Rurôni Kenshin: Meiji kenkaku roman tan (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:

J. Michael Tatum, Josh Grelle, Takeru Satoh

2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
J. Michael Tatum	...	Kanryu Takeda (voice)
Josh Grelle	...	Gein (voice)
Takeru Satoh	...	Kenshin Himura (as Takeru Satô)
Eric Vale	...	Sanosuke Sagara (voice)
Micah Solusod	...	Kenshin Himura (voice)
Nathan Sharp
John Swasey	...	Jin'e Udo (voice)
Masataka Kubota	...	Akira Kiyosato
Robert McCollum	...	Hajime Saito (voice)
Kent Williams	...	Aritomo Yamagata (voice)
Gô Ayano	...	Gein (Kanryu's henchman)
Yôsuke Eguchi	...	Saito Hajime
Alexis Tipton	...	Kaoru Kamiya (voice)
Yû Aoi	...	Megumi Takani
Emi Takei	...	Kaoru Kamiya

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.

---

Plot Keywords:

bangs | brunette woman | unconscious woman | japanese woman | japanese girl | 

---

Genres:

Action | Drama | History

---

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

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

---

Quotes

[Kaoru thinks Kenshin has left, then he appears with groceries]
Kaoru Kamiya: Welcome home, Kenshin.
Kenshin Himura: ...I'm home. That I am.

---

Connections

Followed by Rurôni Kenshin: Densetsu no saigo-hen (2014)

---

Soundtracks

No More Heroes
Written by Slash, Myles Kennedy and Eric Valentine
Performed by Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators
Dik Hayd

User Reviews

It takes some liberties from the manga, but it's darn good still

Lets get this out of the way: Im no kenshin fanboy. I've read the manga and have watched the anime. That's it. So when I heard about a live action movie I thought 'Oh my god'. Uwe Boll-like crap induced horror scenarios crossed my mind. But what a pleasant surprise. They haven't cocked it up. In fact, they did a pretty damn good job of making the manga come to life.

STORY

The story is basically the first 2 arcs of the manga mixed up and slightly changed to fit into a 2 hour movie. It's pretty good. nothing too fancy but it works and doesn't bore.

EFFECTS & CHOREOGRAPHY

No. Bleeding. CG. Like, none. everything you see is done by real humans. thank god there are still directors who know their stuff. a rope helps here and there but nothing as stupid as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. there was but 1 instant in the entire movie where a move looked slightly 'unnatural'. You'll know what I mean when ya see it.

the fights are simply awesome. real swordfights and at speeds that make your eyes go 0_o. slick moves, smooth as silk with a great pace. and the occasional brawling, courtesy of Sanosuke. the action is top notch. some of the best, if not -the- best sword fight scenes I've ever seen.

ACTING

The characters are all portrayed as they should be. there is no crappy acting. Kanryu is slightly over-acting but I guess it kinda fits his character anyway. solid acting all over. some dayplayers in the background seem to have been given little instructions of what to do at times though, it seems. they sometimes look rather lost or keep repeating the same motions. but no matter. you wont notice unless you re nitpicking.

OVERALL

The entire movie has a slightly 'cartoonish' feel over it. the way people talk, the way they move. but it still all seems very natural and appealing. The music is very nice as well. no tunes from the anime, but some nice original scores that fit the bill.

all in all this movie is what so many game/anime-turned-movies should have been. It's well made, with good actors, good music and it doesn't bore you for a second. Word has it there will be a sequel. if it can rival the quality of this movie, Ill be back for part 2.