En attendant toujours le lancement Internation du Live Action Rurouni Kenshin Film

The Live Action Rurouni Kenshin Movie is a Nearly Perfect Film Adaptation



Richard Eisenbeis

Rurouni Kenshin (sometimes known by the title Samurai X)
is a manga and anime series that grew to great popularity around the
turn of the millennium in both Japan and America. Half-fighting and
half-romance, Kenshin is a historical fiction set in the years
after Japan's final civil war and dissolution of the samurai caste. It
follows Himura Kenshin, one of the civil war's greatest warriors, who
has given up killing and now wanders Japan seeking nothing more than a
peaceful life. Yet he finds himself constantly confronting the ghosts of
his past.
Now, over ten years since the height of the
franchise's popularity, comes its first live-action film. And while some
have worried that this film would be nothing but a cheap attempt to
cash in on the name, Rurouni Kenshin truly is an excellent film and perhaps the first step in revitalizing the franchise.
Good — The Adaptation

This
live-action adaptation covers a mix of the first two story arcs of both
the anime and manga. It deals with Kenshin fighting an opium dealer who
is trying to carve out his own little kingdom in the heart of Tokyo and
with a killer claiming to be Kenshin himself. The film also contains
flashbacks to Kenshin's past during the civil war and includes the story
of how he got the first cut of his cross-shaped scar.


While
Kenshin retains his outwardly clueless appearance—including his "Oro"
catchphrase—from past versions of the story, much of the slapstick humor
has been removed from the overall story, making for a more serious tone
in the film. That's not to say that there aren't any great
lighthearted/funny moments, but that overall, the story is treated with a
large amount of "life-or-death" seriousness.
And as with most
movies, there are a few minor changes in the adaptation—and one or two
semi-major ones. But all of these changes help the movie to be a
stand-alone film (as opposed to part of a greater series) and to give
each character a complete story arc regardless of whether the
manga/anime did or not.
Good — The Fight Scenes

Right from the start Rurouni Kenshin
shows its excellent direction and fight choreography. The fights are
very fast and exciting, with both changing choreography and camera
techniques used to keep the action consistently fresh and interesting.
Moreover,
everything is done with practical effects—meaning there is no CG
(except for the blood spray) in the entire movie. There is some amount
of wirework, but unlike that in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,
it is used for making the characters move incredibly fast or slide
across the ground instead of making them fly—adding a bit of the
spectacle without looking fake. This makes everything in the film seem
far more real and entertaining than many recent CG fests.


Good — The Music

One of the most surprising things about Rurouni Kenshin
was the music. While it would have been simple to reuse the music from
the anime or create a stereotypical "Japanese" soundtrack heavy on the
Japanese flute and the shamisen, the score instead sounded more like
something out of Berserk—it matched well and made everything more dramatic and exciting.
Mixed — The Casting



The cast for Kenshin
is amazing and the actors channel their characters expertly—from
Kenshin and his "Oro" face to Sanosuke's rough and tumble attitude.
Yahiko does a great job in a semi-tough role for a child actor and the
cast of villains—especially Kanryuu Takeda—are excellently over-the-top.
The
only problem in casting is Emi Takei's Kaoru. This is not because of
her acting ability or how her character is portrayed in the plot—she
does a spot-on Kaoru. Rather it is due to her look. Emi Takei is far too
pretty for the part. Kaoru, as a character, isn't supposed to be ugly,
but she is supposed to be plain and somewhat strongly built for a
Japanese woman. Megumi, in



comparison
to Kaoru, is supposed to be a bombshell. Yet despite Megumi's actress
being quite pretty in her own right, Emi Takei is even more beautiful.
So while Kaoru is treated as the underdog beauty-wise in the film, she
is anything but. It's not terrible, but it does stand out as a case of
miscasting.
Final Thoughts

Going into the film I was expecting a mediocre, cheesy retelling of the Kenshin story, suitable only for diehard fans of the series. But Rurouni Kenshin
completely blew away my meager expectations. It was not only a good
adaptation but also a good movie in its own right. The sword fighting is
amazing, the directing is brilliant, the casting nearly perfect, and
the story is told correctly for its new, two-hour format. Simply put,
aside from Gyakuten Saiban, Rurouni Kenshin may be the single best Japanese live-action adaptation I have ever seen.

Rurouni Kenshin was released in Japanese theaters on August 25, 2012. There are tentative plans for an international release.