Rurouni Kenshin, should I?

S

Sy

Time-Traveller
Well I've watched the first 8 episodes and I'm enjoying it so far. I'm thinking of just going and odering the US boxsets but I have a question before I do that. I heard that season 3 is nothing but filler and during that the show was cancelled. Now I know they wrapped up the series with the OAV's and movie but I was just wondering on the quality of the so called filler episodes. Are they called filler just because they aren't in the manga? Did the animation quality slip? And most important, is it still entertaining?

Should I go for the boxsets or should I leave it be?
 
No, the fillers are just... terrible. Watch until the end of the Kyoto arc then like, watch the OVAs/Movies. Yeah, the boxset is worth getting, IMO.
 
I'll hold off on that season 3 set for a while then though I just read a couple of reviews for it and they say although they could have been done without they were generally entertaining. These first two series should last me a long while anyway.

Just one more thing. What exactly made the third season 'terrible' for you?
 
Unfortunately, the fillers are Naruto style generic random adventures. I quit after the Kyoto arc too, and went straight onto the OVAs. Trust and Betrayal are some of the greatest anime of all time too, definitely watch them after the TV series though - otherwise you'll miss out on all the cameos; especially Saitō Hajime with his distinctive sword techniques and Okita Sōji; one of the youngest captains of the Shinsengumi - it's amazing to think that many of these characters were real.
 
Well random adventures aren't really a bad thing (I am a Lupin fan after all) it's just that if the overall production quality goes down the pan with it that's when it becomes questionable. The animation in Naruto almost instantly went to crap when it hit the long run of fillers. Well i'm less thrilled about seeing them but I might give them a trial run before I decide if I want to buy the final season. Thanks guys.

Oh I almost forgot. Is the movie the conclusion to the anime or is it one of the OAV's? I actually already put the Samurai X DVD's complete collection on my rental list so I'll leave them til last now.
 
The movie is a filler episode akin to the typical shonen jump theatrical movie (i.e. nothing like the FMA movie, just random). It's the OVAs you need to look out for, since they are sequels and prequels to the TV series told with a serious and violent adult tone that's notably different to the series.
 
Well I'm getting through this series surprisingly fast, up to episode 20 now, and I must say that out of all the action based shonen jump series i've this is easily the best. Unlike all the other SJ action shows i've seen this keeps everything quick and to the point whilst still maintaining a nice steady pace. The storys are short and extremely entertaining and don't drag on longer than they should. There's something about it (like the second LupinIII TV series) that feels oddly nostalgic but I haven't seen this show before.... weird.

The only downpoint really is that I can't stand the theme song (especilly the dubbed version of it) but other than that the rest soundtrack is good.

I'm going to stop watching it now and wait for the DVD's and also just go right ahead and order the third season as well. It's just a lot of fun to watch. :)
 
It gets so much better during the Kyoto Arc. Kenshin is probably the best Shounen anime around, and the OVAs are just amazing. The third arc is such a letdown but those are the breaks, buy the manga if you want to complete the story after the Kyoto Arc.
 
So what are the chances of this ever being released in the uk?
I've almost finished the manga (just got to read the last 5 volumes) and for the most part the series is spoken of quite highly.
 
Sy said:
I'll hold off on that season 3 set for a while then though I just read a couple of reviews for it and they say although they could have been done without they were generally entertaining. These first two series should last me a long while anyway.

Just one more thing. What exactly made the third season 'terrible' for you?
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The problem with the 3rd season was that any and all character development was stopped dead. Everything had to be static, so that the anticipated 4th season that was to be adapted from the manga would still be canon. Although it was eventually canceled without ever being made, due to the filler season getting terrible ratings.

Insanity Prelude said:
So what are the chances of this ever being released in the uk?
I've almost finished the manga (just got to read the last 5 volumes) and for the most part the series is spoken of quite highly.
Click to expand...
It's probably not gonna be released. Firstly, it's big, secondly, it's not especially popular, thirdly, it's old.
Stick with the manga, it's better - even if it does kinda annoy me at one point...
 
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