Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuiokuhen

Samurai X: Trust and Betrayal

Also Known As: RK OVA 1, Samurai X OVA 1

Genre: Action/Drama

Format: 4 OVA

Allegiance: Fuji TV/SPE Visual Works

Director: Furuhashi Kazuhiro

Vintage: 1999

Intelligence Agency Report by: Kuzu Ryu Sen

Himura Shinta was born into a lower class family, then orphaned at the age of 10 and sold into slavery. However, his destiny was forever changed upon meeting Hiko Seijuro, 13th inheritor of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. Taken in and renamed by Hiko, Himura Kenshin sets to learning the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. But when the Bakumatsu no Doran strikes, Kenshin abandons his training to fight in order to protect people. However, rather than becoming the romantic figure of a noble samurai, Kenshin becomes the Hitokiri Battousai, and is plunged into the dark and chaotic world of 19th century Japan. Slowly, Kenshin begins to lose his humanity, as the war drags on, and he is forced to kill and kill again, until one fateful night, when it rained blood...

Field Agent Report by: Kuzu Ryu Sen

Plot
Characters
Impact
Visual
Audio

9.75
9.50
10.00
9.50
10.00

Overall

9.75

(not an average)

The prequel to Rurouni Kenshin, Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuiokuhen tells the story of Himura Kenshin’s past, and what drove him to become the rurouni that he is at the beginning of the TV series. Make no mistake though, the series and this OVA are two very different creatures. Where the series is relatively light hearted and cheerful, Tsuiokuhen is dark, mysterious, and cruel. Be warned, this anime is not for the faint of heart, as it contains high (yet somewhat realistic and necessary) amounts of blood, and no comedy whatsoever.

That aside, this anime is pure brilliance. An engaging and beautiful story, realistic characters that the viewer can easily emphasize with, beautiful art and animation, wonderfully choreographed action sequences, and an ending sequence that is truly one of the most memorable in all anime. All these things are supported by one of the finest soundtracks ever produced, care of the vastly underrated Iwasaki Taku. The only flaw of Tsuiokuhen presentation wise is the usage of live action shots inserted at certain points during the anime. Sometimes it worked, but most of the time it didn’t.

While this anime contains a large amount of references to actual Japanese history, it is not actually critical for the viewer to understand these in order to enjoy the show. However, the full Tsuiokuhen experience can only be achieved by learning about the times that the OVA took place in, and whom the characters/factions involved truly were in reality.

Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuiokuhen is passionate, emotional, and heart wrenching, and at the same time somber, cold, and chilling. This is an example of what the true potential of anime is. Even without knowledge of the historical background, or even of Rurouni Kenshin itself, Tsuiokuhen’s power to move and amaze is not diminished in the slightest. There is no reason to miss out on such a masterful work of art.

Field Agent Report by: Phate

Plot
Characters
Impact
Visual
Audio

9.50
9.50
9.50
9.75
9.75

Overall

9.50

(not an average)

“Excellence” is a word that reviewers use carefully. And when they do find something in what they’ve experienced to describe it with, most of the time there’s going to be something else that is much lower in quality. Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuiokuhen manages to be worthy of this title in every possible category; from the music to the characters to the story, this is truly a masterpiece.

Though music doesn‘t play the biggest role in judging an anime (at least to me, anyway), I must say that Tsuiokuhen’s soundtrack has to be one of the best I ever heard. Taku Iwasaki has created an unforgettable soundtrack, with every piece fitting perfectly with whichever scene it’s in. The art and animation are no exception; both are extremely well done. The art is absolutely beautiful, while the animation is truly a sight to behold. The only thing that could detract from the visuals would be the live action shots. They just don’t fit, and it would’ve been better if they weren’t there.

But an anime cannot survive on music and animation alone, and along with it Tsuiokuhen also comes with some of the best storytelling I’ve ever been witness to. From start to finish this show had me hooked, wanting nothing but to know what happened next. The storytelling isn’t perfect, however, and there were a few pacing problems that hindered it.

When all is said and done, I can’t deny that Tsuiokuhen is a true work of art. The blood may make you want to turn your head and skip this at first, but underneath lies one of the greatest anime ever made. I don’t care what you’re looking for, whether it be for the visuals, story/characters, or just the music, watch Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuiokuhen.