Out of 10, Rurouni Kenshin Live Action Movie is a 9.5/10

Written by r0lan on December 29, 2012 at 11:13 PM

[Taken from MY OWN BLOG: The Warping Penguin @ blogspot.com]
[Review was written by me, and I decided to share it on here]

Rurouni Kenshin is a 2012 blockbuster samurai movie that is definitely worth your money.
First up, the whole movie only took place until the final events of Udou Jin'e. There are a few changes, but hey, it was a damn well good adaptation. I guess in saying that, you'd wonder how the movie would end? Well don't worry too much, it ended in a cheesy-heartwarming way.

From start to finish, the movie builds up around Kamiya Kaoru's late father's ideology that: "A sword saves lives, not to kill it," which eventually reinforces Kenshin's ideal of his new life he tries to live in. Based on this ideology, Himura Kenshin uses a reversed-blade sword (the sharp side of the sword is reversed with the dull side and then attached onto the sword hilt) to fight and protect without killing. I guess in knowing that, you'd expect less bloody battles, but it's not always the case.

The battles in Rurouni Kenshin ended up being far bloodier than anticipated (for me); the killings and blood were not overly exaggerated but they were still mind blowing to watch. The adrenaline rushes to you... well for me as I watched it in excitement. The action in this movie was far beyond comprehensible... it was just plain awesome. There were a few hilarious scenes, the one that stuck out the most would be the various faces Himura Kenshin would make throughout the entire film, the way Kenshin uses the term "～でござる (-de gozaru)" and the famous "おろ (Oro)?" which symbolises Kenshin himself. Personally speaking, Sato Takeru said them perfectly, cutely and Kenshin-likely! Oh and not to forget, the scene towards the end which included Sagara Sanosuke's (Aoki Munetaka) fight was also pretty hilarious.

The thing I highly enjoyed about this movie was the choice of cast (especially Kenshin as Sato Takeru) and the cinematography. The whole movie was filmed brilliantly and wonderfully, the contrast between memory and present events throughout the film could strike a sensitive soul to turn teary. In saying this, despite the movie being about 2.5 hours long, the buildup of events gave this movie a nice steady flow with a nice bow of approval by the conclusion of it.

Despite the movie having a few things that were slightly different to the anime/manga, the adaptation was well made and enjoyable to watch. There were a few scenes that were rushed and/or happened suddenly a bit, but it wasn't anything big for me to pinpoint and complain/dislike on. The majority of the film has swept me off my feet as I watched it, and I really cannot hate on a lot about this film.

A Masterpiece movie... or not?

To me, the Rurouni Kenshin live action was a damn fine good adaptation from the anime/manga. Having a live action adaptation of an anime series (popular or not) is hard to come by, with decent casting, acting and cinematography. Rurouni Kenshin to me, has covered all of those aspects, it made the series highly anticipated to watch even from the trailers, and the outcome? Well, personally neglecting the fact that I adore Sato Takeru's work and the Kenshin anime, I thought that the Rurouni Kenshin Live Action movie was brilliantly made.