan. They meet on the way to their dojo, Kenshin barely has the strength to walk. You fall into each other's arms and onto the meadow under the blossoming cherry trees. Thereupon Kenshin dies in Kaoru's arms, his scar has disappeared.

Shin Kyōto-hen

The two-part OVA Rurōni Kenshin - Meiji Kenkaku Romantan - Shin Kyōto-hen ( る ろ う に 剣 心 - 明治 剣 客 浪漫 譚 - 新 京都 編 ) is a retelling of the Kyoto chapter from the perspective of the character Misao Makimachi. It was directed by Kazuhiro Furuhashi and based on a script by Mari Okada at Studio Deen, like the other animes before.

music

The background music for the series was composed by Noriyuki Asakura. Three opening credits were produced for the television series , each 1.5 minutes in length.

In addition, seven 90-second songs were composed and sung for the credits .

"Niji" by L'Arc ~ en ~ Ciel was used for the opening credits of the film, and " Towa no Mirai" (永遠 の 未来) by Animetal was used for the credits . For the credits of the OVA Tsuiokuhen composed Taku Iwasaki "Quiet Life" and for the credits of the OVA Seisōhen sang Hiroko Kasahara entitled "The Source of Love" .

more publishments

Kenshin Kaden

The 154-page Kenshin Kaden artbook was published for the series, which also contains a short story in color, Haru ni Sakura . In the six-page story, which takes place some time after the plot, Kenshin and Kaoru have a son named Kenji and meet many of the series' main characters over a spring picnic. Kenshin Kaden appeared in German with Egmont Manga and Anime , except for the six pages of the short manga , the issue was printed in a western reading direction.

Novels

In Japan, Shūeisha's Light Novel Imprint Jump j-Books published three volumes of novels written by Kaoru Shizuka . The first was released in 1996 and contains Voyage to the Moon World and Sanosuke and the Nishiki-e . The second from 1997 includes the stories Yahiko's Battle and Kurogasa . The third, which came out in 1999, features the Shimbara story arc from the television series.

The first volume was also published in English.

Video games

The two games Rurōni Kenshin: Ishin Gekitō-hen (1996) and Rurōni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan: Jūyūshi Imbō-hen (1997) were released for PlayStation . In 2006 the game Rurōni Kenshin: Enjō! Was released for PlayStation 2 . Kyoto gutter . All Kenshin games are only released in Japan.

In the video games for Nintendo DS Jump Superstars and Jump Ultimate Stars , in which various characters from anime can be found, Kenshin and other characters from the series also appear.

Actual filming

In 2012, a real- life film of the material was made, in which Kiyomi Fujii wrote the script and Keishi Ohtomo directed. The main roles are played by Takeru Sato , Yû Aoi and Teruyuki Kagawa . The film, called Rurouni Kenshin , was released in Japanese theaters on August 25, 2012. Two more feature films, which deal with the story of Shishio Makoto and were also directed by Ohtomos, came out in 2014. Rurouni Kenshin Kyoto Taika Hen ( る ろ う に 剣 心 京都 大火 編 ), came to the cinemas on August 1, 2014, and Rurouni Kenshin Densetsu no Saigo hen ( る ろ う に 剣 心 伝 説 の 最 期 編 ) on September 13, 2014. In addition to the equally cast leading roles The series has been newly cast, for example Yusuke Iseya (as Shinomori Aoshi), Tao Tsuchiya (as Makimachi Misao) and Ryunosuke Kamiki (as Soujiro Seta).

Music publications

Sony Music Entertainment published five CDs for Rurōni Kenshin from 1996 to 1997 with the background music , some of which are contained in several versions, such as guitar, electric guitar or acoustic and vocal versions. These are the Rurouni Kenshin OST 1 ( るろうに剣心 ), Rurouni Kenshin OST 2 - Departure ( るろうに剣心:明治剣客浪漫譚-オリジナル·サウンドトラック~ディパーチャー ), Rurouni Kenshin OST 3 - Journey to Kyoto ( るろうに剣心~明治剣客浪漫譚 ~ III ), Rurouni Kenshin OST 4 - Let it Burn ( る ろ う に 剣 心: 明治 剣 客 浪漫 譚 - オ リ ジ ナ ル ・ サ ウ ン ド ト ラ ・ ク 4 ~ レ ッ ト ・ ・ イ ッろ うCollection : Rる ろ うThe ( ) and R Collection The Collection Collection : R心 ろ うオ リ ジ ナ ル ・ サ ウ ン ド ト ラ ッ ク ~ デ ィ レ ク タ ー ズ ・ コ レ ク シ ョ ン ).

In a Rurouni Kenshin Brilliant Collection from Miya Records , all character-related songs and background melodies were published again on three CDs. In 1999 the company issued a limited Premium Collection .

Two albums were also released with songs sung by the voice actors. Rurouni Kenshin Songs Album 1 ( る ろ う に 剣 心 ~ 明治 剣 客 浪漫 譚 」ソ ン グ ス ) from 1996 also contains a radio play. Rurōni Kenshin Songs Album 2 ( る ろ う に 剣 心 / 明治 剣 客 浪漫 譚 : SONGS2) came out in 1998. Sony Records also released a Rurōni Kenshin Best Theme Collection ( る ろ う に 剣 心 / 明治 剣 客 浪漫 譚 - ベ ス ト ・ テ ー マ ・ コ レ ク シ ョ ン ) and a Rurouni Kenshin OP / ED Theme Collection .

To Tsuiokuhen released the album Tsuioku Hen OAV OST: Rurōni Kenshin ( るろうに剣心:明治剣客浪漫譚追憶編-オリジナル·サウンドトラック ) and Seisōhen Rurouni Kenshin Seisouhen OVA OST ( るろうに剣心:明治剣客浪漫譚星霜編-オリジナル·サウンドト ラ ッ ク ). The album Rurouni Kenshin: Requiem for the Ishin Shishi Theatrical Animation Original Soundtrack ( る ろ う に 剣 心: 明治 剣 客 浪漫 譚 維新 維新 へ へ の 鎮魂歌 劇場 盤 - オ リ ジ ナ ル ・ サ ウ ン ド ト ラ ッ ク ) was released for the film.

The music albums Rurōni Kenshin Ishin Gekitōhen OST ( る ろ う に 剣 心 、 明治 剣 客 浪漫 譚 ) were released for the games on Antinos Records and Rurouni Kenshin Intrigues of the 10 Heroes OST on Sony Music Entertainment .

In 2002, Miya Records released a Rurouni Kenshin Complete CD box , which contains all of the music pieces published for Kenshin on 12 CDs.

reception

Rurouni Kenshin was successful with both male and female audiences because, in addition to the shōnen- typical genre elements with the good-looking main character, it also includes cute and romantic scenes. According to Patrick Drazen, the work depicts a samurai life as it never existed, but as pacifists would have wished for at the end of the 20th century. Susan J. Napier ranks the anime among the best historical-themed anime ever produced. Jason Thompson certifies that the series has a good balance between fighting scenes and character development. Even in phases that are determined by battles, a connection to the higher-level action is maintained. The character development is well done and the comic scenes are entertaining.

In Germany

On the German market, Kenshin is one of the most famous mangas that are set against a historical background.

The AnimaniA writes that the plot of Kenshin vividly illustrates that "good" and "bad" are not easily defined and that some "bad guys" grow dear to the reader. The manga “is teeming with interesting characters”, the drawings are beautiful, “the old scenery of Meiji Japan is very atmospheric” and the story is “super exciting”. The series is "absolutely recommendable, especially if you are a little interested in Japanese culture and history".

Irene Salzmann from Splashcomics praises the series for the many levels of action and surprising twists. The arc of suspense over the action is "slowly but consistently increased". The relationship between action, tension and humor is well measured. In the course of the plot, the characters would be characterized more and more deeply and developed further. At the end, however, the story becomes weaker, the humor subsides and in the last volumes it is noticeable that Nobuhiro Watsuki has lost interest in Kenshin . The end is not surprising, but satisfactory for the fans. The drawings are dynamic and rich in detail, super deformed drawings are only used in appropriate scenes.

According to the funime, Rurouni Kenshin - Tsuioku Hen is primarily tailored to Japanese tastes, the many historical figures appearing are unknown to western viewers. The OVA is much more bloody than the manga or the television series and without humor.

Web links

Commons : Rurouni Kenshin  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Trivia at animenewsnetwork
  2. ↑ Notes on the genesis of the characters: Kenshin Himura in Kenshin , Volume 1
  3. ↑ Notes on the origins of the characters: Yahiko Myoujin in Kenshin , Volume 1
  4. ↑ The historical background in Kenshin , Volume 1
  5. ↑ a b Patrick Drazen: Anime Explosion - The What? Why? and wow! of Japanese Animation pp. 110,111. Stone Bridge Press, Berkeley, 2003.
  6. ↑ a b Jason Thompson: Manga. The Complete Guide . Del Rey, New York 2007, ISBN 978-0-345-48590-8 , pp. 308 .
  7. ↑ a b Irene Salzmann: Review of volume 10 at Splashcomics
  8. ↑ Anime News Network via Yahiko no Sakabatō
  9. ^ A b Susan J. Napier: Anime - From Akira to Princess Mononoke , p. 159. Palgrave, New York, 2000.
  10. ↑ Patrick Drazen: Anime Explosion - The What? Why? and wow! of Japanese Animation pp. 18,19. Stone Bridge Press, Berkeley, 2003.
  11. ↑ Anime News Network for the television series
  12. ↑ Anime News Network on Tsuiokätze
  13. ↑ Anime News Network on Seisōhen
  14. ↑ Irene Salzmann: Review of Kenshin Kaden at Splashcomics.
  15. ^ Warner Bros. Official Homepage ( Memento of July 22, 2017 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on January 7, 2013
  16. ↑ The Manga phenomenon. The history of the origins of Japanese comics and their significance for German publishers and libraries p. 52. Diploma thesis by Andrea Ossmann, Stuttgart, 2004.
  17. ↑ AnimaniA , 3/99, p. 44 ff.
  18. ↑ Irene Salzmann: Review of Volume 11 at Splashcomics.
  19. ↑ Irene Salzmann: Review of volume 20 at Splashcomics.
  20. ↑ Irene Salzmann: Review of Volume 27 at Splashcomics.
  21. ↑ Irene Salzmann: Review of Volume 28 at Splashcomics.
  22. ↑ Rurouni Kenshin - Tsuioku Hen in Funime No. 12