| Ruroni Kenshin: OVA 1 "The Slashing Man" Reviewed by Susan Admittingly, when I first read the news of
Kenshin OVA and saw preview First things first. The entire flashback OVA series was taken from the post-Shishio arc of the manga, not the anime. (After the impressive Shishio arc, the anime ran its contract out by releasing nothing more but minor side stories and mini-arcs that actually reflected an impressive series on its last leg, unfortunately.) Kenshin and company, left for Tokyo after the Kyoto incident, a demon from Kenshin's distant past in the form of his brother-in-law Enishi surfaced. Without giving too much away, Enishi's
presence tore open more than a can of worms Kenshin had kept sealed for 10 years, but it
also gave This OVA is not to be seen by
the people who can't stand graphic deaths. The realistic aspects of the character designs
I was talking about, made the deaths and the pains easier felt on the viewer's level. None
of the "comic relief" or SD moments that appeared in the manga will appear in
the OVA. Its intentions are to remind the horrors of Whether you are a Ruroni Kenshin fan or not, this OVA series' an excellent source that will give you an insight on one of the bloodiest pieces of Japanese history. Highly recommended for those who wants more than watching "versus" type of shonen series.
OVA information Each OVA length : Approximately 30 mins. Episode 1 "Slashing Man" VHS Product Code : SVWV-1311 Episode 2 "Lost Cat" VHS Product Code : SVWV-1312 Episode 3 "Midnight Mountain" VHS Product Code : SVWV-1313 Episode 4 "Cross Scar" VHS Product Code : SVWV-1314 (Information gathered from SONY Pictures Entertainment)
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character designs for it, I was not too
pleased. I was quite fond of the canon and TV anime design and was a little annoyed by the
"realistic" features that had been imported into the Kenshin cast for the OVAs.
I took a look at the OVA 1 (released 20 Feb) and suddenly understood why the
characters did not take on the more fantastic and aesthetically pleasing layout from the
manga. I must applaud the ingenuity behind this subtle detail.
sincere insights on Kenshin's true meaning when he spoke of
"redemption". Kenshin, in this arc that took the readers back meet the little
Shinta who was surrounded by death at the height of the internal reformation civil war.
The chaotic atmosphere, filled with blood and glory and honor, can easily draw the readers
into that era of time past when life was cheap and uncertain. In order to understand the
OVAs, you may have to read the Enishi arc. It's through Kenshin's past, where the reader
can feel the regrets Kenshin had been speaking of throughout the episodes before,
especially when he dutifully goes out to save the tortured lost souls like Aoshi
Shinomori. The OVA merely omitted the "versus" part of the arc that introduced a
new group of super-villains gleaned from Marvel Comics. 
The first part of the OVA
introduced the details of Shinta-Kenshin's traumatic past when he had lost everyone to a
band of killers and how Hiko had come to adopt Kenshin after witnessing Kenshin's innate
compassion for life. The anime followed Kenshin's young life which was given over to the
fight for new world order. Tragedies and death followed Kenshin-- Martyrdom at its best.
Enter Tomoe, a quiet beautiful girl three years Kenshin's senior. What sets the stage for
their sole trace of happiness in a world gone wrong, will also be the same setting for
their eventually downfall. Their fate was created by a common death. If you read the manga
or see this OVA, you will know what I'm referring to,
human's inhumanity's to each
other over ideals and the necessary losses of war. Doing this arc or flashback sequence in
Watsuki's "pretty" designs will not achieve this effect fully. 