Kenshin Himura (Richard Cansino) is a mysterious wanderer with an ‘x’ shaped scar on his cheek. He finds himself in Kyoto one autumn and embroils himself in a conflict between a man calling himself Battousai the slasher and Kaoru Kamiya (Dorothy Elias-Fahn), the owner of a local kendo dojo. This supposed Battousai is a common bandit who pillages and murders while belting out his mastery of the Kamiya Kashin style: The style taught at Kaoru’s dojo. Kaoru is driven to confront the bandit as her students withdraw from the dojo out of shame. She must defeat this slanderer and return honor to her family name and martial style.
Overwhelmed by bandits in her final confrontation, Kenshin appears and displays his skill as a swordsman, cutting down the false Battousai with his reversed blade sword. Humiliated, the bandits retreat, swearing revenge. Kenshin reveals himself to Kaoru as the true Battousai, the famous assassin from the conflict which spawned the Meiji era. Ashamed of the brutality he inflicted upon his enemies, Kenshin has revoked the killing blade, vowing to use his martial skills only to save life.
This classic 90s anime starts slowly and builds into several dramatic climaxes in its first season. Many fans of the series first encountered it during its 2003 Toonami run on Cartoon Network and may not have seen it since. The cast list stacks up quickly as many defeated enemies become fast friends with the pacifist swordsman (in classic shounen style). Kenshin and Kaoru quickly enter into a long-running ‘will they or won’t they’ type romance, many characters exist to drive comedic plots or gags, and every episode provides some excellent anime action as Kenshin and his friends fight a seemingly endless stream of villains.
In all, Rurouni Kenshin is an excellent series to include on anime shelves: Themes of non-violence, justice, friendship, and grace run through the entire series and, while a little traditional in some views of femininity, there are a good handful of long-running strong female characters. Rurouni Kenshin is sure to be a crowd-pleaser with its excellent themes, fun plotlines, and variety of comedic, action, and romantic elements. If you’re looking to expand your public library's anime film collection, consider the first season of Rurouni Kenshin. Highly Recommended.
Where does this title belong on library shelves?
Rurouni Kenshin would fit readily on anime shelves, but you might consider adding it to action series or young adult animation collections.