Rurouni Kenshin

I don't see a Rurouni Kenshin thread here, which is a pity. Time to correct that.

There was a thread for when the new Kenshin anime was announced, but that had 10 posts and we haven't heard any updates about it in forever.

But tis truly a shame that we haven't had one yet.

Yeah, I am keeping eyes on that thread as well but it seems dead until new details arrive.

General Impressions: A generally excellent anime during the first two seasons with mediocre filler as the last third. The real gem is the Shishio Arc which has a coherent, emotional, action-packed plot spanning about 30 episodes.

The manga is just as good but I haven't gotten around to reading the Shishio Arc and on.

edited 3rd Sep '11 9:05:25 PM by revolution11

You aren't caught up on the manga? The Jinchu Arc was an overall very strong arc, and I highly recommend reading it. Maybe even putting it in first priority.

Then again. I'm incredibly biased when it comes to this series, so take anything I say with a grain of salt.

I'll second this. If you've seen the anime, just skip to this arc. You will not be disappointed.

&Yeah, I have heard that a lot. I still want to read the manga from start to finish so I can appreciate the third arc fully. So far I am putting off it off.

Indeed. I love this series and damnit, should've launched this thread earlier.

I've just read the first two volumes, as required reading for my History of the Samurai class, and really like it. Very different from other series I've read, but very good. I'll definitely get around to binging the rest of the series at some point.

And yeah, best class ever, in case you were wondering.

edited 3rd Sep '11 11:00:24 PM by Eschaton

A class. That requires you to read a manga.

Holy shit, there's still hope for humanity.

Yup, and we watch Afro Samurai and Samurai Jack in class too.

Of course, all the fun stuff is at the end of the year (I just read ahead). First we actually have to learn stuff, and then we look at samurai in contemporary, postmodern fiction (I might be able to write my final paper on something like Samurai Champloo).

And then there's the Iaido and Kendo lesson field-trip.

edited 3rd Sep '11 11:07:45 PM by Eschaton

I would go with Gintama. The premise of the the show is that aliens invade and occupy Japan before the arrival of Admiral Perry. Imagine the Meiji era with modern technology. Despite all the gags involved in the series, it's a rather fascinating alternate history.

Nice to see an RK thread up. ^_^ I dabble in the fandom (what passes for it anyway) on Livejournal but it's refreshing to meet fellow fans in other places.

@Eschaton Where are you studying? That is seriously an amazing class.

You're lucky you're separated from me with a computer screen, so I can't stab you in envy.

I wasn't suggesting skipping the Kyoto Arc to get to the Jinchu arc, only that reading the Kenshin manga should have first priority. Then again, I tend to marathon through series.

I like to marathon as well but I just don't have the time these days.

I am hoping that the new anime production is the Jinchu Arc.

What a lost opportunity.

edited 4th Sep '11 9:18:39 AM by revolution11

So did I, but that's not what it'll be...

Well, damn. Still, it'll be interesting to see a reanimated kyoto arc. Maybe we'll get lucky and revitalized interest can eventually get an animated Jinchu arc.

.......Hey a man can dream, right?

So can ladies ^_^ I've been hanging on to the theory/desperate hope that favourable responses to the OVA and the live-action movie will convince Aniplex to invest in an animated Jinchu arc.

That could be possible, especially if we like it over hear, because from what I've heard, the last of the original OV As was commissioned because it was so popular in the west.

And wait Live action movie?

Yup yup yup yup.

RK was my first real manga, and I'm always a little nostalgic about it whenever it's mentioned. If there was one thing that bugged me, though, it's that the women didn't really get to do much. (Of course, you could argue that it's justified given the era.)

So yeah, heard about the live-action movie. The fact that they had Nobuhiro Watsuki on-site bodes reasonably well, assuming he didn't immediately walk off in disgust after. (*coughSeishouhencough*)

If the new anime is a 2-part retelling of the Kyoto arc through Misao's POV, how are they going to handle the fights in Shishio's HQ? Will they shift back to Kenshin or another member of the party?

I am also hopeful that success of the new anime production will increase the chance of the Jinchu Arc being animated.

Not so on the live-action movie. It could be good but I find that it is hard to do high-speed attacks like Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu in a live-action movie without looking cheesy, fake, or requiring CGI (which defeats the purpose of live-action movies).

We shall see.

Ah well, there's always Wire Fu! But seriously? I was thinking of Bullet Time effects. That's probably the best compromise given the crazy stunts done in the manga.

(And don't get me started on what they'll do when the Kyoto arc comes around and that ginormous guy shows up.)

edited 4th Sep '11 10:12:54 AM by Pyrite

But Wire Fu conveys the sense of agility and dexterity, not speed. Bullet Time does this, but it is overrated as a special effect after the Matrix films popularized it.

With Bullet Time, the viewer understands that things are moving really fast. But they are not actually moving that fast.

Maybe I am just nitpicking here. I don't want to derail the thread here.

I absolutely loved the Trust and Betrayal OVA.

And here I was hoping to see the Gein vs Kenshin and Kenshin vs Enishi fights animated. I'm watching the Kyoto arc right now and really don't see the need for a re-make, particularly since they'll probably either cut down on the other fights or leave them out entirely.