Forum - View topicRurouni Kenshin (TV 1996 + movie + OAVs).
|
Goto page Previous Next |
| Author | Message | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Westlo
 Posts: 1684 |
|
|||
Correct me if I'm wrong but the tv show got cancelled because of the series losing popularity/ratings due to the horrible 3rd season full of filler. |
||||
|
||||
godakame
 Posts: 112 Location: Disney World |
|
|||
|
Nobody has come out with their outright hatred for the third season yet... Good. Although I do think that it is the worst season, I did enjoy many of the episodes. I found the painter and wedding ring episodes highly amusing. There was another episode I liked, but don't really remember much of what happens. One thing I do remember though, is that Kenshin gives Aoshi a foot massage, I think -_-. It's been awhile, I hope I'm not imagining things. Anyway, if that did happen, I was cracking up... err I think.
As for the VA work: I can go either Japanese or English for most of the characters, except for Kenshin -- the main reason I watch it in English. Ranking goes as follows: Megumi Ogata (drama cd) >= Richard Hayworth >> Mayo Suzukaze (only liked her in the OVAs) Regarding the manga and anime comparisons, I prefer some scenes in the anime over the manga, and vis versa. Miniscule scene changes like at the end of episode one, Kaoru accidentally knocks out Kenshin, and is suprised that he didn't dodge it. This doesn't happen in the manga. Lots of little things like that. Also I liked the inclusion of Ayame and Suzume in the anime. When I started to read the manga after watching the anime, the dojo felt a little empty. They are like the useless objects in your house that serve absolutely no functional purpose, yet you adamently refuse to throw them away. Anyone watch the episode of the Simpson's where Marge decides to secretly donate some useless junk to charity? Homer discovers her plan and fervently chases down the junk that was loaded on the charity truck dealie. That's how I feel about Ayame and Suzume... even if they weren't originally suppose to be there. |
||||
|
||||
Tony K.
 SubscriberModerator  Posts: 11305 Location: Frisco, TX |
|
|||
That's correct. I alluded to this and the OAV production in an earlier post. I'm surprised Naruto even survived three seasons worth of that stuff  ...
By the way, I forgot to mention for those who might be interested in the Profiles Artbook from Viz, don't get it. It's just a compilation of interviews done by some guy and it only covers through the middle of Kyoto where spoiler[ The Purgatory got sunk.] It has some nice artwork, but a lot of the commentary done by the writer feels like a bunch of silly speculation like spoiler[ he thinks the cross-shaped scar came from a fight with the Shinsengumi  .]
|
||||
|
||||
rainbowcourage
 Posts: 1216 Location: what is commonly known as "hell week" |
|
|||
|
On the note of cancellation, my comment was that because the anime caught up to the manga a season of filler was then created, causing a direct decrease in popularity.
Speaking of the shinsengumi...Saito is quite the interesting character, and I've never had the opportunity to talk much about him. He has a wife, right? I also should brush up on my Japanese history, because I'm positive that would enrich my experience. Yes, Tony, I will agree that bipolar is too strong a word to describe Sano; however, you are nitpicking 
More importantly... what is Saito's role in the series? I know he is at first Kenshin's sworn enemy and perhaps equal to him in swordsmanship (though Kenshin would win in a fight, no doubt!), but after a while he sort of takes on the "helping-hand" role. The other thing is that I believe (correct me if I'm wrong) that in the anime Saito is the only person who manages to bring out the full Hitokiri Battousai, i.e. Kenshin's mad kill-all self. |
||||
|
||||
|
Tony K.
Subscriber Moderator Posts: 11305 Location: Frisco, TX |
|
|||
Only because I care more so than others usually might  .
As for Saitou, I would say he serves as the closest thing to Kenshin's rival. You could also try to argue Sano or Aoshi for that role as well, but Sano just doesn't have the skill or experience to match up and Aoshi was a bit of a head case after the Onwibanshuu arc in Tokyo. His mind was never crystal, he became that "soldier on the verge of chaos," and we never really get to see his true potential after he starts to find himself and recover. Saitou, on the other hand, fought Kenshin numerous times during the Bakumatsu, so he obviously would know Kenshin, or rather Hitokiri Battousai, the best. Of course we know of the feud between the Shinsengumi and Isshin Shishi, but it should be expected to have the strongest of two opposing armies clash with one another time and time again. During Kyoto, we see Saitou merely gauging the abilities of the former Battousai in preparation for the plot to assassinate Shishio, but after they iron things out and focus on the situation at hand, it appears that the long-time rivalry kind of subsides and is never mentioned throughout the rest of the series (anime or manga). Instead of remaining his rival, Saitou becomes more of an anti-hero character; he fights for the good guys, but doesn't necessarily get along with the main protagonist either. He and Kenshin say they'd like to settle their duel at some point, but it never happens. And personally, I wouldn't want to see such a thing because I know Saitou would kill Kenshin, but I don't want to see Saitou get humiliated if he loses and Kenshin shows him mercy. By the way, I keep meaning to ask about those drama CDs. I know they have a completely different voice cast than the anime, but I'm really intrigued by some of those seiyuu (particularly Megumi Ogata and Tomokazu Seki). Do all of the CDs cover the entire series? And if so, where can I buy them? I'd love to listen to them while reading my manga .
|
||||
|
||||
|
godakame
Posts: 112 Location: Disney World |
|
|||
This one believes that she was buddha. Ah, you reminded me of one gripe I had about ADV's translation of the OVAs. Saito and Okita had a small conversation between them at one point in the OVA. But ADV translated the scene as though Saito was of higher rank than Okita. But historically Okita was captain of the first unit of the Shinsengumi, while Saito was captain of the third unit. SO I guess that would mean Saito is of lower rank or at least same rank. ADV translated "Saito-san" as "Lord Saito". I dunno, that's always bothered me.
Saito's role? His role is typical of a shonen series; a former foe that turns friend. I'm quite fond of Saito myself, considering that he is quite a sardonic character. And concerning Kenshin's alter ego, I'm pretty sure that Jin'e as well as Saito brought out the full Battousai. |
||||
|
||||
|
Kyuriko
Posts: 152 |
|
|||
|
The Rurouni Kenshin Drama CD sounds interesting and I have been curious about listening to it as well; however, since the Romantan series began in 1995 it's probably going to be a very hard-to-find item. I found some information about the CD that should aid you in your search, but you might have to resort to seeking Japanese sites. I believe they only cover the first three volumes judging from there being only three CDs, but I could be wrong.
Rurouni Kenshin CD Book 1 (SCD-111), 1994.12.00 Rurouni Kenshin CD Book 2 (SCD-117), 1995.03.00 Rurouni Kenshin CD Book 3 (SCD-123), 1995.07.00 |
||||
|
||||
SalarymanJoe
 Posts: 468 Location: Atlanta, GA, USA |
|
|||
Yes, after Bakumatsu, Saito married the daughter of a high ranking official from Aizu; they were introduced by the Lord of Aizu, who was the military govenor of Kyoto and sponsor of the Shinsengumi. I believe her name was either Toki or Tokio.
Saito and Okita were the same "rank", each being captain of a squad. If I recall correctly, each were also gekiken/fencing instructors for the Shinsengumi. I don't necessarily agree with the wording of ADV's translation; however, Okita probably did speak "up" to Saito because of the age difference between them. |
||||
|
||||
|
rainbowcourage
Posts: 1216 Location: what is commonly known as "hell week" |
|
|||
|
I remember watching and trying to figure out of Okito was a girl or a boy
(obviously I'm not good with Japanese names either)
Then I figured out that they wouldn't have let a girl fight anyway. |
||||
|
||||
|
Tony K.
Subscriber Moderator Posts: 11305 Location: Frisco, TX |
|
|||
Hooey, I was hoping they'd do a little more than that -_-. Oh well, I'm pretty content with the anime and manga as it is, so no big loss. I was just curious to hear what the characters would sound like under different seiyuu. Tomokazu Seki in particular is one of my favorites, and when I heard him playing Hiwatari in Busou Renkin, who reminded me a lot of Sano, I thought that might've been something very close to Sano's actual character as well. |
||||
|
||||
Iritscen
 Posts: 793 |
|
|||
|
Anyone who wants to know more about Saito can read his Wikipedia entry or this, which I prefer (way more details). It's hard to imagine having Saito as a spouse or father, isn't it? I love the part that talks about how he would ambush his kids with a shinai around the house to make them be more attentive.
One of the things you realize when reading about the historical Saito is that the Saito depicted in RuroKen is closer to his real life character than any other character is to their real-life counterpart by far. He really seems to have looked, acted and talked just like he does in the anime (with the exception that the "Gatotsu" was not his total attack style but simply a surprise move he used once in a while).
Did he though? Think about it, any uninterrupted match between these two guys would have resulted in one or both dying. We never even get to see how the one match ends that's shown in Kenshin's flashback to the Bakamatsu. Perhaps they never finished the fight. I also have to wonder how well they really knew each other, seeing as Kenshin is completely surprised when Saito reveals the second, vertical Gatotsu thrust in their fight in the Kamiya dojo. In any case, it feels unlikely to me that they could have fought many times without resolution (in the show or in real life, with Saito vs. Kawakami Gensai). Just my $0.02. |
||||
|
||||
|
Tony K.
Subscriber Moderator Posts: 11305 Location: Frisco, TX |
|
|||
Good point. I was just basing that they had many encounters because of how familiar they seemed with one another during Kyoto. Like when they were on their way to spoiler[ sink The Purgatory and discussing Shishio's plan], it was like, they totally got along as if nothing ever happened. Then again, 10 years is a long time, though you have to wonder if either of those two are really the types to let their pasts go, at least in the particular aspect of their rivalry. And then later, even after their fight got broke up at the beginning of Kyoto, it was clear they still had some feelings for the rivalry, but then spoiler[ Saitou acts like he doesn't even care when he gives the map of Shishio's lair to Aoshi.] Makes me wonder just what his motivations in life are, other than Aku Soku Zan, if any. |
||||
|
||||
HitokiriShadow
 Posts: 6251 |
|
|||
|
The rivalry may have had less to do with how often they fought each other than it did with the fact that they were among the strongest warriors during the Bakumatsu. Though I'm pretty sure Kenshin said at some point that he fought many inconclusive fights with Saito. Its highly probable that their fights were always interrupted due their comrades retreating, moving on, being slaughtered, etc. There were other things to consider and if their comrades were leaving, they would have needed to as well.
|
||||
|
||||
|
Tony K.
Subscriber Moderator Posts: 11305 Location: Frisco, TX |
|
|||
|
Ah~ another great point. Given that they were each fighting or an army at the time, comrades would always come before the self, and thus the many inconclusive battles with one another.
Or maybe, now that I think about it, it might've also been a result of their swordsman's/martial artist's honor. If you look at a lot of rivalries in general, whenever you have two highly skilled or insanely powerful people going against each other, there's a kind of mutal respect between the two regardless of the result. |
||||
|
||||
bonbonsrus
 Posts: 1537 Location: Michigan, USA |
|
|||
|
I think it's wonderful that I can see so much love thrown at RK still when it's been out of the limelight for awhile now. Y'all are making me want to see it again soon, however I have no way to do so at the moment.
Thanks to all the comments here, I guess I will have to watch it subbed, I always liked the dub frankly to this, so I never bothered the other way, although I watch about 75% of my anime subbed. I couldn't express hatred of the third season as well, simply because what was prior was so wonderful, it was easy to give some leeway too and hope for better. I am so soft on anime I like sometimes. I am thinking I saw the manga however at the library the other day, they didn't have the first several there, however I could certainly put them on hold to get them that way until I get a chance to see it again. I would guess the anime follows it fairly closely, so that should work for now. Seeing the wonderfully fluid fights in motion in the anime however was a highlight. |
||||
|
||||
 |
All times are GMT - 5 Hours |
|
|
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group