Rurouni Kenshin: Final Chapter Part II - The Beginning

This is a hard to thing to evaluate for me, because my initial reaction to the story is polluted by the Kenshin animes I watched 30 years ago (and did not enjoy much). But if I put that aside and look at it as something stand-alone; besides being a bit too slow, it is a nice "single warrior" story, with much more focus on the emotions of the main character than the standard of the genre.

The final film in the Rurouni Kenshin series is chronologically the first, jumping back to Kenshin's early days as an assassin. Basically an origin story, it details how he obtained his distinctive scars and came to despise his role as a killer. By its nature, the combat in this movie is by far the bloodiest of the series, but this is offset by a tendency to overindulge in melancholy, with several scenes devolving into long takes of actors just staring at each other mournfully.

Honest, cannot believe why this is highly rated. This also is no commentary on the production itself. It is the pointlessness for me that drags this down. Why this was made into a separate movie (and in this order) baffles me. We ready saw the key moments in the 4th installment, so this was like watching a repeat.

After a shoddy previous film, what an exceptional comeback! Moving. See a good story can elevate a film to another level.

Rurouni Kenshin, the Netflix adaptation of the beloved manga and anime series, delivers a visually stunning and action-packed film. The story follows Kenshin Himura, a former assassin seeking redemption in 19th century Japan. With breathtaking cinematography and thrilling sword fights, the movie brings the world of Kenshin to life. Takeru Satoh's performance as Kenshin is commendable, capturing the character's inner turmoil.

Maybe even the best of the series.

Good story.

And here comes the origin story of Rurôni Kenshin's violent days, Probable has the rawest action of the five movies, and definitely the coldest one of them all. And I mean that in a positive way. We get the complete picture of the character and why his journey ended-up the way it had. There are slow spots, but for this darker and more emotional toned entry, it set the mood real well. Heartbreaking shift of a ruthless murderer.