Rurouni Kenshin The Final Review: Loose adaptation brings action-packed drama
By: Arius Raposas
Tags: Samurai X, Rurouni Kenshin, Live Action, Film Reviews, Movie Review

Loosely adapted? The Final’s approach to the longest arc

Rurouni Kenshin revolved around the story of Kenshin Himura, the legendary Battōsai the Manslayer, who retired shortly before the Meiji Restoration was completed as a wanderer (rurouni) out of remorse for the lives he took. The third and final arc of Rurouni Kenshin, the Jinchū Arc, was the longest in the manga, covering 11 of 28 volumes. Jinchū, or man’s judgment, would be revealed as the path of revenge by Enishi Yukishiro, brother of Tomoe Yukishiro. It was revealed that Himura’s abandonment of the sword that could kill was not merely out of idealism, but was also rooted from a personal experience: he unwillingly killed Tomoe, who turned out to be his wife, initially as a ploy to take down Himura, but eventually to protect him from the powers who sought his liquidation. Thus, Himura’s trademark scar was created, the first slash made by Tomoe’s fiance (who Himura killed in one of his many missions), and the second by Tomoe herself. While Enishi seem to have witnessed his sister’s death, he did not understand the plot that led to that brutal end. Fast forward to 12 years after the Restoration, Enishi returned to Japan as a boss of the Chinese mafia. This time, he utilized all of his resources to exact vengeance. It became an eventful reunion, with Himura’s new allies such as Oniwaban head Shinomori Aoshi and Shinsengumi captain Hajime Saitō joining the former revolutionary in battling not only the mafia, but also disgruntled personalities who Himura once fought against during his service for the Meiji government. One surprise ally was found in one of the Juppongatana, Sōjirō Seta, who was also contracted by the mafia, but would later side with Himura.

As a matter of comparison, the Jinchū Arc was never portrayed in the main anime series of the same name (known in some countries as Samurai X), which may have excited a number of fans who would probably be seeing the final leg of Kenshin Himura’s journey for the first time. Except that the film was loosely based on the source material, and by loose, only the characters might be said as the faithful derivations. As a whole, it would feel like a new story for those who were going in with a background on Rurouni Kenshin. Despite this, it was not to say that the film was an entire flop. On the contrary, it managed to hem a wonderfully crafted plot in a span of two hours that might have been near implausible if basing on more than half the manga’s volumes. There was a hint of satisfaction seeing how the previous trilogy fitted quite well to the fourth installment, especially as the viewers were given a glimpse not only of Himura’s life after the threat of his successor Makoto Shishio to take over the country, but also of his erstwhile enemies. Seta’s appearance was perhaps among the thrilling parts, for while short relative to the rest of the scenes, he was built by the trilogy as the younger match of Himura, and their duel was among the highly regarded in terms of fight choreography in the previous films. His sword style, mostly derived from Shishio’s teachings, nonetheless seemed closest to Himura’s famous Hiten Mitsurugi, and the film was quite intent on portraying how in sync they were as they fought together. It provided a successful reform story to show that at least one of the Juppongatana had a genuine change of heart moving on after meeting Himura.

In relation to this, a number of new characters were not given sufficient depth in their introductions for the sake of keeping the pace throughout the film, such as Enishi’s colleagues. One of them, the former samurai with a severed arm, even pleaded for Himura to take his life. This was not a new scenario, but it might nonetheless make little sense for those seeing the franchise for the first time through this film. It was a powerful portrayal that the ones who did not side with the winning team were usually cast aside by the victors, even as Himura was hopeful that the new era was supposed to bring real reforms without leaving anyone behind in the wake of progress. Saitō may be one of the more fortunate as he found himself as a ranking officer in the Meiji police, but not everyone had the opportunity, nor did everyone have the conviction. Note how another of the Juppongatana, Cho the Sword Hunter, was shown as a double agent working for the mafia.