Rurouni Kenshin OAV
[Episodes 1-4 Reviewed]
[Reviewed by Brinson]

Rurouni Kenshin is a great froodin' anime--addictive, with likable characters, archaic weaponry, and animation chock full of bright colors and SD sequences. Inherent to the Kenshin brand name, I suppose, is some line of thought that things happen for a reason, and everything works out in the end. And while that sort of mentality is fantastic and all, this is not that Rurouni Kenshin in the least. The Kenshin OAV is a dark prelude to the series, surreal at moments and uncomfortably real at others, but always with a dreamy sort of elegance as it moves toward the inevitable tragedy at its core.

Story
Kenshin Himura was not always the reverse-blade weilding pacifist we know and love from the TV series. The OAV takes place during the early years of the Meiji Revolution in which he earned his reputation as the Battousai (master of battou-jistu). Kenshin's adolesence is spent working as a hired assassin for the imperialist Choshu clan, his mind uncomprehending of his profession and his thoughts continually wandering to his childhood. Kenshin is used by those close to him, betrayed by an unknown associate, but it takes a chance encounter to reach his heart; a young lady named Tomoe might just be his salvation.

The Rest
For an anime about piking people through the head, the Kenshin OAV shows a surprising amount of complexity. The visuals are half the equation here; rarely do directors go to such an effort to create thematic coherency. Mythologically heavy imagery such as pomegranates are just one of the recurring symbols, from the flowers that seem to blossom around death to the haunting single shot where a dying man can't see past the fruit and foliage to his bethrothed's face--it takes multiple viewings to piece together all the leads you're given. And believeyoume, you'll be doing exactly that. Because while it is a very beautifully put together OAV, it is a bloody confusing OAV, especially in the first two episodes. True to reality, Kenshin's flashbacks come in neither perfect continuity nor wholly pretaining to the events at hand--if you have to keep track by whether his cheek's been effed up, by all means do.

Malcontent, numb, and perhaps just a bit too naive, Kenshin's grasp on reality is tenuous and childish at times: he kills because he is told to and because others are bad. It is his poor comprehension of his actions which saves him from being a completely unlikable protagonist; and since those who dole out the execution orders are not entirely in the wrong, either, the viewer is left with a sticky moral quandry--blame the boy or his circumstances? ...I don't know about you, but I'm a big fan of moral quandry. I also like Tomoe. A lot. She constantly speaks in comments that tread thinly between appropriate insight and biting sarcasm, and provides a humanizing influence on Kenshin. I have a lot of respect for her depiction as a cunning yet conflicted woman; if she was all wishy-washy or all ruthless she-bitch, she wouldn't be nearly as endearing.

Characterization isn't the OAV's only strong point; with a budget to stretch over only four episodes, you begin to appreciate that thing called high frame rate you lost when you started watching anime (my only gripe: the random points of photo-realism). The direction moves from evocative to frenzied, the fight scenes suitably exciting and the others....well, let's say I'll be surprised if you're able to get the image of petals falling in Kenshin's head out of your own for a few days. The style itself leans more toward realism, with a palette of muted blues and earth tones. The music doesn't disappoint, either, with atmospheric melodies somewhat like the Mononoke Hime OST is --yup, in a word, buyable. In fact, if you aren't itching to go give into your consumerist urges by now, may I add that it has Okita? And Saito? And if that doesn't get your rocks off, I don't know what will.

The Bottom Line
Get over the fact that it's not Kenshin TV and cozy up with a little violent mayhem tonight. You'll be a better person for it. ....Or just a bit more desensitized.