Dark and beautiful, deadly and innocent, Samurai X is all this and more. This anime was a long time coming, and not just production-wise either. Ninja Scroll certainly set a new standard when it was released and has since become a classic. One of the main reasons it was successful was the fact that it was set in ancient Japan, a time of mystique and uncertainty. Honor and retribution were daily jobs in this ere, and Ninja Scroll played on that well. But the movie would have left a bitter taste in the mouths of watchers that needed more of the ‘legend’ of ancient Japan. It did have a ‘straight ahead’ feel about it, you never really didn’t guess what was coming next and that in the end failed what could have been the greatest aspect of the movie. Enter Samurai X, this masterpiece will no doubt be compared to Ninja Scroll, but the times in which these stories are set are about as close as they come.

Samurai X begins with an act entitled; The Man of the Slashing Sword. It is here we are introduced to Shinta, a young boy being moved by slave traders. Soon a serene sequence is broken by a horrific depiction of highway robbery. It seems the traders fall prey to an attack that ends in blood-shed for all involved. Before one of the attackers has a chance to kill the young Shinta, he is saved by a mysterious swordsman that offered a cryptic narration upon the films opening. He then kills off the attackers and takes one Shinta as an apprentice Swordsman, renaming him Kenshin and teaches him the special sword technique of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu.

Taking on a look that certainly emphasizes Japanese animation, Samurai X still maintains a sense of wonder and mystique that has been missing since films like Wings of Honniamise and Ghost in the Shell. The imagery is beautiful and haunting through its movement, backgrounds and characters, presenting an even version of the times it is depicting. I have been told that this series is much darker than the original TV series containing Kenshin. Since I haven’t seen the TV series I can’t compare the two, but from what I have seen it is much darker and grittier than the TV series.

Kenshin is the ultimate anti-hero in more ways than one and quite unbeknownst to him. His time as an apprentice and away from the world has left him blind to injustice for too long, and when he is recruited be the Choshu clan to be an assassin he doesn’t realize just how killing another human being will affect him. This is shown throughout the first two episodes by the change in his persona and the look in his eyes.

As the anime progresses, Kenshin becomes more focused, the look in his eyes is as intense as the action throughout and it seems as if he is trying to find something he doesn’t know is there. Depth is the key element in this piece and it shows as the story unfolds in act two: The Lost Cat. Musashi Shogo’s screenplay truly begins to take on form in this, the second installment of the story. Kenshin becomes a target of another clan, as does the Choshu. He has also been taken to by the nomadic Tomoe, fiancé was ironically slain by Kenshin in act 1.

Act 2 has a much faster pace its predecessor with some of the most unbelievably animated fight scenes I have been privileged to see. Such brutality and form has never looked so good in an animated state before. Nothing is spared in the dramatic feel as we are forced to bare witness to Kenshin’s ruthless and instinctive technique that seems to grow with every confrontation. The final stages of act 2 will have you on the edge of your seat as the music intensifies, reflecting the desperation of the characters plight and his new found companions reluctance to let him fall further into the downward spiral of which he has been cast.

Samurai X is actually based very specifically around an actual movement of events that occurred in 1864 with the Tokugawa government and the ninja of the Shogunate. Rumors surrounding the time speak of an assassin dubbed: “Hitokiri Battousai” or ‘”the man who slashes even as he draws his sword.” Nothing further has ever been revealed save for a few eye witness reports of the assassins skill and talk of the woman who calmed him.

This movie, as well as Ninja Scroll has definetley got me into anime movies. This series is really amazing, for any anime fan this series is a must have and could become one of the best anime series since Evangelian. Highly recommended.


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good Date Movie
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age