Rurouni Kenshin

Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan

Also Known As: RK, RuroKen, Kenshin

Genre: Action/Drama

Length: 28 Volumes

Allegiance: Shueisha Ltd./Viz Communications

Mangaka: Watsuki Nobuhiro

Vintage: 1994-1999

Intelligence Agency Report by: Djudge

The violence of the Bakumatsu produced a legend so endearing that his name strikes fear in the hearts of men even years into the Meiji emperor’s rule. The infamous Hitokiri Battousai was a swordsman of amazing caliber whom single-handedly cut open the path to victory for the revolutionary Ishin Shishi movement. However after final victory over the Tokugawa Shogunate was attained, the legendary assassin disappeared into the shadows of time. In order to atone for the unspeakable crimes that he committed under the name of Battousai, Himura Kenshin, now a wandering rurouni, takes up a new crusade: to save as many innocent individuals as he can without ever taking another life.

Research Agent Report by: Djudge

Plot
Characters
Impact
Visual

9.50
9.25
9.50
9.25

Overall

9.50

(not an average)

Watsuki Nobuhiro’s debut title, Rurouni Kenshin, stands as one of the greatest manga hits of the past decade. This samurai classic conjured a large following as the result of a great combination of inspired historical research, captivating writing, and sharp artwork. Spanning twenty-eight volumes in length, Kenshin serves as a true exercise in shounen manga perfection and continues to attract new members to its considerable fanbase.

The artwork in Rurouni Kenshin, like in a number of other titles, undergoes a subtle evolution in the time between its first and last chapter. Yet, no matter how the scenes’ themes change, crisp, vivid lines are always part of the pages' dominant impression. Watsuki’s careful attention to page cleanliness are an asset that goes unappreciated in a genre where the mangaka is regularly rushed to put out chapters that will include fast-paced fight scenes. Thanks to "Wakkie" and his staff’s considerable effort to preserve detail, we are treated with a manga whose pages never seem to get "tired" or inadequate. In every panel we see a great level of dedication that only serves to bolster the other admirable qualities of this piece. Another item in the artwork department that serves as to benefit the series is the character design. The main cast is overall varied to a great degree and a lot of unique body shapes are crafted throughout the volumes. By displacing this type of monotony in the artwork, Kenshin’s characters gain an additional dimension aside from the ones provided by the plot writing.

Rurouni Kenshin’s greatest asset by far has to be its seamless integration of history and fiction. Reading the story, particularly the manga’s excellent middle installments, reveals just how much hard research went into the formation of the story. Interspersed in the chapters are references to real events, places, and people. Some of these historical elements even play an active role in facilitating plot development. From this perspective, RK is nearly as much a snapshot of Japanese history as it is a shounen manga. Yet sadly, this title is not without its flaws. Although a good number of the main characters are fleshed-out to be seen as individuals that we can care about, others are shelved a bit prematurely. The majority of these characters are villains, yet some of the more major ones had a backstory introduced for them that later actually set up additional room for development. This opening was never acted upon to the dismay of series fans. This small setback unfortunately occurs for certain characters that prevent the reader from attaining complete comfort on this aspect of the manga.

All in all, Rurouni Kenshin serves as a great manga for beginning enthusiasts to start with. Its enthralling artwork keeps eyes glued on every single panel, page by page. Its story, both easy to read and comprehend, is one that will likely stay in readers’ hearts forever. The bottom line: fact and imagination establish a symbiotic relationship in one of the best historical fiction pieces in shounen manga today.

Research Agent Report by: Kuzu Ryu Sen

Plot
Characters
Impact
Visual

8.50
9.25
9.25
8.00

Overall

9.00

(not an average)

In 1994, after writing a few short one-shots starring a feminine rurouni who had been based on the historic hitokiri Kawakami Gensai, Watsuki Nobuhiro had yet another story starring said rurouni featured in Weekly Shonen Jump. Titled Rurouni Kenshin, this work would eventually span twenty-eight volumes, finally ending in 1999 as one of the most popular titles in Japan. This was hardly surprising, given Rurouni Kenshin’s diverse and amicable cast, its powerful themes and plot, and Watsuki’s simple yet very effective art style.

From the very first few volumes, one could see that Rurouni Kenshin had all the aspects of a stereotypical shonen manga. Most of the characters did not have special personalities, and the simplistic art style characteristic of the genre did not help to distinguish Rurouni Kenshin from other shonen titles. However, what initially started as ordinary gradually began to transcend their stereotypes. Characters began to develop, themes started to appear, and the plot, which had been a “monster of the chapter” type story, began to condense as events started to tie together. As a result, the last twenty-one volumes of Rurouni Kenshin are masterful, featuring outstanding characterization of both leads (particularly that of Himura Kenshin) and supporting characters and a plot with plenty of twists and turns, particularly during the Kyoto Arc.

However, there are a few things to beware of in Rurouni Kenshin. First and foremost, almost every major male character is based on an actual person in Japanese history, so knowledge in that area is somewhat important for the full Rurouni Kenshin experience. Also, while the plot may be very intricate and interwoven during the Kyoto Arc, it is somewhat straightforward before and after it. This isn’t a very large issue, since the Jinchuu Arc is built on conflict of emotions and ideologies rather than story, but it oversimplifies the last ten volumes somewhat. Finally, Watsuki’s art style, while good and fitting, has a habit of overusing straight line shading, as well as over stippling during battle- impact scenes.

Rurouni Kenshin is something that strikes a chord with quite a few audiences. It has romantic elements, vicious action, a cast with a plethora of personalities, and a plot that will make anyone think, not to mention it seamlessly interweaves fact and fiction. Despite the somewhat simplistic opening and ending and the unrefined artwork, Rurouni Kenshin is still a great story and a window into Japanese culture and history. Small wonder that the series is still one of the most popular in Japan and in North America, even though five years have passed since the conclusion of its initial run.