It was good. It was really really good. And I have paragraphs and paragraphs of thoughts I need to spew out. I watched the movie with Chinese subs since it just got released on Bilibili (watch here!) like 3 days ago. I was so busy with exams that I didn't even notice!!（ ＴДＴ）I'll do a review on The Legend Ends when it comes out but I'm still waiting haha. I actually thought I'd have to wait like 5 more months since the movies just came out in August but it actually got released really fast. You have no idea how happy I was for it to come out. Even though I didn't read the manga or anything, the first movie of Rurouni Kenshin was on a whole other level compared to most Japanese movies. I loved it so much and I rewatched it like 20 times lol. It's a movie series I definitely recommend so be sure to watch it before reading this review!
Synopsis
I'm not going to write a synopsis since there is quite a lot of story here. Instead, I'll give some links to the manga story and the movie story. They're pretty similar with a few changes here and there. Click here for Rurouni Kenshin's Wikia page on the Kyoto Arc (man I love Wikia they have SO MUCH information!) and here for the live-action movie Wikipedia.
Cast & Characters
Here is the wikipedia for all the characters of Rurouni Kenshin! It's always nice to know background information so there won't be any confusion later ^^
Sato Takeru plays Himura Kenshin aka Hitokiri Battōsai, which literally means 'Sword-drawing Manslayer' or 'Sword-drawing Assassin.' Sato Takeru is definitely the star of this movie and has got his character figured out perfectly. I don't think I've ever seen an actor be so perfectly in character before. I could probably think of other actors who could play the other characters but I cannot imagine anyone else other than Takeru who could play Kenshin. He lives and breathes Kenshin and his dedication to this character is no joke. There were an abundant of action scenes and I think 90% of the stunts were done by Takeru himself. There were some impossible-like scenes that I thought was done by a stuntman but then they would show Takeru's face without even cutting the scene. I am so amazed at his ability as an actor. If you're a follower of Takeru and this movie, you would know how hard he works just so he can perform his own stunts. Every facial expression in this movie was perfect and I could feel a whole range of emotions from him. He was even better here in Kyoto Inferno than in the first movie, which says a lot because he was absolutely amazing in the first movie. His 'oro' and 'Kaoru-dono' are just too cute! As a longtime fan of Takeru, I'm really proud of him in that he has really found his career-defining role in Kenshin. Cue the tears (⌯˃̶᷄ ﹏ ˂̶᷄⌯). IM JUST SO PROUD.
Takei Emi plays Kamiya Kaoru. I think Emi has improved vastly compared to the first movie. It feels as if she wasn't that into her character in the first movie but that is not the case here. Although her scenes were short, Emi was finally able to truly express Kaoru's personality. I could feel Kaoru's strong-willed and prideful character radiating off of her. And her firm belief of katsujin-ken (swords that protect life) earned my admiration. She's just such a strong motivator for Kenshin! I'm also really glad that there's finally some Kaoru action in this movie. Fans of the manga all know that Kaoru is a spunky and strong female character who can definitely hold her own if she wanted to. Unfortunately, given the short story in the first movie, most viewers weren't able to see that and simply saw her as a damsel in distress. I'm sure they'll be glad to see so many action scenes for Kaoru this time ヽ(；▽；)ノ But I do have to admit I laughed a little when Kaoru said she wanted to fight with Kenshin because Takei Emi just looked so funny holding out her long stick weapon (I'm sorry I don't know the name). Kaoru has always looked so pampered up that it felt weird watching her in rags and pointing her weapon at people who were probably much more powerful than her. Plus, it doesn't help that Takei Emi has more of a princess-y look. However, I completely changed my mind after seeing her perseverance and her kicking a bunch of people's asses. I only see improvement from Emi and I'm glad she's not as awkward as she was in the first movie!
Fujiwara Tatsuya plays Shishio Makoto. When the casting news first came out, I really disliked Fujiwara Tatsuya. The only positive side to the casting was that I wouldn't have to see his face since he was playing Shishio. But in-between that news and this movie, I became a fan of him. If you read my review for ST: Scientific Task Force, you'll see how he won me other with his very expressive acting. I don't know how I went from disliking him to totally finding him adorable now. I definitely took a 180 degree turn because while I was watching the movie, I was actually wishing to see his un-bandaged face lol. What a difference from my thoughts before, am I right? Anyhow, I think Fujiwara did a really good job at portraying the intense degree of hate Shishio had for the Meiji government and also his strong desire to conquer. Shishio is one of those villains that I can't really hate because of reasons I can't even explain myself lol. It's not even because I have sympathy for him or anything (even though he was burned alive lolol...)
Aoki Munetaka plays Sagara Sanosuke. I always think Sanosuke is so funny. Whether he's fighting someone (which is all the time) or doing something serious, his foul mouth and rough body movements just make everything funny. Aoki Munetaka's real life personality really translates into his character because he's just the biggest goofball in real life. I love love love his friendship with Kenshin and I'm so glad we got to see a lot more bromance in this movie. While I was watching the scene above (where he finally meets Kenshin in Kyoto), I couldn't help but take a hundred screenshots because it literally looks like Sanosuke wants to kiss Kenshin. Is it just me or do you see it too? I've never been a shipper of boyxboy or even bromances but they are pretty adorbz together if I do say so myself (~￣▽￣)~
Aoi Yu plays Takani Megumi. Megumi is one of my favourite characters because she just has so much knowledge and wisdom in her. Aoi Yu is an amazing actress in terms of talent and conveying her emotions on screen. She didn't get that much screen time in this movie but every shot of her made my eyes glue to the screen. Her character is definitely vital to the story since she's such a great support to all her friends. She seems to know what everyone is feeling and acts accordingly. I respect that a lot and Aoi Yu portrays that aspect of Megumi perfectly!
Tsuchiya Tao plays Makimachi Misao. Oh Misao! I think I really fell in love with her character her. She's so young but so bright and full of life! I was actually a bit skeptical of Tsuchiya Tao when I first learned of the casting so seeing her do so well as Misao filled me with relief. I think I'm officially becoming a fan of Tsuchiya!
Kamiki Ryunosuke plays Seta Sōjirō, the right hand man of Shishio Makoto and an extremely skilled swordsman. Sojiro literally has no emotion and I definitely felt that from Kamiki Ryunosuke. I regard this as a positive thing but Kamiki Ryunosuke can really give me the creeps with some of his characters. He barely had any scenes but that emotionless smile on his face just gave me the shivers every single time and I loved it lol. His portrayal of Sojiro kind of reminded me of his character Ninomiya Juichi from SPEC because of the similarities between the characters. They're both very emotionless when it comes to killing.
I just want to comment on how Takei Emi and Kamiki Ryunosuke were in a Taiga together before where Takei Emi played his MOM lol! It's so funny because they're born in the same year and Kamiki is even a few months older than Emi. When the cast of Rurouni Kenshin was on VS Arashi, Kamiki revealed that he calls her mom on set. I loled so hard.
There are way more characters but I'm not going to go into detail into them. Instead, there are a few characters that I want to mention:
Tanaka Min plays Kashiwazaki Nenji, an elder member of the Oniwabanshū. Despite his old age, he really knows how to kickass!
Fukuyama Masaharu plays Hiko Seijūrō. He only appeared towards the end of the movie but I just have to comment on his socks+sandals combination lol. I know they're actually traditional Japanese footwear but I was pretty amused. Sorry I didn't get a picture of his face lol.
Ryosuke Miura plays Sawagejo Cho. I probably wouldn't have commented on his character if not for the epicly cute wink he did lol.
Review & Thoughts
Lets talk about cinematography because LOOK AT THE BEAUTIFUL SCENERY!!!! I really really love the colouring of this movie because everything is very vibrant and pleasant on the eyes. Each scene fit in perfectly and there weren't any awkward transitions anywhere! Just like the first movie, you can expect high quality directing and effects. All the action scenes were done so well I didn't even know where to look because it was just too exciting lol.
I thought I'd have a lot to say in this section of the review but I actually don't have anything because I said everything in the characters section lol. Also this movie ended with a cliffhanger so I think I'll have much more to say about this whole live-action film series as a whole after watching The Legend Ends. I'm so psyched for that movie because I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS!! >.<
OTP
CAN WE JUST TALK ABOUT THE HUG AND HOW PERFECT IT WAS. I know it wasn't like the anime with all the fireflies at night but it was short and sweet and fit perfectly into the movie. Takei Emi and Sato Takeru just have so much chemistry together (♡ˊ͈ ॢ꒳ ॢˋ͈)
I really love the soft expression on Kenshin's face whenever he looks at Kaoru and I just can't help but think of that in terms of real life as well. We all know that Kaoru and Kenshin get together in Rurouni Kenshin so I'm going to talk about my REAL LIFE OTP of Sato Takeru and Takei Emi. I don't think there's a ship name for them yet but there are quite a lot of people who ship them because of their own screen characters. Having real life OTPs is pretty much inevitable and its HORRIBLE because y'all know that real life OTPs don't usually become canon. I watched like 500+ videos of Sato Takeru and Takei Emi doing promotions for Rurouni Kenshin and it seems like they have a very bickering relationship. They're always bantering back and forth its really funny and cute. They for sure got closer since the first movie because I remember seeing some awkward behind the scenes back then. Now they're pretty much teasing each other 24/7 at interviews, premiers, and fan events ♡♡♡
They had dating rumours back then during the first movie but I don't really believe it since a lot of Japanese media outlets just speculate without any evidence. There has also been rumours of Sato Takeru dating other women so I'm pretty sure he and Emi are just friends. Or they could be frenemies depending on what perspective you take. Sometimes I feel like he teases her because it's cute but then sometimes I feel like they both hate each other and just tease each other on camera to spite the other lol. Either way, I'm pretty amused at this OTP ♡
Extra Screencaps
Here are some beautiful screencaps of our beautiful OTP and more ♡♡
Takei Emi plays Kamiya Kaoru. I think Emi has improved vastly compared to the first movie. It feels as if she wasn't that into her character in the first movie but that is not the case here. Although her scenes were short, Emi was finally able to truly express Kaoru's personality. I could feel Kaoru's strong-willed and prideful character radiating off of her. And her firm belief of katsujin-ken (swords that protect life) earned my admiration. She's just such a strong motivator for Kenshin! I'm also really glad that there's finally some Kaoru action in this movie. Fans of the manga all know that Kaoru is a spunky and strong female character who can definitely hold her own if she wanted to. Unfortunately, given the short story in the first movie, most viewers weren't able to see that and simply saw her as a damsel in distress. I'm sure they'll be glad to see so many action scenes for Kaoru this time ヽ(；▽；)ノ But I do have to admit I laughed a little when Kaoru said she wanted to fight with Kenshin because Takei Emi just looked so funny holding out her long stick weapon (I'm sorry I don't know the name). Kaoru has always looked so pampered up that it felt weird watching her in rags and pointing her weapon at people who were probably much more powerful than her. Plus, it doesn't help that Takei Emi has more of a princess-y look. However, I completely changed my mind after seeing her perseverance and her kicking a bunch of people's asses. I only see improvement from Emi and I'm glad she's not as awkward as she was in the first movie!
Fujiwara Tatsuya plays Shishio Makoto. When the casting news first came out, I really disliked Fujiwara Tatsuya. The only positive side to the casting was that I wouldn't have to see his face since he was playing Shishio. But in-between that news and this movie, I became a fan of him. If you read my review for ST: Scientific Task Force, you'll see how he won me other with his very expressive acting. I don't know how I went from disliking him to totally finding him adorable now. I definitely took a 180 degree turn because while I was watching the movie, I was actually wishing to see his un-bandaged face lol. What a difference from my thoughts before, am I right? Anyhow, I think Fujiwara did a really good job at portraying the intense degree of hate Shishio had for the Meiji government and also his strong desire to conquer. Shishio is one of those villains that I can't really hate because of reasons I can't even explain myself lol. It's not even because I have sympathy for him or anything (even though he was burned alive lolol...)
Aoki Munetaka plays Sagara Sanosuke. I always think Sanosuke is so funny. Whether he's fighting someone (which is all the time) or doing something serious, his foul mouth and rough body movements just make everything funny. Aoki Munetaka's real life personality really translates into his character because he's just the biggest goofball in real life. I love love love his friendship with Kenshin and I'm so glad we got to see a lot more bromance in this movie. While I was watching the scene above (where he finally meets Kenshin in Kyoto), I couldn't help but take a hundred screenshots because it literally looks like Sanosuke wants to kiss Kenshin. Is it just me or do you see it too? I've never been a shipper of boyxboy or even bromances but they are pretty adorbz together if I do say so myself (~￣▽￣)~
Aoi Yu plays Takani Megumi. Megumi is one of my favourite characters because she just has so much knowledge and wisdom in her. Aoi Yu is an amazing actress in terms of talent and conveying her emotions on screen. She didn't get that much screen time in this movie but every shot of her made my eyes glue to the screen. Her character is definitely vital to the story since she's such a great support to all her friends. She seems to know what everyone is feeling and acts accordingly. I respect that a lot and Aoi Yu portrays that aspect of Megumi perfectly!
Tsuchiya Tao plays Makimachi Misao. Oh Misao! I think I really fell in love with her character her. She's so young but so bright and full of life! I was actually a bit skeptical of Tsuchiya Tao when I first learned of the casting so seeing her do so well as Misao filled me with relief. I think I'm officially becoming a fan of Tsuchiya!
Kamiki Ryunosuke plays Seta Sōjirō, the right hand man of Shishio Makoto and an extremely skilled swordsman. Sojiro literally has no emotion and I definitely felt that from Kamiki Ryunosuke. I regard this as a positive thing but Kamiki Ryunosuke can really give me the creeps with some of his characters. He barely had any scenes but that emotionless smile on his face just gave me the shivers every single time and I loved it lol. His portrayal of Sojiro kind of reminded me of his character Ninomiya Juichi from SPEC because of the similarities between the characters. They're both very emotionless when it comes to killing.
There are way more characters but I'm not going to go into detail into them. Instead, there are a few characters that I want to mention:
Review & Thoughts
Lets talk about cinematography because LOOK AT THE BEAUTIFUL SCENERY!!!! I really really love the colouring of this movie because everything is very vibrant and pleasant on the eyes. Each scene fit in perfectly and there weren't any awkward transitions anywhere! Just like the first movie, you can expect high quality directing and effects. All the action scenes were done so well I didn't even know where to look because it was just too exciting lol.I thought I'd have a lot to say in this section of the review but I actually don't have anything because I said everything in the characters section lol. Also this movie ended with a cliffhanger so I think I'll have much more to say about this whole live-action film series as a whole after watching The Legend Ends. I'm so psyched for that movie because I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS!! >.<
OTP
CAN WE JUST TALK ABOUT THE HUG AND HOW PERFECT IT WAS. I know it wasn't like the anime with all the fireflies at night but it was short and sweet and fit perfectly into the movie. Takei Emi and Sato Takeru just have so much chemistry together (♡ˊ͈ ॢ꒳ ॢˋ͈)
I really love the soft expression on Kenshin's face whenever he looks at Kaoru and I just can't help but think of that in terms of real life as well. We all know that Kaoru and Kenshin get together in Rurouni Kenshin so I'm going to talk about my REAL LIFE OTP of Sato Takeru and Takei Emi. I don't think there's a ship name for them yet but there are quite a lot of people who ship them because of their own screen characters. Having real life OTPs is pretty much inevitable and its HORRIBLE because y'all know that real life OTPs don't usually become canon. I watched like 500+ videos of Sato Takeru and Takei Emi doing promotions for Rurouni Kenshin and it seems like they have a very bickering relationship. They're always bantering back and forth its really funny and cute. They for sure got closer since the first movie because I remember seeing some awkward behind the scenes back then. Now they're pretty much teasing each other 24/7 at interviews, premiers, and fan events ♡♡♡
They had dating rumours back then during the first movie but I don't really believe it since a lot of Japanese media outlets just speculate without any evidence. There has also been rumours of Sato Takeru dating other women so I'm pretty sure he and Emi are just friends. Or they could be frenemies depending on what perspective you take. Sometimes I feel like he teases her because it's cute but then sometimes I feel like they both hate each other and just tease each other on camera to spite the other lol. Either way, I'm pretty amused at this OTP ♡
Extra Screencaps
Here are some beautiful screencaps of our beautiful OTP and more ♡♡
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