The continuation of the first OVA (original video animation), Samurai X: Trust, both Kenshin and Tomoe have been forced to leave the city and go into hiding out in the country under the cover as husband and wife. Life is quiet. Kenshin begins to understand a way of living that he had never considered before. They make a garden, sell medicine, and live peacefully. Tomoe, however, feels torn. She knows that Kenshin is responsible for the death of her fiancée, but he is such a good person when he’s not out assassinating people – doing what he thinks is right and must be done for the good of everyone.

However, there is a traitor in their midst. But who is it? Could it be Tomoe, out of her wish for revenge against Kenshin? Or has her love for him overtaken that revenge and the traitor is someone else? Whatever path their lives take, what they find at the end will not be the happy ending we all wish for.

Just like with the first OVA, we have more of Kenshin’s interesting back-story, a convoluted tale of love, hate, revenge, betrayal, and death. Even though I am still not completely enraptured by this OVA the way everyone else seems to be, it’s still very good. The animation is very well done and you’re sure to enjoy the fights Kenshin must endure in the final episode. The characters are nice and deep; you get a sense of everyone’s pain and the world they live in that makes it all the more difficult.

The pace is slow but steady, the music goes well with everything – I especially like the way it ends. Though I’ve never quite been a fan of Kenshin being voiced by a woman in either the Japanese or English version, I’m able to just accept it and go with the flow. Otherwise the voice acting is fine. You’ll have to decide for yourself, as per usual.

You may wonder what happened to Tomoe’s little brother Enishi after this, and I can’t quite say since I’ve never seen the series and don’t know if he pops up or not (something tells me no), so you’ll have to wait until the next OVA to find out, which is the final finish to the Rurouni Kenshin series.

And parents, be wary of letting kids watch this. Sword fighting means plenty of blood and death – your call.

If you like Rurouni Kenshin, go for it. If you feel like watching something, it may not be a bad choice. But if you’re looking for something not serious, you won’t find it here, so you’d do well to look elsewhere. This isn’t a happy OVA, just like Trust was not. It’s more of a character study with a solid plot to hold everything together. I don’t think I’m going to pop this again and watch it any time soon, but it’s still a good anime and worth the five-star rating.

NT

Start at the beginning with Samurai X: Trust

If you like Rurouni Kenshin, there is also Samurai X: The Motion Picture

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD