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Rurôni Kenshin: Meiji kenkaku romantan - Tsuioku-hen

  • TV Mini Series
  • 1999
  • TV-MA
  • 30m
IMDb RATING
8.6/10
18K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,647
468
Rurôni Kenshin: Meiji kenkaku romantan - Tsuioku-hen (1999)
Home Video Trailer from ADV Films
Play trailer1:44
3 Videos
52 Photos
AnimeHand-Drawn AnimationSamuraiShōnenActionAdventureAnimationDramaHistoryRomance

In the era of Japan's Meiji Restoration, an assassin regains his humanity.In the era of Japan's Meiji Restoration, an assassin regains his humanity.In the era of Japan's Meiji Restoration, an assassin regains his humanity.

  • Stars
    • Mayo Suzukaze
    • Junko Iwao
    • Nozomu Sasaki
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    8.6/10
    18K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    3,647
    468
    • Stars
      • Mayo Suzukaze
      • Junko Iwao
      • Nozomu Sasaki
    • 57User reviews
    • 12Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Top rated TV #242
      • See the top 250 TV shows as rated by IMDb users

    Episodes4

    Browse episodes
    TopTop-rated1 season2000

    Videos3

    Samurai X
    Trailer 1:44
    Samurai X
    Samurai X OVA
    Trailer 1:38
    Samurai X OVA
    Samurai X OVA
    Trailer 1:38
    Samurai X OVA
    Samurai X: Ova
    Trailer 1:38
    Samurai X: Ova

    Photos52

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    Top cast66

    Edit
    Mayo Suzukaze
    Mayo Suzukaze
    • Kenshin Himura
    • 1999
    Junko Iwao
    Junko Iwao
    • Tomoe Yukishiro
    • 1999
    Nozomu Sasaki
    Nozomu Sasaki
    • Enishi Yukishiro
    • 1999
    Masami Suzuki
    Masami Suzuki
    • Shinta
    • 1999
    Shûichi Ikeda
    • Seijûrô Hiko
    • 1999
    Tomokazu Seki
    Tomokazu Seki
    • Kogorô Katsura
    • 1999
    Wataru Takagi
    Wataru Takagi
    • Shinsaku Takasugi
    • 1999
    Ryûsei Nakao
    Ryûsei Nakao
    • Îzuka
    • 1999
    Hirotaka Suzuoki
    Hirotaka Suzuoki
    • Hajime Saitô
    • 1999
    Akari Hibino
    • Sôshi Okita
    • 1999
    Minoru Uchida
    • Tatsumi
    • 1999
    Tetsuya Iwanaga
    • Akira Kiyosato
    • 1999
    Satoshi Tsuruoka
    • Jubei Shigekûra
    • 1999
    Mitsuaki Hoshino
    • Katagai
    • 1999
    Hiromi Setsu
    • Ikumatsu
    • 1999
    Rikiya Koyama
    Rikiya Koyama
    • Toshizô Hijikata
    • 1999
    Hiroshi Takahashi
    • Isami Kondô
    • 1999
    Hiroshi Shimozaki
    • Sudo
    • 1999
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews57

    8.617.6K
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    Summary

    Reviewers say 'Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal' offers a poignant, complex love story between Kenshin and Tomoe, set during Japan's Meiji Restoration. The series delves into Kenshin's transformation from assassin to wanderer, deeply influenced by his tragic love. Praised for deep character development and historical accuracy, the series poignantly depicts love and loss, though it lacks a straightforward happy ending.
    AI-generated from the text of user reviews

    Featured reviews

    10winejar5

    One of the best animes I've ever seen.

    I used to tune in Kenshin the TV series on Cartoon Network. I hated it. I hated everything about it because it was so cheesy. I just didn't like it, but I was curious about the storyline. I checked a few anime trailers and I discovered Samurai X: Trust and Betrayal. At first I thought: 'Wow, is that Kenshin? He looks different. Wait, this looks a whole lot more serious than the TV series. I must watch this!' So I borrowed it from my friend and noticed how very well done it was. VERY well done. It gave nobody mercy regardless if they're bad or good. This isn't the type where everybody dies either, but the storyline is also twisted but it fits in at the end. It gets you thinking one thing, but the real story is about something else. I love it. I love it because it's a story about love. That's all it is! A really well done love story. In all, i think I've watched it more than six times and I still cry watching it. Don't get me wrong guys, this isn't a chick flick. It's action/romance/etc etc.. it can fall into a lot of genres. But in all, it's a great anime about love and life.

    Even though I gave it a straight out 10, but I have to complain about one thing: characters... Most characters you didn't get a chance to know which you wish you did. But maybe they went into that during the last of it that continues after this. Who knows, anyway, good anime. Definitely recommended to people who aren't very fond of anime.
    8Davidon80

    Blue Velvet spiced into Shogun Assassin

    The movie Kenshin deserves it's place among the best of anime, it stands as a reminder of what animation is capable of. It is rare to find a Samurai/Shogun animation movie that contains such attention to detail. This is apparent in the way the movie takes it's time to build it's characters and develop their respective relationships, in fact very little time is devoted to the actual fights scenes with the numerous battles and duels being over in a blink of an eye. What the movie actually focuses on is the doomed love story that develops between Kenshin and Toroe and the numerous symbols within nature that depict the character's fates.

    Kenshin is a true work of art that draws upon Japan's rich artistic history to create an epic tale of love and death. The movie incorporates distinctly Japanese arts within it's narrative, for example in this movie there is a strong emphasis on the depiction of the landscape, the changing of the seasons, the stoicism of the Japanese mentality. Through these artistic devices we see the tale unfold of an assassin who is torn between continuing his life of bloodshed or taking his chance to escape into a more quiet life away from the killings.

    With all the emphasis on the artistic achievement of Kenshin it should also be mentioned that the movie also delivers on a purely entertaining level with blood splatter tinged into practically every scene, but what stands out even more is the spiritual aspect of the story that tells the audience -amongst other things- that what we do in life will eventually come to haunt us in our future.

    A stunning poetic reflection of an often banal genre.
    muryantina

    The most beautiful anime I've ever seen

    If you look for an anime who has a romantic, horror, action, drama with a great philosophy and can make you learn about life even more, you should see Rurouni Kenshin Tsuiokuhen.

    This anime is just too adorable to be missed (but be sure you're over 13, don't fear of blood, and don't have a heart disease). It's so realistic, tragic, but also fantastic. The coolest thing of this anime is the two characters, Himura Kenshin (Hitokiri Battousai) & Yukishiro Tomoe. They are such cool cynical character who really show the characters of Japanese in 19th century time. They are the coolest couple of all time anime history!

    I can compare this anime with some great historical drama movies I've seen such as Life is Beautiful, Gone With The Wind, and The Last Emperor. Only one that you can't find in this movie: Laughter. Well, this is not a drama comedy like the TV series after all.

    And by the way, the soundtrack is so wonderful too. Really magnificent!
    10NestorForjan

    A wonderful miniseries that deserves more exposure

    Forget the famous Rurouni Kenshin TV series. This has nothing to do with it. Well, yes, it's supposed to be a prequel, but the tone, mood and depth of it makes it a completely different story. It's a lyric and very adult tale about love, death, politics and betrayal that deserved, not only a theatrical release, but also massive exposure.

    Production values are extraordinary and it's packed with more expressive resources than all western animation ever. Look specially for one of the best representations of smell in the history of filmmaking.

    But the best part is the story. Layer over layer of meaning and symbolism create a tight, dark and deep tale. Nothing is said, nothing is shown that doesn't bear deep significance, be it a cryptic sentence, a shot of a child's toy or a slash through the face.

    And then there's the fights. When "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" opened everybody talked about how the fights revealed character. Well, Rurouni Kenshin does the same thing much better, and it doesn't need 10 minutes each time. The fights are short and brutal, swords actually cut the flesh, but there's so much being told each time.

    One of the most beautiful things here is what's left off screen. Rurouni Kenshin is a historical epic, but history isn't shown directly to the viewer, it isn't spelled out for you. We focus on the characters. They go through history, sometimes they even change it, but we are not shown the politics and the fights for power. We stay with Kenshin, an assassin, a mere pawn in those fights. We see the killing and then we hear the vague echoes of what it causes. The story is moved forward, but we have to build it back together with the information we receive through Kenshin's eyes. Yes, this is what critics mean when they talk about a `demanding' film.

    Rurouni Kenshin is a work of art. Well worth your time and money. It comes in two one-hour volumes (two chapters each), but the best way to experience it is seeing them all back to back, as a two hour feature film. Two thumbs up and go get it.
    10episode6

    An investment

    I'm not easily impressed by a movie. Even worse with an animated one. But this one got me drooling. I picked this one up by recommendation, and I'll recommend it to anyone from now on. I was familiar with the story of the TV series, but that didn't excite me in the least. But at least I knew what I was looking at (and I suggest that people considering to watch this should familiarize themselves with the TV series first).

    Although the violence is very graphic and the dialog can be a bit of a drag if you lose track, everything else perfectly makes up for it. The animation is fluid, the art is beautiful, the pacing is impeccable and the soundtrack is gorgeous. Now combine all these elements in a single concluding scene, and you've got at least half of its viewers reduced to tears.

    This movie is very re-watchable. I've seen it at least 6 times already, and I'm eager to watch it again. Like most people advice; you should avoid the dub like the plague, but even the subs can be a bit misleading. I've had the pleasure to have seen 3 different subtitles on this movie, and the degree of accuracy of any of them is debatable. Although the plot doesn't suffer from this, the story and especially the details and references to factual Japanese history do.

    But this shouldn't stop you from watching this movie, instead, it should encourage you to set out and find out as much about this movie as you can.

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    Romance

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Although the of Kenshin's life depicted in this OVA series was also detailed in the original manga, the TV series "Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji kenkaku roman tan" (1996) never mentions Tomoe by name, but Hiko does mention ask Kenshin about his lost love at Tomoe's gravesite in Kyoto. The only characters aside from Kenshin that also appear in the TV series are Saito, Hiko, and assumedly Shishio (the unnamed assassin).
    • Quotes

      Kenshin: It's better that I do not know why they should die. Doing so would disrupt my concentration.

    • Crazy credits
      The original DVDs from ADV Films replaced the original Japanese title card to read: 'Samurai X: Trust' and 'Samurai X: Betrayal'. This is restored for the Director's Cut DVD.
    • Alternate versions
      The original DVDs from ADV Films feature the original 4 OVA episodes on two DVDs. These episodes were later combined into a Director's Cut DVD.
    • Connections
      Edited into Samurai X: Trust & Betrayal - Director's Cut (1999)
    • Soundtracks
      Quiet Life
      by Taku Iwasaki

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    FAQ17

    • How many seasons does Rurouni Kenshin: Reminiscence have?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 22, 2000 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • Japan
    • Language
      • Japanese
    • Also known as
      • Samurai X: Betrayal
    • Production companies
      • Aniplex
      • Fuji Television Network (Fuji TV)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 30m
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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