oracle-sea's Full Review: Samurai X - OVA 3: Trust
This is one anime that I always recommend to friends. It's simply amazing and is one of the most well-executed historical anime movies that I have seen. The story is about a fictional character named Himura Kenshin, and follows his story in the waning years of Japan's Tokugawa Shogunate. A superior swordsman trained by the last master of the Hiten Mitsurugi style, Kenshin becomes an assassin in an effort to make the world a better place through the use of his sword. Throwing his lot in with those who seek to overthrow the Shogunate and restore Imperial rule, Kenshin learns the hard way why his master refused to become involved with the politics of the time.
This DVD is the first of two, and if you buy this one, you'll definitely want to buy the second as well. The episodes on this DVD portray the childhood beginnings of the man that would go on to become one of the most feared swordsmen in Japan through a series of flashbacks. The rest of the disc shows Kenshin's life as an assassin for the Imperialists, including his first killing.
Visually, the animation in the OAV is superior. For those who have seen the TV series, you will be surprised by the change in style. It took me a little while to get used to. Gone are the cute little characters and the humorous cartoonish moments. Instead, we are treated to a dark, more realistic view of feudal Japan. The colors are somber, fitting the tone of the piece perfectly.
One of the things I was most impressed by in watching the OAV is the amount of thought and detail that went into the animation. Having seen a lot (and I mean A LOT) of Japanese serials about samurai as I grew up, I was amazed at the level of detail in the movement of the characters and the attention paid to the stances and strikes used.
The music is wonderful. Beautifully written, the music ranges from the somewhat nostalgic to violent and frenetic. All of it matches the mood of the scenes and helps enhance the emotional impact of the piece.
Characters in the piece are wonderfully deep and well-thought out. The motivations and desires of the main characters are all given a life of their own, and there was no time where I found myself thinking of any of them as two-dimensional. Their joy, sadness, and pain are all portrayed in a heartfelt and genuine way.
The only problem that I ran into with the sound is that in some scenes, when a character was speaking offscreen, it sounded like they were speaking from the bottom of a well. Or from somewhere behind the speaker.
Recommended:
Yes
Viewing Format: DVD Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age
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