Review of Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal

Although created after the TV series, this four part original video animation takes place in the past of Himura Kenshin, the TV series' main character. First off, the animation of these OVA is different from the TV series. While the TV series is more colorful and characters are drawn with more straight lines, the OVA looks more 'real' in a sense. While the characters look different you will still be able to recognize them from the TV series. Secondly, what I find separates these from the TV series is the change in the presentation of the story. The TV series features often uses comedy and is not extremely violent (sakaba sword). Well there is absolutely no comedy used in these OVA's and to fill the comedy intense scenes of action are added. Before you go jumping at conclusions this is not just pointless violence to attract a specific audience. In the TV series Himura Kenshin was a rurouni(wandering samurai), but before he was a rurouni, he worked for the Meiji revolution as their best hitokiri(assassin). I would like to reiterate these OVA's are not intended for a young audience. What also really fueled my interest was the music playing throughout each thirty minute animation. Deep drums to lightly dancing flutes, the background music casts the feeling for each scene. Put together with the highly serious and dramatical animation there is nothing I can think of to compare.

The first ten minutes of the first OVA will stun you and the last ten minutes of the fourth OVA will leave you in a daze. I highly recommend watching these to anyone who is looking for a strong two hours of viewing intensity. And those of you who have seen the TV series would truly be missing out by skipping over this OVA series, which can almost be called a prequel.

Just in case my review convinced you to watch these, you can find these Rurouni Kenshin OVA's soon(I hope) on DVD by MediaBlasters.