Rurouni Kenshin Part I: Origins (2012)
The future begins from here
I like swords. I like sword fights. Sometimes I get bored, and when I do inevitably I’ll end up going to something like YouTube and searching something along the lines of “best sword fights.” Honestly, it’s happened many a time - and a lot of times I’ll learn of something new, but mostly a lot of things I’ve already seen or knew of. One of the things that turns up a lot in those videos isn’t specifically the movie we are watching tonight, but more it’s sequel - but despite having watched the anime back when a young me was just as enthusiastic about most of Cartoon Network’s line up like Dragon Ball Z or Gundam, I still thought there’s no point to skipping around despite the fact it could set me back even further to eventually watch the thing I intended. Tonight, we get to avoid listening to me butcher Japanese names and words, it’s Rurouni Kenshin Part 1.
Yes, I watched the show back when. I could describe some characters from it to you, and the premise behind the main character - but beyond that though, it’s been more than long enough for most of it to fade away amongst the long string of ever growing cinema and games that have taken up my then to now lifetime. With that in mind, remember throughout this that it isn’t going to be an adaptation review - in all honesty, most people already probably expected that, given my unyielding propensity to never have a relation with source material enough for it to make a discernible impact on my watching. Still, from what I do remember of it - namely a few of the players, a strangely unique katana built backwards, and sword fights - things seem to be pretty well done. Visually, at the very least, characters look about as you would expect when something that was an anime (and as things tend to be, probably something like a manga before that) - which as far as the show went they actually look pretty accurate to what I could recall. Sure, perhaps a bit more driven by the real world when it comes to things like hair - anime hair is always so rough to manage to get to stay the way it’d be in a show without just having a hair-shaped helmet really. Still, that’s the end of the adaptive part of the review, on to the normal parts!
Our story here is something we have seen before presented in a bit of a different way. We have the classic hero with a terrible past whose changed his ways to seek a sort of repentance for their action. Of course, situations arise that directly provoke the newfound ways, and eventually it all comes to a head not just on a battlefield but morally in the hero itself. Intermingled in this path is also something of a bit of Japan drug-dynasty sort of story, which is also similar to things one might have seen in the past, particularly a bit in historical works (be it fictional or not). The two mesh together quite well, sort of helping to cement the story as something that could have taken place in history with the groundings lain out in the different periods of Japan and somewhat realistic “whole scene” elements but still emphasizing and letting us have fun with the more fantastical hero elements. Each character has a bit of their own little plot going on, be it seeking redemption, looking to clear up a name, or simply out for a brawl - hey, I didn’t say each character had great plots going on. Still, amongst the five or six characters with their own threads, they tie together largely fine and it’s enough story that nothing happening really feels aimless.
Acting’s a bit rough for me to make a solid call on - what with this one being international. Seems to me they do a pretty fine job, but I’m out of the ring when it comes to inflections and use of the language. Sure, I could tread to wikipedia to figure things out like whenever the lead says “oro” he’s literally voicing his confusion over things - but that’s an extra level of work that also doesn’t really relate to my overall enjoyment of the movie as a movie. There’s a certain level of acting that can still be portrayed through the audible voice lines that comes through mostly all fine - if someone is worried they sound worried. If they want to sound calm and collected, they do. It’s just the finer details that are lost out to me. When not distracted by reading the subs, the body language is also pretty good. When our hero enters his serious fighting state, the body language changes with it. If a character is suddenly perked up an interested in something, you can tell. If someone is batting those lovey eyes at someone, it’s not exactly requiring a spotlight to point it out to you.
Ah, Japan.
Now, the main reason I watched this I’ve already laid bare before the review even started: sword fights. In all honesty, I was actually rather a bit off put initially - the scenes were chopped together in such a way it’d be very easy to get confused as to whose where in spatial relation to each other, flipping between two different groups that weren’t even in the actual same spot at the time. Slowly, they did start getting better however. Now, this complaint isn’t necessarily against the actual action on display - or at least what I could make out of it - but rather just how it was put together. By the end however, we get nice long easy to follow compositions - not one-shot takes or something like that, but when you get a cut that punches in real close, suddenly people aren’t facing the other way or complete other side of the frame make it hard to follow and jarring the flow. This then lets you appreciate the action on display better as well, since it’s not buried under quick cuts. There’s a decent mix of brawling and swordsmanship on display here - and although I could argue from a entertainment standpoint the brawling stands out more, the sword fights all have nice moments in them. Some of those moments are so very anime. Someone running nearly horizontal across the grass to deliver a sweet leg sweep before popping up for more fighting? Dude throwing a giant person-tall rusty iron brick of a sword around with one arm while dragging a dude about with the other? Anime AF my dudes. The nicest sword fight is probably the final moments of the last one in the film - when things get actually serious - but the mini-boss sword versus knife fight is also a pretty good one with plenty of back and forth.
Now, I did mention that the brawling scene probably stands out more for entertainment - which is largely on account of spectacle. Things are getting broken and shattered and floating about in the air and bodies are going over things and through things - and then it all just takes a little lunch break before picking back up and that is the part that makes it stand out. Suddenly, it’s funny and letting your adrenaline fall back in line without removing too much anticipation or tension… but more than that, it’s also showing a drastic difference between a brawl and a sword-based duel that I, a person who hasn’t been in either but loves to watch both in movies and media, can really appreciate. Both are brought to life by some good stunt work and some decent low-key effects such as all the breaking things in the brawl, or sparks or quick moments of blood in the sword fights. There is plenty of blood - but no real dismembering or cutting in drastic ways - probably in part because the main characters bladeless sword (even though technically the blade is on the inside instead of outside edge). It all plays well with the story being told - although the main villain “imposter” actually causes some massive carnage in his scenes and without a doubt has the highest body count in the movie, even if you total everyone else together against him including the hero flashbacks. They almost take an action-horror vibe when he’s on the screen, in part tying back to some of those more mystical elements that crop up.
So most the effects aren’t really super stand out - no really big explosions or CG monsters or the likes. Still, the bits they have in there - like fancy mystical eyes and blood elements are good. Really stealing the show from that realm of things is the costume and set department, that does a phenomenal job setting up that period Japan look, while also still giving characters outfits that are remarkably similar to what I remember seeing of the show, to the point where I could be like “Oh yeah, it’s that dude!” by just seeing them. Of course, hair is always a bit rough - those classy spikes are hard to keep looking on point with all the tussling and fighting going on, but also the mains hair is a bit darker than I recall - but for me these are small details that I can overlook. Others might have a harder time with any changes that exist - be it the way the plot plays out (which I honestly don’t remember much of from the show anyways) or how super-precise a character is or isn’t to their old designs and artwork. Still, even if it’s not a hundred percent accurate, the thing is good to look at with plenty of bright and dark contrasts, and a bunch of lovely color as it wants.
Ah anime.
Although not necessarily standing out as the best sword fights ever material yet, this movie did eventually give me what I watched it for. The action is good after the somewhat rocky start gives way to the more collected and well framed later battles. The actors do a fine job and give it some good runs at being entertaining. The plot is enough to give the movie legs, and everything on a whole looks pretty good in setting and costume. If you don’t want to read, it might not top your list, but overall there’s worse things you could go out and watch to get that samurai fix.