In 2001 Western viewers got their first taste of Nobuhiro Watsuki's Rurouni Kenshin series in Samurai X - The Motion Picture. Originally released in Japan as Rurouni Kenshin: Requiem for Meiji Restoration Patriots, the movie takes place midway through the series' timeline but both functions as a stand-alone film and avoids the pitfalls of other movies based on popular franchises.
Story - Wars Past and Historical Fiction
Kenshin Himura was one of the deadliest assassins in the civil war that marked the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate. Now in the peace of the Meiji Restoration, Kenshin has sworn to never kill again and to protect the innocent with his reversed-edged sword.
However, the ghosts of Kenshin's past refuse to lie down. Fueled by a tactical failure that left his best friend dead, Shigure Takimi believes the government is corrupt and leads a faction to topple it. Kenshin must stop Shigure, but can he do it when he was responsible for Shigure’s pain?
Like most movies based on an anime series Samurai X doesn’t waste time introducing series regulars like Sanosuke, Yahiko and Saito. However, the movie does interweave enough of the characters' backstory into the plot to make up for the initial confusion. Also like the main series this movie is seeped in 1800s Japanese history, but the setting where the nation is trapped between tradition and modernization has always made Rurouni Kenshin unique.
Anti-heroes and Themes
Samurai X is also more than an excuse for Kenshin and friends to show off and fight bad guys. While he isn’t flashy as far as Rurouni Kenshin villains go, Shigure is a convincing anti-hero. His actions aren’t motivated by pure revenge, and Shigure and Kenshin share common beliefs if not goals. While a subplot mitigates Shigure’s actions, the movie mostly avoids making the plot a battle between good and evil.
The movie also avoids romanticizing war. The battle between Kenshin and Shigure’s forces is replayed from different perspectives to show each side's version of the events. Blood and death on the battlefield are stylized in flashbacks, but when they and guns are introduced in the main story the results are more horrific than cool. The action scenes also avoid the series’s mix of flashy attacks grounded in realism until the final duel, to the point where when it does happen the attack names and sideline commentary feel out of place.
DVD Release and Dub
ADV films released Samurai X in 2001 with both English and Japanese language options. The English voice acting isn’t memorable, and it's odd that the child Yahiko sounds older than Kenshin does. Outside of that the translation does its job and doesn't try to Westernize the setting. A action movie that doesn't skimp on plot, Samurai X should satisfy Kenshin aficionados and casual fans alike.
