Shopping Guide
Words cannot begin to explain the vastness of the original best-selling work Rurouni Kenshin. The massively popular work is loved the world over. During the end of the Edo era, Himura Kenshin was known as "Hitokiri Battosai”, a frightful swordsman assassin. Thereafter, during the Meiji era, he vows to no longer murder and becomes a wanderer.
The Rurouni Kenshin film, which was released Aug. 25, 2012, not only has become a huge hit, but has also broken records. When a movie was first announced for the beloved series, fans were apprehensive because they didn’t want their personal image of the work to be tarnished, especially when it came to the cast. However, their fears were swept aside once they saw the outstanding cast in action.
The movie’s biggest charm is the actor who plays Himura Kenshin, Takeru Satoh. Satoh easily conveys all facets of Kenshin from his striking swordsman appearance to his sometimes innocent demeanor. More than just stoicism, he brings a nihilistic feeling to the role. Satoh not only has the looks, but he has the ability to clearly express the Kenshin’s thoughts. For many fans, there was no better fit for Kenshin than Satoh. Keishi Otomo, the director of the film, knew of Satoh from his work on the long-running NHK Taiga drama Ryomaden, on which Satoh gave an excellent performance as a swordsman and Otomo directed.
The beauty behind Otomo’s techniques is how he makes the cast come to life as their respective characters. He makes the audience feel like they are a part of the movie’s world. In order to express this (or should we say create this), he wanted to assemble the perfect cast and he approached Satoh about joining.
Let’s take a look at a few of the cast members in more detail. First off is Saki Takei, who plays the heroine Kamiya Kaoru. Similarly to Satoh, Saki is a favorite among young people. She is able to effortlessly portray the tomboyish nature of the character from the original work. Next up is a favorite among the writers, Takeda Kanryu, who is played by Teruyuki Kagawa. Kagawa, who is a terrific character actor, was arguably the best choice for this role due to his unrivaled ability to play an entertaining villain. There is also Yu Aoi who plays the charming and beautiful Takani Megumi. The movie is truly filled with an exceptional cast who are all fully suited for their roles.
Now, let’s talk about the action! The action in this movie is simply unparalleled. The sword fights looks extremely natural, with wires used to make the action scenes even more intense. Sometimes this method in Japanese films can look cheap, however, in this work the technique was used masterfully and helped produced unforgettable scenes.
With the popularity of the film both inside and outside of Japan, Kenshin may soon be coming to a television screen near you. However, if you must see the film right away (and don’t worry, we don’t blame you), the Blu-ray and DVD are now on sale!
Rurouni Kenshin (Film) Official Site:
http://wwws.warnerbros.co.jp/rurouni-kenshin/index.html (Japanese)