Rurouni Kenshin/ Samurai X Review

Rurouni Kenshin Review

Rurouni Kenshin is often said to be one of the all time classics of anime, and after watching it myself, I would have to agree. The anime followed a familiar style and story for me and I personally really enjoyed watching the granddaddy of swordsmanship anime. Long before the likes of Ichigo, Zoro or Gintoki were even a thought in the author’s cradles. This is the anime that our authors of today were inspired by, and many characters traits and stories you may find familiar from where modern authors have intergrated it into their own works. I would also like to point out that I am reviewing this based on my interpretation of the anime alone. However I am planning on reading the manga and I may or may not do a follow up review of it afterward.

Rurouni Kenshin the anime ran from 1996 to 1998 with a total of 94 episodes and was originally written and drawn by Watsuki Nobuhiro. Rurouni Kenshin is actually an unfinished anime as the last arc was unfortunately never animated.

Story:

Rurouni Kenshin is a story based around the story of Kenshi Himura. Kenshin is a former ‘man-slayer’ or ‘vagabond’ who was a highly skilled assassin during the Meji restoration, playing a key role in many turning points. Upon the end of the war he disappears from the battlefield swearing to never kill again. He makes an oath to only use his sword to protect in an effort to try to redeem all murders he committed during the war. Kenshin befriends Kaoru, Yahiko and Sanosuke and their story begins.

The story of Rurouni Kenshin is incredibly well written, with the initial setting proving endless material for the author to write into. The story will often shift from the past and the present as prior enemies and events are revealed. At the same time Kenshin’s past is slowly revealed, as we slowly learn more about how he came to be. As Kenshin quickly realises that he may try and let go of his past, but it will never let go of him. He is tested time and time and again in battle, all the while remaining at a constant disadvantage of not being able to kill anyone.

The story is set in 1870 Meji, where Samurai and swordsmen ship were at their peak just before their end due to the introduction of more modern weaponry. The story uses this setting to a unique advantage. Often introducing  foreign people  into the story that often create intense political situations that would have been common at the time. This builds a more realistic story that doesn’t entirely focus on swordsman ship, diversifying itself and creating a more interesting story overall.

Although well written, the story is not without imperfections. In the anime version the story peaks at the Kyoto arc and afterward things take a turn for the worse. Rurouni Kenshin also suffers from another terrible problem; filler. There are filler episodes throughout the series, which can prove frustrating if you have read the manga prior to watching the series. The peak of this frustration is all the content from the manga ending after the Kyoto arc and the remaining 30 episodes are filler.

Art and Animation

I’m not going to lie, the art and animation of Rurouni Kenshin is horrendously  out dated and will likely be the biggest hurdle for those hesitant about watching the show. The animation does pick up as it enters the fights and if you consider when if was made, you could even consider it impressive for its time. The art stays very close to the original manga art and that is a very good thing. The art and character design in the manga are very impressive. In a surprise but not a surprising way, I have drawn similarities to Bleach’s art style. Not just because of they both feature samurai, but because of the way the faces and fights are drawn. In summary, the Animation is very out dated and is major draw back for the show, but this does not mean the show is not work watching. The animation is still more than watchable and you feel almost a sense of appreciation for the times it was made in when watching it.

Characters and Development

The main characters in the show are Kenshin, Kaoru, Yahiko and Sanosuke, all of which are extremely oddball characters. The characters are all very unique with equally unique relationships between each other. Its easy to see that the author has invested heavily into each of their back-stories. Expressing both their individuality and personal problems that they address and overcome through the series. The most heavily developed character is Kenshin himself. He quickly grows to realise that his past will not leave him alone. When looking at the characters in the start of the series and comparing it to when it finished. You gain a real sense of appreciation for the time and effort that the author put into the development of these characters which benefits the overall plot greatly.

Music

There isn’t really much to say about the music as it is a similar situation to that of the animation. The music is not as noticeably out dated as the animation but occasionally you will hear a sound effect that sounds very similar to that of a previous action or the quality will simply not be there. I hold that same opinion for the music as I do the animation in saying that it is not necessarily ‘bad’ it’s simply dated.

Overall

Rurouni Kenshin/Samurai X is one of the older animes that has laid the foundation for modern anime along with Cowboy Bebop, Akria, Yu Yu Hakusho and many others.  The show is incredibly well rounded with a solid, interesting story and strong characters that noticeably change over the series. The series does suffer in the animation and as a result of the period it was made. It does have some scenes which are a little cheesy to watch. This series has so many reasons that it needs to be remade and would be an injustice to such a great series if they didn’t. My advice would be to definitely watch this series, but I also understand that some might find the dated animation and older style a little too much to handle. If this were that case, I would recommend that you at least read the manga. The art is fantastic, is fully competed unlike the anime and you will still get the same fantastic story of Kenshin Himura. I give this series an 8.5 out of 10, inevitably losing points for the animation. If this was remade and completed without filler I would likely give it 9.5/10, a truly fantastic watch.

- Panda Slayer

Special thanks to SimpleProdutions for drafting assistance

Bleach Chapter 577

If I were to summarise this chapter it would be….. HYPE-OVERLOAD! This chapter covered very little content in the grand scheme of things and would probably only amount to about two minutes in the anime, but none of that really mattered today.

After Gremmy’s personally improvised power-up he seems to have been able to double his overall power, and is currently unable to die. The problem I have with this is that we still don’t know what the limits of his imagination power are and now he’s gone and doubled it. To put it in simple mathematic terms what we have is x=Gremmy’s power, and now we have 2x as his current power.

Fortunately none of this seems to matter anymore, since he is clearly out of his league. Gremmy shows a clear face of fear after Kenpachi destroys the meteorite and lands in his badass way. This show of fear really speaks for the current standing of this fight.

Both fear and equal battle standing is a whole new experience to him and because of that he is at a great disadvantage compared to the battle born and worn warriors like Byakuya and Kenpachi. If it wasn’t for this difference in experience he might have a much better chance at winning. This is shown especially in Byakuya, Kenpachi’s and Ichigo’s fights throughout Bleach. Basically every enemy that they have ever faced has had some sort of raw power advantage over them. By using their battle experience, keeping their emotions dormant (maybe not Ichigo) and being smart about their actions (maybe not Kenpachi), they have often won on the end. Anyway… I’m getting off topic now.

When Gremmy created this asteroid, he presumed it would kill everyone except himself. Showing that he is not only a total scumbag, but also has no sense of comradely with the other Sternritter at all.

I did find one part funny when one of the Sternritter was freaking out saying “protect our leader”. Like seriously, does that guy look like he’s in any serious danger? In a way this indiscriminate attack is Kubo showing the early warning signs of his death (apart from when Kenpachi showed up). By displaying him as a hated character on both sides of the fight and in turn, making us hate him to.

The most significant thing that happened apart from the Shikai reveal in this chapter was the Kenpachi and Yachiru flashback. The flashback gave us an important reminder of how both Yachiru and Kenpachi were both nameless when they first met. Kenpachi gave her a name, Kenpachi then discovered his name and now even his sword has a name. The flash back was really quite vital to display how much character development the two have had since they initially met.

At then end of course we get the Shikai reveal. After all the Devientart concepts I saw for the potential ‘Shikai’. Absolutely nobody picked him to have a giant ass battleaxe as his weapon. Even so, it was extremely appropriate. It is interesting to note that the handle for his Shikai is virtually the same as his previous sword, but with it just being extended, which is probably showing the sign of the partial transformation.

I also would like to confirm that this is in fact 100% his Shikai. I know this for three reasons. 1. When calling out ones Shikai, everyone, without fail has called out their Zanpakuto’s  name in order to release it. Just as Kenpachi did. 2. Similar to 1, you must call out ‘Bankai’ in order to release it. Of which Kenpachi did not do. 3. Most importantly, Kubo isn’t a complete idiot. He knows that it would be a complete waste to go straight to the Bankai without showing the initial Shikai which I suspect that this will be saved for later on when he actually needs it.

To conclude this chapter I say that although short, this was a fantastic chapter and completely redeemed itself after last week’s lacklustre effort. As far as predications go. I would say either we will see the start of the end of the Gremmy vs Kenpachi fight, or we  see some increased fighting ability on Gremmy’s behalf.  Regardless, its going to be satisfying. I give this chapter a 9/10 for both the amazing content and the outstanding art this chapter had. *Clap, clap Kubo, well done.

Special thanks go to my friend at Simple Productions for drafting these chapters. Check out his blog at: http://simpleproductionreviews.blogspot.com.au/

This Season's First Impressions

The start of a new season is almost always a good thing. The problem is that all the anime that we have been following and loving up until now have ended. Leaving us all back a square one with no idea what to watch. Since short summaries are often not enough, i've decided to watch a few of them and give you my impressions of them in the first 1-2 episodes.

Continuing:

Hunter X Hunter

 Hunter X Hunter is the story of Gon, a 12 year old boy who sets of to become a hunter in order to find his father that let to be a hunter himself when Gon was born.

HxH can be surprisingly dark at times at it really hits you by surprise and is a very entertaining, multilayered story that keeps you addicted, beware.

HxH is now well into the 100’s episode mark and has continued to be a very entertaining watch with the Chimera Ant arc really bringing HxH into a quality of fighting anime that we have not seen in quite a while. There is currently some debate at where the anime will end. With the current arc to end in around 12-13 episodes and the manga to continue on for not much longer after that. The manga has also been in hiatus for around two years with no end in sight, so there is little chance of it continuing for much longer.

Hunter X Hunter is a fantastic watch and I would recommend that you pick it up if you have not already.

Nisekoi

Nisekio is the story of Raku, a high schooler who has grown up as the son of a mob moss in Japan. Raku soon finds himself in a complication as he is forced into a relationship with Chitoge the daughter of an opposing gang’s boss in order to prevent a war between the two gangs. The premise of the story revolves around a locket that Raku received as a child. He also promised the locket to a girl he promised to marry one day and she subsequently posses the key for his locket. The problem is that he can’t remember who it is.

Nisekoi is becoming a massive hit and for a good reason. The show is unbelievably funny taking a very old and worn out concept and breathing new life into it in the funniest possible way. The characters are all very likeable and relatable, so much so that its hard to pick a favourite character (although personally Shu makes the show IMO). The show is running for 20 episodes with around 14 already done at the time of writing this. With plenty of source material to go and an immense fan base, there is no doubt that there will be another season in the future.

Nisekoi is another anime I recommend you pick up, I promise you will enjoy it.

This season:

Mangaka-san to Assistant-san to

I haven’t really seen much anime that was based around the story of a mangaka since Bakuman. Let me just tell you now, this is NOT trying to be like Bakuman. This anime is a short weekly comedy and is an enjoyable watch. The episodes only go for around 12 minutes and it keeps you entertain throughout. The premise of the story is about a mangaka (manga artist) and his daily antics with his assistant. The MC is likeable, relatable and very funny, setting up almost all the jokes by himself.

My first impressions of this are good, its entreating, light hearted and overall enjoyable to watch and I will most likely watch it for the rest of the season.

Black Bullet

Prior to its anime announcement, the manga for Black Bullet was gaining more and more popularity and thus it has been announced for its first season that will span over approximately 24-25 episodes.

Black Bullet is set in the near future were humans have been defeated by large parasites known as Gastrea. Humanity has escapes into a small area where they are for the most part, protected from the Gastea.

The main character is Rentaro, a boy working for an agency involved with disposing of the Gastrea when the infiltrate the population. The main character’s partner is Enju, both of them a bestowed with a certain power. Shortly into the story they are suddenly tasked by the government to prevent the destruction of Toyko.

Upon first watching it I was getting some very Attack on Titan type vibes coming from the show, but as I watched more, I saw that it was much more than that and it left me with enough questions and interests to immediately want to see the next episode. The show is certainly interesting with generally nice animation, interesting character and an intriguing story line is enough to make watch this weekly, and I recommend you do as well.

Soul Eater Not! 

As a big soul eater fan myself, I had pretty low expectations of this when going into it. After watching the first episode however, I felt my opinion of it had completely changed. Soul Eater Not is set in the same universe as Soul Eater as prequel to the original series. The MC in an underclassmen with the main characters of the original series being the upperclassmen. The series is a spin off with a  more slice of life, personal battle type of theme to it than the original. There are three main characters currently with several side character which I can see potential in. The animation is nice, it has a very different art style from the original which some may or may not like, but it is by no means bad.

Is hard to tell exactly just yet, but Soul Eater Not looks to be an enjoyable series that will keep you entertained whether you have or have not watched the original series.

Blade and Soul 

After watching the first two episodes of Blade and Soul I’ve found myself quite impressed. For the first 10 minutes of the first episode I assumed it was going to be a typical fanservice filled demon girl clone anime, but I was drawing my conclusion too quickly. The main plot of the show is about Aruka who is an assassin for the Clan of the Sword who's goal is to find a woman who killed her master. This woman Jin Valel is the leader of a huge organisation who posses demon like powers and kills without feeling. The story keeps you interested with its introduction of intriguing characters and unexpected events between them. Blade and Soul is slightly more violent than I had imagined it would be and can take you back a bit when you first experience it for the first time. The animation in Blade and Soul is very, very good and is particularly noticeable in the fight scenes. I recommend that you pick up this anime, it may not be to everybody’s tastes, but it’s a generally enjoyable watch.

Fairy Tail S2

Fairy Tail is set in a world called Earth Land where there exists a mage guild called “Fairy Tail” in the town of Magnolia. The story revolves around Lucy Heartfillia a 17 year old girl who wishes to join Fairy Tail and by chance meets Natsu Dragneel who is a member of the guild and invites her to join.

The long awaited continuation of the Fairy Tail anime is finally here! I was personally very excited about the return of the anime as the manga has recently prove itself to be one of the best mangas in shouen. Often competing with and over taking the big three in terms of chapter quality in some weeks.

Upon its return the anime has shown that it will continue with the quality of anime that it was previous to going on hiatus. Season two picks up midway through the Tournament arc where season to stopped when it caught up to the manga. As of now the manga is around 70-80 chapters ahead of the anime so no fillers in sight at this point. The animation is just as fantastic as ever, if not better and is a real testament to the company producing it to be able to make this quality weekly.

I’m personally a little biased towards Fairy Tail as it is one of my personal favourite animes. It’s an anime to watch for a good time, its not really all that serious its just something can enjoyably watch and have just have fun watching. Season two seems to be continuing this trend and it looks to be a good time overall.

This season looks to be a good one so far. Although personally, at this point I haven’t seen anything new that really catches my eye just yet. Keep an eye out for the 5 episode mark as that if often when you can tell the good series' from the bad ones, and what popular will start to make it big.

Kill la Kill Review

Kill la Kill Review

Kill la Kill ran from a span of six months with 24 episodes in total from the end of last year to the beginning of this year. Studio Trigger, the creators of this anime despite not being a well known company they have some amazing talent behind them. Trigger has the backing of many employees whom formally worked on show’s like Gurren Lagann. The love that the studio has for Gurren Lagann can be seen all through Kill la Kill with many parallels throughout the story and animation.

Kill la Kill is a very unique anime in almost every way. It could very easily be dismissed at ‘too pervy’ by many viewers and completely resign themselves from watching it. This would be a very sad assumption on their behalf and they would be missing out on something truly fantastic. However this fanservice is not without reason as the entire show revolves are the concept of ‘clothing’, something that makes a lot more sense as a story progresses.

Story

Kill la Kill has no original source material and has been written entirely for the anime. Although it is worth mentioning that there is a manga currently in development that is based on the anime.  The pacing of the story is noticeably very quick in Kill la Kill, with around 2-3 times the amount of content per episode that you would normally see. Even though the pacing is fast it never feels like it is rushing through the story or that there is simply to much information being thrown at you for you to process it all in time.

The story is very straightforward with one event triggering the next event and the proceeding actions in Kill la Kill’s classically over the top way. The strength of Kill la Kill’s story, is its ability to surprise you. The story will frequently have a surprise that will completely change the situation in either a large or small way. This fast and unpredictable story combined with a unique idea makes the story a strong pillar in Kill la Kill’s overall quality as an anime.

Art and Animation

The animation in Kill la Kill is once again very unique, drawing some of its inspiration for its art design from Gurren Lagann. The animation is by no means exceptional and in some cases can be seen as quite bad, but due to the simplistic and unique style used it never appears to be a noticeable problem. In a way, the very different and over the top art style gives Kill la Kill’s animation an identity of sorts. It is completely different from everything else, while not separating itself too much from mainstream the main stream art style, which could potentially turn audiences off.

Characters and Development

The characters in Kill la Kill are all very straight forward. If the show wants you to hate a character you will. If the show wants to you chant, cheer and love the hell out of a character, you will. Ryuko is the main character and enters with the one clear goal in mind of avenging her father’s death no matter the means. We are then introduced to many other characters that all seem to be extremely transparent but then become surprisingly in depth after around episode eight. The characters are all very loveable, all with their own strange quirks that you will love about them. There are some characters like Mako, whom are simply unforgettable. She is both hilarious and a fantastic strength for the character to build one and is very easy to like.

The characters develop at light speed along with the story for the most part of the show with shocking revelation which can often press on the feels, to keep you interested and wanting more.

Music

The music in Kill la Kill is absolutely fantastic, its one of the points that Kill la Kill is both fantastic and consistent in. As you watch through the series you will notice the important role the music plays. I guarantee that you will at some point be singing ‘Don’t Lose Your Way!!!!’ at some point during the show. The music really helps to hype you up with all the intense action and really brings the excitement of watching the show to another level.

Overall

Kill la Kill is a show that will burn its way into your memory. Its sense of uniqueness is something that simply can not be forgotten, unlike the millions of magical demon girl light novel adaptions out there currently. The show is average for the first 5-6 episodes but quickly picks up to be honestly, one of the best anime’s I’ve ever watched. The action is ridiculously over the top and it gives it a ‘Fuck Yeah!’ factor if you will. I give this series an overall score of 9/10, a very enjoyable watch and I can’t wait to see some more great stuff out of Trigger some time soon.

Bleach Chapter 576

The continuation of the Gremmy vs Kenpachi chapter was for the most part disappointing. As Gremmy slowly adapted to psychopath mode becoming more and more violent the battle did become more exciting, however that was all the changed. Gremmy’s attacks are still completely ineffective on Kenpachi and Gremmy seems to have taken little notice of this fact. His fighting style is becoming more extreme though, as we saw at the end of the chapter where Gremmy decided to throw a meteorite at Kenpachi (cause he can I surpose?). Then for a period of time, they just seemed to get into mud slinging matches where they were saying that each other was far more boring that the other, its was strange but it was also very funny.

Kenpachi continued to relentlessly cut down Gremmy time after time, with Gremmy paying little attention as he ‘healed’ himself almost immediately after he had been cut. Gremmy seems to have realised that the initial shock of being cut delays his reaction time of which he can then heal himself. This delay could prove to be potentially fatal to him and starts to panic.

Kenpachi seems to stop for a moment and almost take pity on him asking him if he imagined himself ‘dying’. From here Gremmy decided to get serious again, he split himself in two, or made a clone of himself to make his most powerful attack.

He then procends to dream up a meteorite that is capable of destroying the Seireitei in its entirely. To this Kenpachi then follows up with a badass comment, but its still doesn’t make much sense. Even if he does cut it into little pieces, it will still completely destroy the Seireitei.

The problem I have with this fight, is that 1. We have no idea what the limit to Gremmy’s power is, why can’t he just dream up and entire army of himself and wipe everyone out? Why can’t he just image Kenpachi to be dead? 2. He is a terrible match for Kenpachi, Gremmy, is just throwing giant things at Kenapachi continuiouly, he is not physically strong, or powerful, he is just using different tricks one after another. Which have all proved to be ineffective.

I give this chapter a 6/10, it was entertaining, but we need more than this, there is not much content and it felt very slow. I’m sure that these battle’s will look absolutely amazing when they get animated so it wont matter then, but for now, we need more progression and more content to make sense of this fight.