Posted: Saturday 8/12/23
I had intended to have this review up last week, but a certain large gaming convention and the hectic start of the school year got in the way. Hence, I will still take care of this first and then do the mid-season Isekai Round-Up next week.
The airing of this reboot of the original 1996-98 TV series has been quite controversial in some circles, to the point that Anime News Network isn’t covering it at all beyond a news article about its premiere at Anime Expo. I understand why and cannot fault their reasons1; indeed, the series’ baggage makes me uncomfortable, too. However, I also feel that this is too big and important a title to entirely ignore. Hence, I am going to review it based on what it is and leave readers to decide if the baggage overrides everything else.
Really, it’s a shame that the series is saddled with this baggage, as through the first six episodes this has proven to be a sharp and mostly satisfying remake. The story follows Kenshin Himura, who was a manslayer on the Imperial side during the Meiji Restoration in Japan (i.e., 1868). Ten years later, he’s but a humble wandering ruroni (essentially, a ronin), who has forsworn killing and lives a peaceful life as much as possible. He winds up getting involved with a dojo headed by Kaoru Kamiya and at least temporarily settles down there. Soon they are also joined by the proud, short-tempered orphan Yahiko and the brash, challenge-obsessed warrior Sanosuke. Despite Kenshin’s efforts to be peaceful and happy, challenges still arise that he cannot ignore, including con men, thugs, yakuza, an overly-aggressively police unit, and even another former manslayer from the other side of the political fence.
In other words, this is a fairly standard shonen structure, with its main distinguishing point being its historical context; nearly all of the characters who actually appear may be fictional, but the names and events referred to and the issues that are shown are very much real. However, this makes for a big difference, as it helps give the series a grounded, authentic flavor that most other shonen series cannot even come close to matching. Mostly eschewing the slapstick elements which characterized the first series also helps, as the more serious air it gives the series allows Kenshin’s contemplation of his past and his very conscious efforts to stay cheery to carry more weight. That isn’t to say that the series is entirely without humor; bits do still show through, but they are much more restrained and distract less from the broader tone of the story content.
Of course, standard shonen tropes like named special movies still apply, and what would a shonen action series originating from the ’90s be without the lead female character getting kidnapped or otherwise imperiled on a regular basis? That Kaoru doesn’t do more herself is the most annoying aspect of the series so far, but her kind heart does also lay at the core of the series. The normal process of introducing and establishing core cast members also takes up the bulk of the first five episodes, with a real advancing storyline only beginning with episode 6 and the appearance of the rival manslayer. This brings up the question of whether someone who has renounced the ways of the manslayer can still stand up to one who never gave it up, and I look forward to seeing how the series handles this.
On the technical front, the LIDEN FILMS production looks great, with designs and backgrounds that are maybe even a step above the original. The animation takes shortcuts, but does better than most at feeling exciting despite its limitations, and has maintained good quality control so far. The musical support has also been solid, although the hard rock-themed open “Hiten” is going to be very hit-or-miss.
If you can set aside the baggage (or it doesn’t bother you in the first place) then this is one of the season’s better action series.
Rating: B+
- Original manga-ka Nobuhiro Watsuki was charged and fined for possession of child pornography in 2017/18, so some feel that any promotion of the title amounts to supporting a convicted possessor of child porn. ↩︎
USA Anime 
So far I’ve liked the remake okay. The animation looks great and I like the more modern character design, but it kind of lacks the flare of the 90’s version. When comparing the two, I like the older version better. The characters seem to have more personality in the 90’s series and I actually enjoyed the lighter side of the series.
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