Rurouni Kenshin Part I: Origins (2012)

A former assassin who has resolved to never kill again has his vow sorely tested.

Director:

Keishi Ohtomo

Writers:

Nobuhiro Watsuki (manga), Kiyomi Fujii (screenplay)

Stars:

Colleen Clinkenbeard, J. Michael Tatum, Patrick Seitz

2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Colleen Clinkenbeard	...	Child (voice)
J. Michael Tatum	...	Kanryu Takeda (voice)
Patrick Seitz	...	Officer (voice)
Takeru Satoh	...	Kenshin Himura (as Takeru Satô)
Eric Vale	...	Sanosuke Sagara (voice)
Josh Grelle	...	Gein / Townsperson (voice)
Ian Sinclair	...	Undercover Cop (voice)
Chuck Huber	...	Kanryu's Aide (voice)
Micah Solusod	...	Kenshin Himura (voice)
Alexis Tipton	...	Kaoru Kamiya (voice)
Masataka Kubota	...	Akira Kiyosato
John Swasey	...	Jin'e Udo (voice)
Sonny Strait	...	Kanryu's Aide (voice)
Yû Aoi	...	Megumi Takani
Robert McCollum	...	Hajime Saito (voice)

Storyline

In 1868, after the end of the Bakumatsu war, the former assassin Kenshin Himura promises to defend those in need without killing. Kenshin wanders through Japan with a reverse-edged sword during the transition of the samurai age to the New Age. When Kenshin helps the idealistic Kaoru Kamiya from the gangsters of the powerful opium drug lord Kanryuu Takeda that wants her school for his production of opium, Kaoru invites Kenshin to stay in the school. But the drug chemist Megumi Takani escapes from Kanryuu and seeks shelter in the school. Meanwhile the killer Battosai is murdering police officers and leaving messages attached to their bodies. When Kanryuu poisons the population to get the school, Kenshin and the street fighter Sanosuke Sagara join forces to attack their common enemy.

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Plot Keywords:

bangs | pretty woman | tokyo japan | meiji restoration | long haired man | 

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Genres:

Action | Drama | History

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan] Official site [Japan]

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

25 August 2012 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Rurouni Kenshin Part I: Origins

Filming Locations:

Saga, Japan

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$5,093,453 (Japan), 25 August 2012, Limited Release

Company Credits

Production Co:

C&I Entertainment, IMJ Entertainment, RoC Works Co.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

134 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Based on the manga Rurouni kenshin

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Quotes

[Kenshin is going to kill Jin-E]
Kaoru Kamiya: KENSHIN, DON'T! Don't become a manslayer again... Please don't kill him... Kenshin... For those who died by your blade... And for everyone whose life you have saved... Please don't kill him... A sword that doesn't kill... A sword that can protect... For this new age of peace... Isn't that what you fought for?

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Connections

References The Terminator (1984)

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Soundtracks

The Beginning
Written by Takahiro Morita (as Taka)
Performed by One Ok Rock
Courtesy of A-Sketch

User Reviews

A pleasant surprise

I have never even seen a manga so approached this movie with no preconceptions or prior knowledge of the characters. A bit like seeing a Batman movie without ever having read a comic, I imagine. The result was a very pleasant surprise. The principle characters were largely convincing, the photography was very attractive and the story line reasonable given the limits of the genre. The fact that it kept me interested for the entire 2+ hours speaks for itself. I found the sub-titles very effective in keeping me involved which is normally not the case. I am not sure if they are integral to the movie or a third party add-on, but were much better than a dubbed English version which would have taken away much of the authenticity of the movie. I am looking forward to the next episode.