Rurouni Kenshin

Kenshin has a great anti-hero whose skills make sense (if not in terms of physics, then at least terms of plot).

Kenshin has interesting supporting characters. And interesting bad guys. And is set in an interesting historical period (the Meiji Restoration).

The main themes of "Kenshin," which set it apart from its lesser bretheren (the aforementioned Ninja Scroll, Dragonball Z) are love, redemption, the morality of killing, and the subsuming of the samurai way to European modernity. It has weaknesses; a fetishization of strange sword techniques, romantic attractions that take way too long to play out, and storytelling that is not, perhaps, economical, but overall it's an entertaining anime, especially if you can groove on the sword fights. I don't really care, but then I wouldn't.

Also, Kenshin has great music.

Himura Kenshin is the main character in ni different show.

The show most people are familiar with is Rurouni Kenshin, translated literally as Kenshin the Wandering Swordsman. The story of Kenshin is as fascinating as it is historically informative. It takes place during the Meiji era of Japanese history, in the year 11. (1878 to us.) Kenshin was (as mentioned above) an assasin during the violent uprising which lead to the Meiji era. His skill and poise were instrumental in bringing the former government down. He became known as the Battosai, a title based on his skill at a certain sword style. The series Rurouni Kenshin surrounds the events which take place when Kenshin meets a young woman named Kamiya Kaoru in the streets of Tokyo. He, the young woman, the young thief Myojin Yahiko and the ex-mercenary Sagara Sanosuke form a kind of family unit, with Kenshin protecting the people of Tokyo from the likes of gangsters, and remnants of the violent Meiji revolution.

The show combines moments of Samurai action (The above mention of Ninja Scroll paling in comparison to this show is accurate, I think.) with a well thought out and well written plot. While the show does have its moments of levity, this series is more serious than shows like Ranma 1/2.

The other show starring Kenshin is the (also excellent) 4 part OAV series, Samurai X. I actually like Samurai X better, for reasons I mention in the node for that series.
There is some confusion about this, because Samurai X is the name of the OAV series, as well as a movie, in the Rurouni Kenshin timeframe.

For more information on Kenshin, check out http://oro.simplenet.com/oro/ . It's slightly out of date (Kenshin is now available in the states, thanks to Media Blasters), but has in depth information on the show and characters.

Although many die-hard fans of the anime call this blasphemous, when I introduce a new viewer to Kenshin, I begin by showing them the four-part OAV that serves as a prequel to the entire series. Called "Recollections" (or "Samurai X" for the US release), this four part movie is much higher-quality animation, and is the story that takes place ten years before the beginning of the anime's TV episodes (and should NOT be confused with the "Kenshin Movie" that takes place chronologically halfway through the series). Thankfully, the OAV has been released across two DVDs here in the states (Finally!).

It is the OAV, in my opinion, that elevates kenshin from a "good" anime to a "great" one. I must have seen it about 10 or 15 times or so, but each time still brings tears to my eyes. Before you write this anime off completely, borrow the OAV, trust me.

My biggest problem with Kenshin (besides the slightly silly "Tokyo Chapter" that begins the series) is that the end of the series portrayed in the Manga (Japanese comic book) is not produced in the Anime series. For those of you who have not read the Manga, the last part of the story (called the "Revenge Saga") deals with Enishi, the brother of Kenshin's Ill-Fated love, Tomoe. Yahiko also returns in this chapter, as an adult Hitokiri.

All of the episodes of Kenshin (the anime) after the Shishio Saga are rather pointless, in the grand scheme of things, and fail to bring closure to the truly epic and heart-rending saga.

Although the Anime had many brilliant points in it, it suffered heavily from "episode bloat".

The pacifist nature of the main character, Himura Kenshin also leads to another weak point about the series. Kenshin doesn't kill people, but he does kill valuable time in unending monologues trying to convince his opponents to give up fighting. This is mostly done to fill episodes so one fight fills up an episode at time, sometimes even two. Very annoying when one loves the plot and would like to see it continue. Kenshin seems to think that talking your enemies to death, making them suffer his monologues until blood comes pours from their ears does not count as killing them.

But Kenshin is not alone in this: Aoshi, leader of the Oniwabanshu constantly remembers his fallen comrades, on whose behalf he continues fighting. If you don't know the names Hanya, Beshimi, Hyottoko and Shikijou by heart up to the middle of the series, you have not been watching very closely.

This might be a reason fans like Saitou Hajime so much, as he does less talking and more fighting.

Still, I enjoyed the series very much, but sometimes wished to fast-forward the plot a bit. Some episodes were just _that_ annoying.

One thing everyone seemed to forget mentioning was the main plot lines of the entire series. Typical of us guys, I assume, who would over look them and pay attention to the never ending monologues of Kenshin and the sword fights. They seem to forget that starting very early in the series, while fighting Udo Jin-e, there is a very obvious consistancy in the plot. Love and the desire to live.

There are several (main) love pairings in the series; Kenshin and Kamiya Kaoru, the owner of the Kendo School and master of the Kamiya Kasshin style budo. Kenshin and Takani Megumi; the woman doctor that the Kenshin gumi rescue from some drug dealer. Myoujin Yahiko and Tsumbame; Kaoru's apprentice and a waitress girl at a restraunt frequented by the Kenshin Gumi, respectively. Later in the series (after the aforementioned Kyoto or Shishio saga) a pseudo-relationship develops between Megumi and Sagara Sanosuke, after Megumi realizes that Kenshin has more feelings for Kaoru than for herself. And Misao and Aoshi; but nothing ever really comes about from that relationship, even though Aoshi's eyes do open up to see how Misao feels for him.

Those are just the good guys. Most of the bad guys aren't in enough episodes for you to notice love relationships, but there is one that is obvious, and one that is implied if you look for it. The obvious relationship is between Shishio and his concubine/wife/girlfriend Yumi. The implied one is a yaoi (gay) relationship between Shishio and his left hand man, Hoji. A friend of mine and I can't figure out just how it would work, but we believe that there's something going on.

I do not know how these themes carry over into the OAVs. I have not seen them. From what I hear, however, and from what I gathered from above, Samurai X is about Kenshin's past, while focusing mainly on his first love (coincidently a girl who first set out to kill kenshin, but fell in love back). And the second OAV (or maybe in the manga?), I do not know what it is called, Kaoru and Kenshin have a child, Kenji, Yahiko and Tsunbame get married and have children, and oddly enough, (from what I hear) Sanosuke marries random Chinese Gypsy woman and grows a goatee.