Forum - View topicRurouni Kenshin (TV 2023) (w/ index).
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Tony K.
 SubscriberModerator  Posts: 11311 Location: Frisco, TX |
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This is actually different from RK96 and the manga, but in a good way. In both, RK96 and the source material, they pretty much gloss over what we saw in this episode. The addition of the historical graphic and explanation of the warring factions was a very nice touch to keep viewers informed, as there was quite a bit to keep track of during the actual revolution. There were lots of groups, historical figures, and events, some of which are pretty important to Kenshin's background and the context of the franchise as a whole, so I'm interested to see how they might insert or re-incorporate them into the show. Also in previous iterations, the fight between Kenshin and the sword police wasn't quite this dramatic. The head officer didn't slash at Kaoru, the crowd wasn't as vocal about his abuse of power, and the fight was much more drawn out, here, than the former. So I think this was a great addition to the series. The officers didn't get any punishment in the previous iterations, though it would be cool if they added a little something, since it's already showing some positive additions. But like I said about Episode 01, this beginning slew of villains are trash. Kenshin barely has to break out any of his Hiten Mitsurugi arsenal. The first truly good villain of the series should appear in another few episodes. Think of it like a how in a video game your character is so overpowered, you just keep using the basic attack button to take out lvl 1 slimes. If Kenshin can't 1-shot 'em, then they're pretty serious baddies, which you'll, at least, see a few of this season.
I'll give you a small (spoiler-free) preview to hype things up a little. The fights in this are cool, but kinda' short because they're fairly realistic. It usually only takes one good hit from a sword to do damage. The fights can also get very analytical (from various spectators, or even the characters in the fight itself). So if you like the technical explanation or trivia of (mostly real-world) Japanese sword techniques/stances and/or the occasional martial art form, then you might enjoy that. However, the swordplay and martial arts aren't the things to focus on. The main gimmick to the (big) fights are the characters' ideals. Most shounen battles are simplistic good vs. evil or protagonist vs. some kind of antagonist, and the story keeps going. But if you learn why they're fighting (like, on a personal level), then it becomes a battle of wits, psyche, and beliefs which, in my opinion, makes the fight much more interesting. I'll refrain from referring to any specific characters and their beliefs and will save the discourse for when the episodes actually happen. But yeah, take my personal word that the "battle of beliefs" in this are pretty unique. I also just happen to like swordplay and martial arts, samurai/swordsmen/ninja, and find this particular period of Japanese history fascinating. Bear with the buildup for a few more episodes. Once Yahiko joins, they just have to recruit Sanosuke (the headband guy), then things will start to take off. Like what I told smurkey, this first wave of baddies are trash. When the fight takes more than one attack or if the villain starts spouting his beliefs, you'll know the pace has picked up. |
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Edjwald
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If the nostalgia factor is helping some fans enjoy the callback to their youthful enjoyment of the show, that means the show is doing something right. Remakes that just look to make a quick cash grab and aren't true to the spirit of the source material are annoying (I'm specifically thinking of Hollywood movies and tv shows here - I haven't watched enough anime remakes to know)
As for coldhearted, non-nostalgic, plebian me, I'm part of the peanut gallery who thinks the series is all right, and it's not like there's anything wrong with that. I can think of a lot of series that would have to work hard to be all right. The reason I think the series ought to do better with the fight scenes if it has any ambitions toward greatness are because (1) I get what TonyK is saying about a battle of ideals, but at it's core, this series seems to have been packaged around a wandering Ronin (well, Rurouni) who's a kick ass fighter. If your show is about a kickass football free agent, you ought to pay attention to the football scenes. (2) The show is now in the same milieu as Demon Slayer, so the bar for greatness has been raised a bit. I like the characters fine. There's a danger that the main character could turn into a Gary Sue, but the anime's not there yet. The historical background is cool. I don't know enough to know how accurate the feel is, but I like it enough to look into it a bit, so that's good. I'm still on board for next week. |
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Blood-
 Bargain Hunter Posts: 23859 |
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I suspect my current opinion on RK is a classic case of High Expectations Not Being Met. As I said before, I didn't watch the original but I was sure aware of its existence. I guess I assumed that such a famous title was going to be Ultra Awesome right out of the gate.
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Edjwald
Posts: 1183 |
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Well, I definitely have a double standard. I've commented on some other shows that weren't as good as this one - in fact, trash shows that I'm mildly ashamed to admit enjoying, but y'know, honesty is sometimes a harsh mistress - and I don't talk about how they have better animation for the fight scenes because, well... they're trash shows.
I probably sound pleasantly surprised and positive when I comment on those shows, because I didn't have many expectations going in, and I'm also expecting everyone to dump on them from the get go, so there's no need to state the obvious. Sometimes I feel a little bit like I'm defending them. Whereas when I comment on this show, it feels like I'm kind of putting it down even though I'm saying it's decent. |
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Alan45
Village Elder Posts: 9871 Location: Virginia |
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I bought and watched this show when it first was issued on home video here. I didn't finish it, I don't think I got beyond the first (Tokyo) arc. That was back when everything came out in singles and there was enough delay between disks that you could lose momentum on a show. (I've got a lot of stuff I should finish watching).
It has been a long time, but this version is at least as good as the original, most likely better. Character designs are recognizable from both the first series and the manga. Action is good. I appreciate the addition of some history to the show. It wasn't present in either the original show or the manga. I suspect that Japanese watching the original were expected to know the history of the beginning of the Meiji era. When I was growing up no one needed a history to watch shows such as Gunsmoke, Maverick or the Rifleman. We were all steeped in the history (or rather the myths) of the early western era. Now, I'm not so sure, it has been a long time since a western was on TV. It may be the same in Japan. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2887 |
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The period is covered in the Japanese curriculum, students have field trips to important places marking significant milestones during this period, video games of various genres cover this period and other forms of entertainment (e.g. live-action entertainment) which English-speakers don't know nor care about cover this period extensively. The Japanese at the very least know this period by name, even if the specifics of this period may be lost to them. Dismissing it as a "Western" is typically condescending from United States viewers, especially given its significance to the Japanese. Generalizing the last civil war period in Japan which ushered in modernization after centuries of enforced isolationism and equating it to popcorn entertainment produced in Europe doesn't surprise me though; par for the course on a United-States hosted website. Rurouni Kenshin was not the first work to use the Bakumatsu, Boshin War and early Meiji years as its time period, but it was one of the most influential (how many copies sold again in print? Millions, and that's just in Japan) and its legacy has been surprisingly long given its original print run in the 90s. Many non-Japanese fans would have learned about this particular period in Japanese history through this franchise, as the other works which did aren't anywhere near as popular to be translated into other languages for an overseas audience. Regardless, the episode did casual viewers overseas a favour by adding that particular explanation on the five victorious anti-Shogunate fiefdoms, as its context is important for both this episode (the police) and later on in the franchise. The split between Choushu and Satsuma in particular has ramifications as late as World War Two, but that is not relevant to discussion of this particular franchise on this forum. |
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 23859 |
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Alan45 was making a comparison. He noted that at one time American viewers would not have needed any explanatory material in a Western film or TV show because they would have already been aware of said material. Then he mused that the same may not be true these days since Westerns fell out of fashion and viewers may not be aware of material that was once common knowledge. He wondered if this might be true in Japan but with reference to the beginning of the Meiji Era. This isn't even close to "dismissing" RK as a Western.
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Alan45
Village Elder Posts: 9871 Location: Virginia |
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Thanks Blood- you saved me some typing.
I should point out that while Japanese history, like U.S. history is not popcorn entertainment, anime and live action shows based on that history are just as much popcorn worthy as the cheesiest western shoot-um-up. Kenshin's antics (jumping 10 or so feet in the air to hit a six foot bad guy from above) are no more realistic than shooting a gun out of someone's hand at a hundred yards with a pistol. Oh, and western TV shows and movies were almost all made at home here in the U.S. mostly on southern California back lots. The only exception I can think of were a handful of movies made in Spain in the 1960s. Europe had little to do with them. I do have to wonder why the history lesson was added to the new version of the show as there are no other indications that it was made for non Japanese viewers. |
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 23859 |
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For the additional historical background was put in, it wouldn't shock me if it was added with the idea of making the material more accessible to an international audience. Such an opinion is speculative, of course, but nobody can claim it is a completely preposterous idea.
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Edjwald
Posts: 1183 |
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Hey Al! Nice to see you. Or read you .
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Alan45
Village Elder Posts: 9871 Location: Virginia |
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@Edjwald
Was that intended for me? If it was thanks. I should note for the record that I prefer Alan to Al. Just a minor quirk. The 45 is to differentiate me from any other Alan on the site. It is just my year of birth. I enjoy your measured replies as well. Too often Blood- and I were the only participants in some threads. On topic, I have some doubts about the reality of Kenshin's sword. I have read that the curve of a Japanese sword is an artifact of the forging process and not an intentional result. This would include the hammering of one side to form the sharp edge. To create Kenshin's sword, you would have to grind the back until you arrived at an edge and then flatten the existing edge. I don't think you could do that and retain the integrity of the sword. I would be interested in seeing comment from someone knowledgeable about such matters. |
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter Posts: 23859 |
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Gee, Alan45, you say that like it was a BAD thing. 
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Edjwald
Posts: 1183 |
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Don't get all insecure, Blood; it's obvious that after being stuck alone with you in some forums, Alan45 considers you a friend.
(That's what Stockholm Syndromes for )
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2887 |
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaghetti_Western Influential enough for Hollywood directors to reference their impact in more recent works. Most notably Quentin Tarantino. Lots of European involvement there, which is how Westerns are perceived outside of their home market. The remake is indeed catered for non-Japanese viewers as it would not be marketed so heavily to the United States for streaming purposes otherwise. The original series aired in a very different time period, so no history required as its primary market in its original airing didn't need the history lesson. There's one video on Youtube showcasing some swordmasters recreating some of the moves used in this franchise. Also done for other movies featuring swordplay. Obviously not perfect reproductions, but dismissing the franchise just because its action set pieces are completely unrealistic is a typical reaction I expected.
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/逆刃刀 Already shown to be a work of fiction. Creator didn't want Kenshin to use a wooden sword to perform his feats, so this weapon was created for this purpose. Take it or leave it. One curious footnote in the same article mentions an actual Edo-era blade which was gifted to a museum in 2013 and later rejected. Although not crafted the same as samurai swords, it did reverse the sharp edge. Speculation stated it was used for farm purposes. As for crafting an actual reverse-edged blade, one swordsmith pulled it off in 2019 with official sanction. Again, take it or leave it as it's from wikipedia. |
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Tony K.
Subscriber Moderator Posts: 11311 Location: Frisco, TX |
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Original discussion started here.
---------------------------------- Episode 02: Tokyo Samurai・Myoujin Yahiko ---------------------------------- Summary: While out and about shopping for groceries, Kenshin has his pocket picked by a young boy named Yahiko, who claims to be the son of a samurai, and refuses to be pitied when Kenshin let's him have the money. Later, Kenshin is confronted and ostracized by some pugnacious sword bearing police. And after defeating them, he receives a visit from his old ally, and the current head of Japan's military, Yamagata Aritomo. ---------------------------------- Comments: I honestly thought they'd recruit Yahiko quicker, but was pleasantly surprised they drew out the whole corruption angle a little more. That slight nuance of having the sword police be extra jerky (which was only glossed over in all other iterations) felt like a really nice touch. A lot of character themes, later in the show, will revolve around "the nature of man" and insinuate whether or not men of war, in particular, can change. Yahiko struck a pretty strong chord with me. Thinking about how pretty much all the protagonists in this franchise run on some degree of idealism, Yahiko is probably the one that's closest to your typical shounen archetype of just wanting to be "stronger." What makes him stick out, though, is that he's also probably the character with the biggest chip on his shoulder throughout the series. They don't allude to much of it, yet, but he'll have a fine line to tread between his own personal honor and being the in-between of Kenshin and Kaoru's sword styles. One thing I keep finding odd about Yahiko's VA is that, to me, her voice sounds a lot of Junko Takeuchi (Naruto), which is ironic because Takeuchi played a character in RK96. Should be interesting to see if Yahiko's VA blows up someday like the latter. Yamagata's presence also adds some nice historical depth. I feel when period pieces use actual historical figures, it adds a lot to the world building. And this specific part of Japanese history is especially important because of its transition of east meeting west, which I feel is also reflected in the style of the series. I wonder if they'll introduce other (previously un-iterated) versions of other figures or give some cool historical popups like they did with the sword police. ---------------------------------- Screen Caps:  
 
 
 
 
Last edited by Tony K. on Wed Oct 04, 2023 11:07 pm; edited 9 times in total |
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