Rurouni Kenshin Live Action Movie, Welcome and A Must Watch Film

Rurouni Kenshin Live Action Movie, Welcome and A Must Watch Film

A couple of weeks ago,  I wrote that I would write a review on the Asian live-action film,

Rurouni Kenshin. Well, I have watched to film. In fact, it is such an excellent crafted and preformed film that I watched it twice.

As stated is the official plot summary Rurouni Kenshin Live Action Movie is based on the popular Japanese Manga of the same name, which owes its creation to Nobuhiro Watsuki. He is also the created of Buso Renkin, Neon Genesis Evangelion, One Piece and others. To much of his fans the long running story of Rurouni Kenshin the most soulful and endearing. 

The story of Himura Kenshin is historically based on a Samaria warrior who fought in the Bakumatsu war and vanished at the beginning of the Meiji era. He explodes became legendary.

Takeru Satoh

The same can be said of the anime version of Rurouni Kenshin, which also goes by the name of Samurai X and depending on your region comprises of 95 episodes and 3 films. The current live-action is the first of three and begins at the tail end of the Bakumatsu war and the follows Himura Kenshin, most fearsomely known as Battuosai the Manslayer, as his ten-year journey land him in Tokyo during the 11th year of Meiji government era. There and following the following the manga and the anime Kenshin meets the people who are to become his lasting friends and family.

 

So not the reveal too much of the film, let conclude by saying that actor Takeru Satoh in wonderful as the atonement seeking Himura Kenshin. Film viewers known Asian fans learned from the film that Kenshin means “Heart of the Sword”. His you and athletic abilities made doing his own stunts easy. Satoh makes his transformation from a wondering and sometime funny oddball wanderer to a shrewd and nearly supernaturally swordsman (the Battuosai) flawlessly. I look forward to seeing his grow in character in the two upcoming live-action sequels.

All of the stunts in Rurouni Kenshin Live Action Movie are a very well choreographed. Meiji era Tokyo is well as true to ancient as this writer has seen in and in art.

The other characters are just as well cast and easily recognizable.

Emi Takei plays Kaoru Kamiya the heir to the doo in which Kenshin and other come to live. Later on Kaoru and Kenshin will move from friendship into one of husband and wife. Of all the characters in the film, she is the one with the most inflated in reminding Kenshin of who he now wanted to be and to reinforce his will in not becoming the Battuosai again. Sadly, as fans of the manga and anime already known past guilt will prove a hard test of Kaoru and Kenshin for each other.

Munetaka Aoki is also very good as Sanosuke Sagara. He is funny and deadly. How he slings his giant zanbatō as a weapon is mystery, as most people cannot hold it up straight. After realizing, he is no match for Kenshin the two men become friends.

Yosuke Eguchi plays Hajime Saito. Although Saito and Kenshin were on opposite sides of the

Bakumatsu war, the tow men begrudgingly become allies in the struggle to preserve to newly formed M Meiji government. However, Saito always reminds Kenshin that he will allow be a Battuosai and as manslayers, they both will die by the sword.

 Other characters who will probably return in the sequels are Megumi Takani, the female doctor. Yu Aoi plays her. Yahiko Myojin, the young samurai 'want-to-be’ is played Taketo Tanaka.. Eiji Okuda is Aritomo Yamagata, Kenshin old commander.

Emi Takei

The remaining and noticeable characters in Rurouni Kenshin Live Action Movie are Koji Kikkawa as Udo Jinem, the fake Battousai, Genki Sudo as Banjin Inui.  Gou Ayano is Gein. Ayano is well known for his role in the live-action films of Gantz and Gant, the Perfect Answer as the mysterious leader, Kurofuku-Ichi, and Teruyuki Kagawa is Aritomo Yamagata, and he is an extreme vision (he is a sight that must be seen) of Japan’s new businessmen under British influences. His ideas for the new regime are old as time but sadly hold some truth today

Like the death of the Samurais way of life, the beasts of progress have not tolerances for old ways.

Munetaka Aoki

Rurouni Kenshin Live Action Movie is in the Asian languages with English subtitles. However, do not let the spoken language be a deterrent in watching to film. If you are familiar with the both the manga and anime versions of Rurouni Kenshin, than you will have no problem understanding and following this live-action creation. Will there be an English version of this film? Although, it would be nice to see an English version, I do not think it is necessary.

The sequels to Rurouni Kenshin are Rurouni Kenshin: The Great Kyoto Fire Arc and Rurouni Kenshin: The End of a Legend Arc and both are in postproduction and ready for 2014 release dates.

Production Crew:

One Ok Rock

• Director: Keishi Ohtomo
• Writer: Watsuki Nobuhiro (manga), Kiyomi Fujii, Keishi Ohtomo
• Producer: Takero Hisamatsu, Tatsuro Hatanaka, Masahiko Ibaraki, Hiroaki Kitano, Osamu Kubota, Hiroyoshi Koiwai
• Cinematographer: Takuro Ishizaka
• Release Date: August 25, 2012
• Runtime: 134 min.
• Genre: Action / Based on a Comic / Period-19th Century / Samurai
• Distributor: Warner Bros. 
• Music Band: One Ok Rock; Theme song -  "The Beginning" 

As listed above, the  band whose song is featured in the film is called 'One Ok Rock' and their song is "The Beginning". This song is beautiful and sung in English.

 

UPDATE: Live-Action Rurouni Kenshin's Misao Photographed on Set