Rurouni Kenshin 2011 - Shin Kyoto-Hen (OAV)

[germanturkey]

they would continue the story with the third real arc or retell the whole thing. Soujiro wouldn't get a larger part.

[wingdarkness]

^Way to pop my balloon bro T_T...

[Yui Is My Wife]

Hands up who else wants Kajiura Yuki, the Goddess of Epic Orchestra, to do the music for this remake?

[Guardian Enzo]

Originally Posted by germanturkey

you can watch the Trust and Betrayal. it tells the back story of how Kenshin got to how he was in the series. skip Reflection until after the series though. and read the manga.

I wouldn't even watch Trust & Betrayal until after finishing the manga and/or the first two seasons of the anime. It's less unfaithful than Reflection, but I firmly believe a newbie should finish the canon material before diving into dounjinshi - no matter how pretty the doujinshi.

[Shiroth]

Originally Posted by Yui Is My Wife

Hands up who else wants Kajiura Yuki, the Goddess of Epic Orchestra, to do the music for this remake?

Not really. Her style doesn't fit the edo period.

[Westlo]

Originally Posted by Guardian Enzo

I wouldn't even watch Trust & Betrayal until after finishing the manga and/or the first two seasons of the anime. It's less unfaithful than Reflection, but I firmly believe a newbie should finish the canon material before diving into dounjinshi - no matter how pretty the doujinshi.

This "dounjinshi" is one of the most highly regarded anime titles of the last decade as well as one of the best musical scores. I say he starts with it, most Western Kenshin fans did.

[Shiroth]

Originally Posted by Westlo

This "dounjinshi" is one of the most highly regarded anime titles of the last decade as well as one of the best musical scores. I say he starts with it, most Western Kenshin fans did.

I'm upto volume 6 of the manga, so would you recommend i finish it first before i watch Trust & Betrayal?

[Westlo]

Originally Posted by Shiroth

I'm upto volume 6 of the manga, so would you recommend i finish it first before i watch Trust & Betrayal?

Go for it, it's great, won't spoil your current manga arc and is different enough to make the manga part it was based on feel fresh when you get to it.

I don't think Taku Iwasaki will ever surpass his RK OVA score..... heck I say he was the only good thing about the 2nd OVA... well him and that sweet but short jinei fight... as disappointing as Reflections was overall that Jinei fight was nearly worth the price of admission...

[Yuna Amakura]

"Doujinshi"? This "doujinshi" is much more better than its original counterpart.
As for Kajiura, hands down. Even if I'm a fan of her work, I don't want her to do everything just because she does "epic" soundtracks.

[MisaoFan]

Wonder if Kazuhiro Furuhashi will return as a director and Reiko Yoshida as series composer and Atsuko Nakajima doing character design for the actual animation ?

[Ottocycle]

Originally Posted by Shiroth

Not really. Her style doesn't fit the edo period.

Seconded. Iwasaki Taku, Kawai Kenji or Sawano Hiroyuki are the ones I'd champion for this show, in that order.

Heck, Sawano is really ramping up on his franchise involvements these days, so I'd say it's a coin flip between him and Iwasaki really, if Asakura Noriyuki doesn't return. Also, Iwasaki has a definite edge due to his Trust & Betrayal score involvement.

[Haohmaru]

@Shiroth, don't do it. After watching Trust and Betrayal the manga looks like shit in comparison. That's how awesome the OVA is. Great storytelling. Awesome action and more mature then the manga. Also no damn people yelling special attacks. Also a very good soundtrack.

[Dragonar Fan]

This is now on part of my top priority list

[Guardian Enzo]

Originally Posted by Shiroth

I'm upto volume 6 of the manga, so would you recommend i finish it first before i watch Trust & Betrayal?

I certainly would. Trust & Betrayal takes some liberties with the back story and it would probably be a bit confusing if you watched it in the midst of reading the manga.

To each his own - watch the OVAs and make up your own mind. I just contend that - whatever you end up thinking of them - it's better to complete the source material before you start into alternate retellings.

Now, as for more opinion, I much prefer the original as written by Watsuki to the OVA's. Does Watsuki's own opinion that they're not faithful to the spirit of the manga influence my opinion too much? Yes, absolutely - I freely admit it. But it is Watsuki's work after all. And I wonder if viewers who dismiss "his" RK as a bunch of "shit" and not mature really read or at the very least understood what Watsuki was trying to do, and the context that he was trying to do it in. I think the OVAs are undeniably beautiful - they animation is clearly prettier than the anime. In terms of story, they have almost no connection ("Betrayal", especially). They feel like they were written for a completely different audience - and clearly, it worked.

[Vicious108]

RuroKen doesn't actually take place during the Edo period save for a few flashbacks, but yeah the point still stands that it's probably not Kajiura's style. I'm sure she could do something good even out of her element, but still.

And Tsuioukhen/Trust and Betrayal is pretty good for what it is (unlike Seisouhen/Reflections, which is trash even for what it is), but it still pales in comparison to the manga version of the events. Unfortunately it seems all it takes is a bunch of blood and guts flying around for people to believe otherwise.

And even though the animation is much more high quality and consistent than the TV series', the art (particularly the character designs) is a serious downgrade as far as I'm concerned when compared to the better drawn episodes in the TV series and Watsuki's art in general.

Anyways, does that magazine scan contain any actual info on the new series or is it just recapping the old ones like it seems to?

[Guardian Enzo]

Originally Posted by Endless Twilight

And Tsuioukhen/Trust and Betrayal is pretty good for what it is (unlike Seisouhen/Reflections, which is trash even for what it is), but it still pales in comparison to the manga version of the events. Unfortunately it seems all it takes is a bunch of blood and guts flying around for people to believe otherwise.

And even though the animation is much more high quality and consistent than the TV series', the art (particularly the character designs) is a serious downgrade as far as I'm concerned when compared to the better drawn episodes in the TV series and Watsuki's art in general.

Anyways, does that magazine scan contain any actual info on the new series or is it just recapping the old ones like it seems to?

A fair point - the art itself (and character designs) are superior in the manga, IMHO. Watsuki is a very underrated artist and character designer, as seems common with shounen mangaka. Only rarely did the TV really capture the visual splendor of the manga, but at times during the Kyoto Arc it certainly did. In terms of that scan, I believe it's just an ad for the OP/ED collection.

I think a good way to look at the OVAs is to imagine RuroKen and Clannad had a love child. How appealing that prospect sounds to you is probably a good barometer of how much you'll enjoy them...

[The Chaos]

I wish if they could put the Same saiyuu for Kenshin anyway can't wait to see it

[Guardian Enzo]

It's pretty widely expected that Mayu Suzukaze will return as Kenshin. If would be a big disappointment if that didn't happen.

[Yui Is My Wife]

Originally Posted by Guardian Enzo

It's pretty widely expected that Mayu Suzukaze will return as Kenshin. If would be a big disappointment if that didn't happen.

Followed by much rioting and manga-burning by the more rabid fans, that's for certain.

[Guardian Enzo]

Originally Posted by Yui Is My Wife

Followed by much rioting and manga-burning by the more rabid fans, that's for certain.

It'll be fine - they'll just hire Kana Hanazawa if Mayu-sama doesn't come back...