Forum - View topicRurouni Kenshin (TV 2023) (w/ index).
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Tony K.
 SubscriberModerator  Posts: 11315 Location: Frisco, TX |
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Original discussion started here.
Special note: there is a short scene after the credits. So don't turn off the episode early and miss it! ---------------------------------- Episode 05: And Then, Another ---------------------------------- Summary: Kenshin continues to battle Sanosuke and manages to down him. But Sanosuke has a memory from ten years prior during his time with the Sekihoutai, a volunteer army in which he served under Captain Sagara Souzou, which re-ignites his fighting spirit and extends the battle. ---------------------------------- Comments: We get Sano's backstory and learn why he hates imperialists so much. It's also a great introduction to the battle of ideals I keep touting about. But this goes back to the saying of not judging a book by its cover. Ten years is a long time. And contrary to popular belief, people can change. Kenshin is obviously not the killing machine people believed Hitokiri Battousai used to be, as he now fights to protect the weak. And while Sano may have have been a fighter-for-hire, it was simply his way of grieving after the devastation of his captain's severed head had remained seared into his memory for the last decade. But even in defeat, Sano is snapped out of his grief not only when Kenshin's words reminded him of his fallen mentor, but also when Kaoru and Yahiko defend Kenshin, saying he's not the hitokiri he once was. Thematically, I feel the episode also touches a little on the disillusioned divide between idealism and their actual results. The Sekihoutai were obviously screwed over. What made the end-result especially tragic, though, was that they were betrayed by the very government they were fighting for. This reminds me of a line from Captain America: Civil War (2016) where Cap talks about how people in power will always have agendas. So a good question, here, would be: how much can you fight for, and will that fighting ultimately achieve anything? That's another recurring theme these battles will eventually reach. Kenshin did finally call out an attack (Ryuutsuisen). But I feel the show used it effectively because his attacks do have names, and he did remark about how Sano was able to take it, which I think would've been more awkward if he just said "oh, you took that attack" as opposed to "you took a Ryuutsuisen, an effective attack." And they actually changed the attack he did on Kihei. In previous iterations, Kenshin used Doryuusen, a ranged attack that hurls debris from the ground at an opponent (which would've been the rocks they were standing on). However, in this iteration he basically just rushed him with a flurry of hits. I think that was a good decision, as the show has managed to keep some of the shounen-y elements more subtle. Ah, but that post-credits scene. This will be the series' first big baddie. Again, I'm grateful for how today's modern production values can make nighttime in anime look like actual nighttime, now, instead of just dark blue. Just that little intro, alone, gave me chills for what's to come. And whoever is doing his voice seems very good, so far (previously played by Akio Ohtsuka, most famous for Batou from Ghost in the Shell). ---------------------------------- Screen Caps:  
 
 
 
 
Last edited by Tony K. on Wed Aug 23, 2023 4:55 pm; edited 6 times in total |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2901 |
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#6
One would have to rewatch the original episode to find the differences with this iteration, source material didn't really need too much alteration to deliver a solid episode back then and it's still the case now. Top of my head, the police chief being in the room with the target and more obviously Jin'E's swordplay are the notable differences (for the latter, I actually liked the original episode's slashes corresponding to the Kanji numbers when he was rushed. This time round they gave a proper explanation for his sword style which is different in tone, but it still works). Jin'E's signature move is more or less animated the same way in both iterations. As for the VA, they certainly know who to pick for casting. Sugita Tomokazu is a veteran in his own right and has played his fair share of villains, but his performance for this role is very close to the previous VA (Oozuka Akio is still active, but production team probably wanted a fresh slate instead of recasting him) and he does Jin'E's peculiar laugh extremely convincingly. It is no coincidence the first time Kenshin picks up a significant injury in this franchise to date, it's when he faces battle-hardened survivors from the Bakumatsu Era as his opponents. All of his opponents thus far were not the opponents he fought with his life on the line in the past; consequently he is far more experienced and can figuratively pull his punches to get by. Sanosuke is a special case: because of his durability Kenshin had to go out so that he could topple him. Still, Sanosuke was still young during the civil war and wasn't the calibre of opponent Kenshin had to assassinate or fight in pitched battles. Udo Jin'E is different: an assassin who never "retired" and has continued his killing streak for over a decade. Kaoru's unintended intervention gives Kenshin even more motivation to win, but at what cost? Viewers have much to look forward to next week, as the showdown between Kenshin and Jin'E will determine just how much effort the production team is putting into this adaptation. Get it right, and it'll go a long way towards keeping viewers on board (and hopefully eager to buy the home videos when they're eventually released to fund the next adaptations). |
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smurky turkey
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Yeah, that sure is a proper villain/opponent and not at all another scum of the week. Jin-e really is the type to just keep on killing endlessly while not caring about anything else. I assume that includes himself, since Kenshin going for the kill would mean the end for him.
Given how much he has killed I am also surprised that the government has not gotten rid of him yet though. Surely there is some elite squad that can deal with a skilled assassin. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2901 |
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Same reason Kenshin stayed alive for over a decade: not having a fixed address and wandering all over Japan in this period makes it surprisingly difficult for military forces to track and kill individuals. It's also mentioned in this episode that Jin'E's threat has been dismissed on multiple occasions because he's alone (happened in this episode as well). By the time the police realise what has happened, it is too late and he has fled the scene to move on to another target. He doesn't give much notice for his assassination attempts, so summoning an entire army just to deal with one assassin is not something the Meiji government can countenance as it impacts their very credibility. The other factor was also mentioned in this episode: the police deploy their special sword and gun-armed squads as protection detail but to no avail. Most run-of-the-mill assassins would be deterred or slain by this point, since the sword squads are composed of ex-revolutionaries with track records during the civil war (like the soldier who bullied Kaoru a few episodes back, he's a Jigen-Ryuu exponent). Jin'E is so strong that the regular squads are getting slaughtered, so the police chief has no choice but to call upon a former elite assassin to fight fire with fire. As an aside, it's worth mentioning both Kenshin and Jin'E are based on real assassins in the Bakamatsu Era. spoiler[Kenshin based on Kawagami Gensai and Jin'E based on Okada Izou. Both of these assassins were notorious enough to be classified as the "Bakamatsu Era's Four Greatest Hitokiri", with neither of them surviving to hold high office in the Meiji Era] Unlike modern times, going on the run in 19th century Japan and laying low had a high chance of success if authorities are unable to seal off an entire city before the assassin can make good an escape. |
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Tony K.
Subscriber Moderator Posts: 11315 Location: Frisco, TX |
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Original discussion started here.
---------------------------------- Episode 06: Kurogasa ---------------------------------- Summary: Amidst a string of assassinations on ex-Imperialist politicians, the chief of police visits Kamiya Dojo with a special request for Kenshin to assist a group of bodyguards in protecting another politician. But the chief reveals that the assassin uses a particular technique, which pique's Kenshin's interest. ---------------------------------- Comments: We get the first big villain of the series in Udoh Jin-e, who went from ex-Shinsengumi officer to freewheeling, bloodthirsty assassin. As crazy as he is, his presence is actually a nice breath of fresh air compared to the other vanilla villains-of-the-week the previous episodes were providing. Obviously, he's quite skilled, as he managed to cut Kenshin and freeze all the other bodyguards (aside from Sano) with his Shin no Ippo. However, the most dangerous thing about him isn't his technique, but his mindset. Bakumatsu was a very turbulent time filled with bloodshed, and soldiers/officers were frequently killing one another to either preserve the old government system or instill the new one. Unfortunately for Jin-e, he became so good at killing, eventually came to enjoy it, and turned from soldier/officer to serial killer. You could even say this episode starts to touch a little on military psychology and the negative effects of being entrenched in war-like conditions for so long. Plenty of other media have covered the issue of soldiers trying to re-adjust to normal society, with some stories being a success, while others, no so much. But I feel Jin-e is a great introductory example for this franchise of just how much war can mess a person up. The other nice bit of drama came from Kaoru. When Kenshin didn't come back after the previous night, she said she'd rather go fight beside him than be alone, again. Previous iterations never say when her father actually died, and don't even mention her mother at all. But assuming her father's death was, at least, a couple years prior to meeting Kenshin, and considering she's also an only child, that's a lot of loneliness and hardship to bear for a seventeen-year-old. So it's no wonder she seems desperate to keep Kenshin around. I think it's a perfect contrast that the two characters pulling Kenshin each way is a guy who prefers solitude and loves bloodshed, while the other is a girl who just wants companionship and a happy life. This dive into the nature of man will be the main overarching theme of the series, as represented by the members of Team Kenshin and the various villains they face. And finally, I have to give props to Tomokazu Sugita for voicing Jin-e. I'm so used to him doing more comedic or cynical roles (some may know him best as Kyon from Haruhi Suzumiya, or more recently as previous-life Rudeus from Mushoku Tensei), but I'm pleasantly surprised at how good he does a crazy/creepy psychopath killer guy. The next episode should be a blast of a battle. ---------------------------------- Screen Caps:  
 
 
 
 
Last edited by Tony K. on Wed Aug 23, 2023 4:55 pm; edited 4 times in total |
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Aylinn_
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After watching episode 6, I have been wondering if spoiler[ getting that piece of female clothing should not trigger memories of a certain person from Kenshin's past?]
I can imagine that it is not in the manga, but the creators of the anime know the whole story, so I think it would a valid addition to insert a small flashback. [EDIT: Sorry, had to remove your pic, as it's a little too spoiler-y. -TK] |
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Tony K.
Subscriber Moderator Posts: 11315 Location: Frisco, TX |
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Very good catch. But I doubt the new anime would want to give something of such huge context away so early in the series. The great thing about spoiler[ Tsuioku-hen is not just the stark difference in tone to show us Kenshin's days as Hitokiri Battousai, but the fact that the flashback itself is a perfect tie-in to a particular part of Kyoto arc's epilogue. It will make more sense once you actually see it.] But yeah, this part with Jin-e is quite early in the manga. I don't think spoiler[ Watsuki had any of the flashback stuff in his head, or even storyboarded, at that point, as this and that are about 3 years apart in terms of when they were written]. |
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Aylinn_
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I have not thought about anything big and too spolierish, just a short flashback that lasts for few seconds without any context and further explanation for now. It would make sense if this situation was a trigger.
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Tony K.
Subscriber Moderator Posts: 11315 Location: Frisco, TX |
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Well, there's actually another thing the next episode will touch upon. Let's just say it'll have a similar effect to what your proposed flashback might be implying. spoiler[ Something in Kenshin will definitely trigger. But you'll have to wait and see.]
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Kuzu
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Nice to see Sugita still rocking it out of the park as villains
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2901 |
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#7
Big moment for this adaptation, as this action set-piece is the benchmark for what is to come. Had the animators botched it, not much chance casual viewers would have stayed on to the end if they were in it for the sword duels alone. Good news is it's definitely better animated than its original, and there were a few subtle changes from the original airing to differentiate it. Sugita Tomokazu might well have volunteered for this role, since he really does his best to make it his own away from the shadow of the former VA who is still active. The delivery of some of his lines is definitely in his style, but no less creepy than the original Jin'E performance. Virtually all of the dialogue can be compared line for line, and it would be really unfair and harsh for viewers who've watched both to rate his as worse than his predecessor. I was especially pleased with the way he did the hypnosis lines, as the delivery and tone are completely different yet with the same murderous intent conveyed all the same. For the actual duel, the animators are really good at animating sword slash combos as for me it's the defining feature of the swordplay. That aspect is obviously higher quality than the original airing, and the final deciding move is also done in the studio's own style and I think it passes muster. Jin'E's testing of his strength after unleashing his full potential might be unrealistic, but there's no better excuse to show off animation at its best. Kenshin's reads were better explained here than in the original episode; I recall he didn't elaborate the moves in such detail previously, just the stances they stemmed from. Obviously the animation matches the explanation well timing-wise, as that scene is actually important for the later showdown. Having the narrator explain where Kenshin earned his moniker from is also a nice touch. Better explained than in the original episode (I recall Jin'E did most of the talking on that and to far less detail). Considering how often Kenshin is referred to by his Bakumatsu-era moniker than his actual name, getting viewers up to speed on that is great moving forwards. The sword style is still used today, but nowadays it's called 居合術, since it's not just about drawing the sword but also sheathing it to finish off. The adaptation is filler-free, so no surprises what's to come next week. I'm interested to see who they're going to cast for next week's debutant, since it's going to be scrutinised just like all of the other prominent characters' performances in this adaptation. |
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smurky turkey
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I kind of like how Jin-e was pure as a villain. The series thus far had villains who resorted to violence to gain money, land, fame etc. Jin-e was in it purely for the rush of killing others and once he realized he could no longer do so he was done with life and thus peaced out. His words made clear that the modern days are in some ways just as chaotic as the past was.
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Tony K.
Subscriber Moderator Posts: 11315 Location: Frisco, TX |
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Original discussion started here.
---------------------------------- Episode 07: The Two Hitokiri ---------------------------------- Summary: In an effort to anger Kenshin and revert him back to his old hitokiri persona, he kidnaps Kaoru. But after fighting him, Jin-e is still unsatisfied and resorts to casting a stronger version of Shin no Ippo on Kaoru that stops her from breathing. This angers Kenshin even more, causing him to teeter on the brink of his old hitokiri and current rurouni self. ---------------------------------- Comments: First off, I have to commend the animation. The sword-fighting sequence was very fluid and greatly exceeded my expectations. Like I mentioned earlier about how the series is restraining itself in certain areas, I feel the payoff is starting to show based how well-made this episode was. It was straight-up awesome, and I got a few goosebumps when Kenshin flashed away for a second, then broke Jin-e's nose. And when he got into his battoujutsu stance, I knew what was coming, but I was really excited to see it so beautifully realized on screen with such clean production value  .
Getting back to what I mentioned in Episode 06 about military psychology, I feel like this episode also starts to touch on the whole "nature of man" theme. For people who've been molded into warrior-types and have become so accustomed to violence, I imagine it's a hard habit to break. We see this in Jin-e, who obviously never stopped fighting since Bakumatsu, but also see residual traces of it in Kenshin, who was trying really hard to hold it back. This theme will continue to be an interesting topic of discussion and have various presentations based on other characters, later in the series. In Kenshin's case, he felt the only way he could save Kaoru was by reverting back to a hitokiri; a stone-cold assassin whose mindset was focused with absolute killing efficiency. But it turned out Kaoru's determination to save him from reverting was the stronger of the two wills. I think that say's a lot about Kaoru, that her will to save Kenshin overpowered, not only Jin-e's Shin no Ippo, but Kenshin nearly breaking of his moral code. And in his own fashion, Jin-e ended himself. As a bloodthirsty psychopath who could no longer wield a sword, and after being inadvertently humiliated by a seventeen-year-old girl breaking his technique, what else could he do, other than get arrested and thrown into prison for the rest of his life? In fact, they probably would've executed him, right there, just to cover up any secrets he knew. But yes, this little arc was great. The next episode will be a transition into another important one with some interesting characters. ---------------------------------- Screen Caps:  
 
 
 
 
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2901 |
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#8
The final story arc for this quarter, and since it's all setup there's not much to follow for the action junkies. Most of the episode more or less conforms to what I remember from the original airing, with the big talking points being how Megumi is animated (different from previously, not a bad thing) and voiced (no issues there). Ditto for Shinomoi Aoshi (who looks the same, but his voice is pitched higher?). Unlike the original airing, this adaptation aims to finish this arc before the quarter is out so everything will be done in a minimum of 4 episodes, which should be enough time. The narrator has to step in for opium, which is no surprise given how important it is for the period in question and the story arc as a whole. One reason for Japan's rapid industrialization was the state of Qing China after the Opium Wars, so no surprise the substance is prohibited on Japanese shores at this point in time. Takeda Kanryu is another one who's reputedly based on an actual historical figure, although the last name has been changed somewhat. Interested viewers can look it up for more background. It's all going down from next week onwards, and if the pacing is as I expect it to be then this is the last week where comedy actually features in the episode. |
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smurky turkey
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Ah yes, Opium, I wondered when that would show up. Given the horrible influences Opium had you can not have a series in this setting without it being a thing. Having seen some documentaries about how it influences your body, it is quite the nasty drug. The pacing is indeed rather intense, I would almost want a filler episode or two in between for some calm moments.
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