Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsEmmysToronto Int'l Film FestivalHispanic Heritage MonthIMDb Stars to WatchSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayMost popular celebsCelebrity news
    Help centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
Episode guide
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

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

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 45
    View Poster

    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
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    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

    10bildnad

    Gut-wrenching in more ways than one

    At this point the only thing better than the original Rurouni Kenshin TV series is this prequel OAV series. People may pass over this because it is a mere 4 episodes long and figure there isn't much to it. Let me stop you from making a major mistake. Pick these videos up, you won't regret it. Despite only 4 episodes, this series packs in a lot of information and I do mean a lot. It traces the events leading up to Kenshin's rise as the most deadly and fearsome samurai in Meiji-era Japan and what ultimately spurs him to renounce his ways and become the peaceful wanderer known to us in the television series. Now to that gut-wrenching part. This series is a far cry from the television series it precedes. There is no comedy here, but there sure is a lot of violence and the blood flows freely for most of the 4 episodes. More shocking than Kenshin's relentless killing though, is the what happens at the end of the 4th episode. Your jaw probably will hit the floor. Other than the amazing plot there is a lot to look forward to. The animation is superb, eclipsing anything I have see recently and sometimes you begin to wonder if you are looking at photos, not drawings. The music also fits the series well and has a tender yet sad feel to it. The last thing is, DON'T miss this!
    10nmtpaite

    its really heartbreaking!!!

    What you would call me if i say there is no true love? ...A fake? a fool?

    i was watching the ninja scroll OVA before this ...halfway down the line i got bored with all the mechanical gadgets used extensively in the scroll . I felt disappointed , and decided to quit it.

    Then, i just thought .."lemme check this so called kenshin as well" (sarcastically). To my amazement i was glued to my seats after experimenting the first few minutes . what a score ! man o man. what a storyline..boy o boy! what a scenic..girl o girl!

    Believe me . i was so touched by the movie that i missed my dinner !

    i wonder how people make such movies that can take your soul away..
    9chibi1284

    Not an anime review, but movie review

    First and foremost my goal is to write a review about a movie, not an anime. Many people consider this one of the greatest anime ever made but it kind of saddens me that people only treat it as an anime and recommend fans of anime to watch it. I see Kenshin OVA Trust/Betrayal as a movie and recommend every movie fan to watch it.

    If you are looking for a summary, read somewhere else. If you are trying to find out why this is a great movie, I will try my best to convince you.

    Kenshin OVA is a character driven movie with excellent character development. The two main characters, Kenshin and Tomoe, have humane and non exaggerated personalities, they are conflicted with their emotions, and they grow and change. I guess what I am trying to say is that the two main characters are not cliché.

    The stories' setting takes place during the late 1800's in Japan, where a civil war is taking place, where the samurai era is coming to an end, and the shogunate is fighting to keep its place. People who don't know Japanese history of that time period probably going to get a bit confused, but the historical setting provided the movie more depth and political intrigue. Like the current trend of war movies, the historic conflicts are not presented in black and white, but rather shades of gray.

    The action sequence is something to behold of. It is violent, gruesome, bloody, but does not feel gratuitous, due to the mood and setting the animators have created. The sword fights short, but quick, intense, believable (realistic), and original in presentation. Far better than any live action choreography.

    Finally there are many subtle touches that makes the movie feel more like a work of art, rather animated violence. The animators are created a lot of scenes with nature. Whether it is the subtleness of snow flake or sakura leaves falling, or the glistening of the lake from the sun, the animators created a world of beauty. On top of that, the soundtrack just masterfully sets up the mood of the scene. The soundtrack is haunting, kinetic during battle, and subtle and poignant. Most importantly the soundtrack is memorable.

    Kenshin OVA Trust/Betrayal is on the top tier of anime, however if the movie had gotten greater exposure, it would belong in the top tier of movies.
    10HopeNicholson

    I am a loyal fan to Kenshin and the Samurai x series

    Samurai X is my fav. set of anime movies. The movies make you mad, happy, and even sad. I've cried every time I've watched the ending of Samurai X:reflection, i'm afraid to watch it now. Samurai X: trust and betrayal tells the story of how he became the hitokiri and how he fell in love for the first time and felt pain for the first time. Samurai X: reflection, looks upon kenshins now painful life away from kaoru with his disease and it also looks back on his past at some of the major events. this set of movies are very amazing and will not upset.But of course to understand some parts of Reflection (such as the parts in the past) it might be good if you watch the t.v. series, Rurouni Kenshin.but, either way, these movies RULE!
    10d4v3cs

    soundtrack rules as well...

    I used a method once to determine whether a movie/video worth watching or not; the soundtrack! If it's able to evoke certain mind picture, then I'd check the video. This is one where such would work wonder. Compared to the TV episodes, the OVA use full classical theme instead of pop or electronic (there's a reason why every great/grand movie soundtrack is done in classical). If the soundtrack catched you, be sure to check the entire OVA. Whenever you listen to the soundtrack afterwards, the images will stick with you and the soundtrack will keep its echo

    More like this

    Rurouni Kenshin
    8.5
    Rurouni Kenshin
    Rurouni Kenshin: Reflection
    8.0
    Rurouni Kenshin: Reflection
    Rurouni Kenshin: The Movie
    7.3
    Rurouni Kenshin: The Movie
    Samurai Champloo
    8.5
    Samurai Champloo
    Fullmetal Alchemist
    8.5
    Fullmetal Alchemist
    Rurouni Kenshin
    7.9
    Rurouni Kenshin
    Gintama
    8.7
    Gintama
    Rurouni Kenshin: New Kyoto Arc
    6.9
    Rurouni Kenshin: New Kyoto Arc
    Cowboy Bebop
    8.9
    Cowboy Bebop
    Dragon Ball Z
    8.8
    Dragon Ball Z
    Samurai X: Trust & Betrayal - Director's Cut
    8.4
    Samurai X: Trust & Betrayal - Director's Cut
    Fighting Spirit
    8.8
    Fighting Spirit

    Related interests

    Seth Green, Mila Kunis, Alex Borstein, and Seth MacFarlane in Family Guy (1999)
    Adult Animation
    Steve Blum and Kôichi Yamadera in Cowboy Bebop (1998)
    Anime
    Jodi Benson, Jason Marin, and Samuel E. Wright in The Little Mermaid (1989)
    Hand-Drawn Animation
    Toshirô Mifune, Minoru Chiaki, Daisuke Katô, Isao Kimura, Seiji Miyaguchi, and Takashi Shimura in Seven Samurai (1954)
    Samurai
    One Piece (1999)
    Shōnen
    Bruce Willis in Die Hard (1988)
    Action
    Still frame
    Adventure
    Daveigh Chase, Rumi Hiiragi, and Mari Natsuki in Spirited Away (2001)
    Animation
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Liam Neeson in Schindler's List (1993)
    History
    Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca (1942)
    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

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    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

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit pageAdd episode

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb App
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.