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:

Takeru Satoh, Emi Takei, Yû Aoi

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview:
Takeru Satoh	...	Kenshin Himura (as Satô Takeru)
Emi Takei	...	Kaoru Kamiya
Yû Aoi	...	Megumi Takani
Munetaka Aoki	...	Sanosuke Sagara
Gô Ayano	...	Gein (Kanryu's henchman)
Yôsuke Eguchi	...	Saito Hajime
Teruyuki Kagawa	...	Kanryuu Takeda
Kôji Kikkawa	...	Jine Udo
Masataka Kubota	...	Akira Kiyosato
Eiji Okuda	...	Yamagata Aritomo
Genki Sudô	...	Inui Banjin
Taketo Tanaka	...	Yahiko Myojin
Tokuhisa Yamashita

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 | live action remake of anime | tokyo japan | meiji restoration | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | History

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Did You Know?

Trivia

Though Gein, the masked henchman of Kanryu, is based off the character of the same name from the manga, he has much more in common with Han'nya from the manga. Gein is heavily scarred and works as Kanryu's messenger, like Han'nya, while his outfit, personality, and wire-work is more inline with Gein from the manga. His mask is a combination of both Gein and Han'nya's masks. Neither of them use guns or a wakizashi in the manga, however.

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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

Followed by Rurouni Kenshin Part III: The Legend Ends (2014)

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Soundtracks

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

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.

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

Gross USA:

$32,445

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$37,687,024

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