MovieChat Forums > Rurôni Kenshin: Meiji kenkaku roman tan (2012) Discussion > Great adaptation, like it or not.

Great adaptation, like it or not.

posted 11 years ago by bw-patterson
50 replies | jump to latest

After watching this finally I have to say that I'm very impressed with the film. I know a lot of fans of the series will complain about some characters and storylines not present in this film but I have to say, get over it. Here are a few points I'd like to make about it so the fanboys don't blow up about how it's not "true" to the manga/anime.

First off, the movie does an incredible job with bringing the characters to life. I thought the cast was very good. My only complaint would be that Kenshin is supposed to have blue eyes as that is one of his indistinguishable features. The casting was done very well and the actors do a terrific job.

This is the Tokyo arc pretty much. There are some characters missing from the movie that were in the manga but I honestly don't mind that they're not present in the film because they are not the main characters. There is a lot of talk about the oniwabanshu missing, but it's not the end of the world. Sure they were cool in the series, but they are really only minor characters. Kanryu is essential in the fact that it is his actions that bring about Kenshin ultimately realizing how to protect life without killing. The arguement about the oniwabanshu is a moot point because they are nothing more than hired henchmen in the first place.

That being said, let's focus on the real subject. This film is excellent. The cinematography is excellent. The swordplay and stunt work is well above average. Watching this film I truly get the sense of Kenshin's inner turmoil with killing and his sense of remorse. I also get the sense that Kaoru is more to him than a friend. The way the relationship is played out between Kenshin and Kaoru stays very true to the manga/anime and nobody can deny that.

My only complaint other than Kenshin not having blue eyes is I so wanted Yahiko to say "busu" but it never happened. That doesn't detract from the film at all and it's really my own inner fanboy wanting it.

The bottom line is this. If I had no knowledge of the manga/anime I would still like this film. I hope that it is given a theatrical realease in the U.S. and left in it's original format with english subtitles. If it does get a U.S. release I pray that it doesn't get dubbed because I truly think that it would detract so much from the film. Unfortunately, people in the U.S. can be very narrow minded and will refuse to watch anything not in english.

My best advice to any fans of the series is to watch this film and enjoy it for what it is. It's one of the best anime adaptations I've ever seen and it does not deserve criticism for not having every damn character present in the manga/anime. And for the record, Aoshi, Shishio, and Seijiro Hiko are not in the film. Why would they be if this is about the Tokyo arc anyways? Besides, it's already been confirmed a sequel has been greenlit so I'm sure we'll see them in the future. Enjoy the film for what it is and be thankful that somebody with a true vision and love for the series made this film. It could always be worse, Uwe Boll could have made it.

[–] yg_punya_email_udah_meni 11 years ago

I prefer watch the anime, better music, better story, and cooler sanosuke.

sanosuke in this movie doesn't has muscle...

[–] crxwpn 11 years ago

Coming from someone who has never watched any anime/read manga, I really loved this!!

Can you guys recommend any other similar movies adapted from anime/manga??

[–] bw-patterson 11 years ago

I really wish I could think of a single other film adaptation from an anime but I really can't. There was the guyver movies (crap) and G-Savior (crap). There was the Blood: the last vampire movie which is watchable, but not really anything spectacular.

The problem with adapting anime/manga to film is that they have such a die-hard fanbase that if a filmmaker changes anything from the original they get crucified. Well, that's not the only reason, the other reason is the cost of special effects, cg, etc. Something like Evangelion would be so rediculously expensive to produce that it would make John Carter look like a mega hit.

[–] Zanza8 11 years ago

I can live without the blue eyes-it's weird enough that Kenshin has red hair, but it is too bad about Aoshi. He wasn't a minor character-more like a secondary one, but I suppose Sanosuke can take over the heavy lifting Aoshi did, especially in the Jinchuu arc if they leave out the subplot about his family. I always did think that subplot was out of place anyway-Sano as a runaway instead of an orphan never really did work for me. I wish they would show it in the United States! All I've seen so far is trailers.

http://thinkingoutloud-descartes.blogspot.com/

[–] OmegaWolf747 11 years ago

It could've gone either way, but I loved Sano's encounters with his dad in the Revenge Arc.

--
"House. My room. Can't walk. My medal. My father. Father, don't!"

[–] bw-patterson 11 years ago

Aoshi will probably appear in the sequel I would think since he does play a more vital role further in the story line. I think leaving Aoshi out was more of a time constraint issue than anything, plus the need to test the waters with a movie like this perhaps. It's not like adaptations from manga/anime have had a lot of success over the years.

As far as a U.S. theatrical release, I wouldn't hold my breath on that since the dvd has already been released in Japan. Besides, I don't think the American audience would be so accepting to a movie in a foreign language, therefore requiring the film to get an english dub, which would be a travesty to the film.

I really hope this film gets a nod for best foreign language film at the Oscars because it certainly deserves it.

[–] Zanza8 11 years ago

Oh, boy, do I hate dubs in live action! They work well in anime, where the subs are so bad, but live action is just terrible. You know that effect where you can SEE that what the person is saying is not what you're hearing? Very disorienting. So the DVD has been released? I wonder if it's available with subtitles on Amazon.

http://thinkingoutloud-descartes.blogspot.com/

[–] bw-patterson 11 years ago

I didn't find it on Amazon, but on the movie's website somewhere. It didn't have subtitles either so I'm hoping that either it's going to get a theatrical release here in the states or there's a planned dvd release in the near future. Either way I don't want to see it dubbed in english.

On the films website the dvd was offered in two flavors, collectors edition and standard edition. If I remember correctly the standard edition was around $60 with the collectors edition being much higher. I personally wouldn't buy either one of them since I don't speak fluent Japanese. I've spent hours upon hours searching for a U.S. release date but so far I've come up empty.

[–] Zanza8 11 years ago

Bw, will you shoot me a pm if you find it? I'll do the same of course if I run across a copy.

http://thinkingoutloud-descartes.blogspot.com/

[–] JoBelbute 11 years ago

man this movie reminds me of a friend of mine who died 9 years ago... after the dragon ball z ended here in portugal this was the next super manga phenomena... i never watched a single episode till now, but i knew some of the characters.. my friend was crazy for this, he would have loved to see the movie... as for the manga, iam going to watch every episode now, something i should have done 15 years ago...

[–] trdwlf 11 years ago

I know the feeling. I did read all of the manga though years ago. My brother died a couple of years ago and we both loved anime and manga (we were only 11 months apart). The first thing I thought was how much he would have loved to see this movie. Rurouni Kenshin was one of his favorite series.

[–] bw-patterson 11 years ago

Sure thing.

[–] hiratemiki 11 years ago

Kimook DVD has the Hong Kong edition with Eng subtitles .and no need to worry its legit not a Malaysian bootleg .

[–] MikeyC_93 11 years ago

http://www.gooddrama.net/japanese-movie/rurouni-kenshin-2012

Here is a stream for the movie subbed. It's in 6 parts.

[–] EnglishSummer 11 years ago

zanza862 -

please do not hold your breath for the US DVD. Something about Japan and releasing films to an English audience. It's been 2 years since 13 Assassins came out and we are still waiting for an Uncut version with English subtitles on Blu Ray.

Kenshin will be no exception. How many Kenshin Playstation2/PSP games released in Japan never made it stateside?

I'm not saying it won't happen. But check this out. The Japanese Blu Ray that just came out was released WITH NO ENGLISH SUBTITLES. Odd, because the opening credits have Ruroni Kenshin in English.

And how about the Kenshin Kyoto Arc Anime Remake last year (2 parts)? That Blu Ray has been out for a year now - $80 a pop - and NO ENGLISH SUBTITLES.

There's some other Japanese films released recently without English subtitles but I am so upset just typing about it I will stop now.

[–] land-on-the-moon 10 years ago

not that weird, really, the red hair & blue eyes, if you take into consideration for instance a certain influx of Dutch ppl, which happened during the famous period of Tokugawa Japan's isolation (not a total one, as it could be seen)... so theoretically it is possible for a kid to get red-hued hair and/or shade-of-blue eyes.

[–] JoiceRojo 11 years ago

I haven't seen this board, otherwise I would have commented before.

But I can think of another great anime adaptation: Battle spaceship Yamato (with Kimura Takuya) and I think that for the US is know as Starblazers

Joice Rojo

[–] eduardo_nicola 11 years ago

Coming from someone who has never watched any anime/read manga, I really loved this!!

Can you guys recommend any other similar movies adapted from anime/manga??

Gantz movie is pretty awesome

[–] gohtico_gohvan 11 years ago

So the sequel will be the ark about Shishio right? That's my favourite part. Sojiro Seta and Saito are undoubtly my favourite characters

[–] MaxDollar2012 11 years ago

The arguement about the oniwabanshu is a moot point because they are nothing more than hired henchmen in the first place.

They were used to introduce and basically set the role of Aoshi for the rest of the Rurouni Kenshin arc. They were an important plot device for Aoshi. That being said, the movie as a whole was a great adaptation. If they make a second movie, they can easily introduce the Oniwaban group and Aoshi in the second film. The adaptation doesn't have to be 100% accurate to be considered a good movie. This movie was about 90% accurate, and it truly was a good movie. Hopefully there is a second film.

[–] OmegaWolf747 11 years ago

What I'm thinking is Aoshi might be recast as one of the Juppongatana in the next film. He could still desire to fight Kenshin for the title of Strongest, even if not for the glory of dead comrades.

--
"House. My room. Can't walk. My medal. My father. Father, don't!"

[–] lilread 11 years ago

It makes sense to have a Part 2 if for no other reason than to include Aoshi Shinomori, of course. :D

[–] JoiceRojo 11 years ago

So, here are the news:

http://www.tokyohive.com/article/2013/07/live-action-film-rurouni-kenshin-starring-sato-takeru-to-get-a-sequel

Joice Rojo

[–] Hutchy_Movies 11 years ago

It was a great adaptation! I really enjoyed it.
After watching it, I was like they should have made this director direct Dragon Ball.

[–] sunnylee0123 11 years ago

For a live-action adaptation of an anime/manga, sure, it was done reasonably well. But really, the standard for this category is so low that this doesn't say much.
I can get behind some of the story changes, but other things in the movie just ruined it for me.

The casting of Megumi and Kaoru bothered me. The actress who played Kaoru is smoking hot, hotter than (or at least equal to) Megumi's actress. Kaoru's supposed to be the less attractive one, but that didn't come off at all. Speaking of Kaoru, why did *everyone* in her neighborhood run to her when they were poisoned by the water? What is a dojo going to do about it?

Kenshin is supposed to be proficient with a sword, and only with a sword. He never demonstrated any ability in hand-to-hand combat in the manga (in fact, it was mentioned several times that he's useless without a sword). That scene where he defeats a bunch of guys at the dojo with his bare hands bothered the crap out of me.

Really though, while those are relatively unimportant details especially to anyone who didn't watch the anime/read the manga, what really bothered me was the fight scene between Kenshin and Sanosuke. Why oh why did Kenshin, knowing full well that Sano was chasing him and swinging a monstrous blade, run into a crowd of people? And did he knock off an innocent bystander into the water just to cross to the other side? So much for protecting the innocent. Seriously, this bothered me the most; Kenshin would never actively involve bystanders in a fight.

Lastly, I loved Saito's Gatotsu stance. Too bad it was followed up by him flying through the air to push a chandelier with a sword.

[–] JohnBonDon 11 years ago

The actress who played Kaoru is smoking hot, hotter than (or at least equal to) Megumi's actress. Kaoru's supposed to be the less attractive one, but that didn't come off at all.

I don't know about "smoking hot" but the actress is cute. I think she was cast very well as Kaoru. The problem, which I agree with, is the actress who plays Megumi who isn't the bombshell that she is supposed to be. However, they shouldn't switch places at all since the actress who plays Kaoru isn't a bombshell either.

But the biggest fail is who they cast as Shishio Makoto in the new movies. Tatsuya Fujiwara is about one of the worst choices they could've gotten.

Kenshin is supposed to be proficient with a sword, and only with a sword. He never demonstrated any ability in hand-to-hand combat in the manga (in fact, it was mentioned several times that he's useless without a sword).

Are you sure about that?

I only saw the anime series but I don't remember anything mentioned specifically that without a sword he is nothing. That actually doesn't even make any sense. Anyone that practices swordsmanship naturally has to have some kind hand to hand fighting ability.

[–] land-on-the-moon 10 years ago

For me, as someone who never watched the anime series, only Samurai X, Megumi felt like dropped out of nowhere in the story; plus , it felt like a huge jump from the frightened, runaway who was asking help from the kid, to the merry, wordly character jumping from the bath room and welcoming Kaoru&Kenshin (although she theoretically should have been scared that Battousai could have been there for her)...

Kaoru' popularity was poorly introduced when ppl run to the dojo (together with the police) , after Takeda's hunchmen took the beating.

:)
I wouldn't have thought of those details during Sanosuke & Kenshin fight, but, boy, that weapon looked hilarious - by the size of it, Arnie as Conan would have been better suited :D (anyway, the actor handling it looked overwhelmed, for the rest he was decent)

[–] senseihEnRY 9 years ago

i agree that this is a pretty solid adaptation for Rurouni Kenshin but i can't help to be disappointed with the casting choice for Sanosuke. The actor is just to skinny and barely have any muscle like the character on the manga.

i also don't understand why they change Hannya so much. The custom look to much like Gein and WHY THE HELL DID HE USE GUNS?! that is the biggest WTF moment in this movie. Hannya is a respectable character with amazing kempo and Wolverine's Claw as weapon. Making him use guns is just baffling. All other characters use the same weapon and fighting style (except for Shikijo who's missing his chained big-ass iron ball) so why only change Hannya?

[–] kevin_li00 9 years ago

The two that Kenshin and Sanosuke fought were Gein and Inui Banjin, not Hannya nor Shikijo; you were right to think of Gein when looking at the "Hannya" of this film.

[–] senseihEnRY 9 years ago

that makes so much sense now, thank you for that. I watched the Japanese version so i skipped the credit and i didn't recall someone ever call them by name in the movie. Still, it's kinda weird that they cast a young looking actor and slap him with a burnt make up to play as Gein.

Thank you again for clarify that :D

[–] kevin_li00 9 years ago

Cool.