I am a huge fan of jidai geki. So I guess it wouldn’t surprise anyone when I say that I absolutely love Rurouni Kenshin. As a fact, I’ve declared Nobuhiro Watsuki (creator) a genius the moment I got hooked to this series.
To be quite honest, though, what got me into its original manga version was its televised version (as it usually is). At first, I couldn’t quite decide which I liked better — that is, until both went further into the main storylines. RK the TV series is very good; I will admit that I even liked certain filler episodes. However, this case is perhaps the same with all anime I’ve seen — the original manga version is still much better, no matter how great the TV rendition is. You can bring up a handful of arguements to dispute this claim, but I’ve got two words to shut you up for certain: Jinchuu Arc.
I’ve always mourned that the TV version did not include this certain arc; it is so important to the series as a whole! With such detailed and historic background, it gives all of the major characters so much depth. It tells of Kenshin’s past as Hitokiri Battousai, the foundation for the story of his battles, his present life and the way of his sword. I didn’t see much point in the way they ended the TV series; it was so incomplete because of this missing arc. If you call yourself a RK fan, then most definitely you will have to know the real score and read the manga in its entirety (well…preferrably in its entirety, but you can get away with reading at least most of the parts that the TV/OAV version did not include).
Comparisons aside (for all I know, you might not have seen its TV version anyway), Rurouni Kenshin is a fantastic manga. Since the timeline was set ten years after the Meji era, there is a heavy touch of history. In my case, that only made it even more fascinating, and the plot more involving. The artwork is quite good, and you’re never scrimped for the excellent swordfights. Characters are delightful. To date, this is perhaps the only series where I may not have a single, personal favorite character, but I LOVE almost every one of them, so you can understand why it’s hard to choose! Watsuki takes great care in making his character sketches unique; he gives each of them careful detailing and definite personality. One may also find it interesting that he based many of their characteristics on both real people — several of which were historical figures — as well as other fictional characters (not exclusive to Japanese works, mind you).
Individual Rating: Art: 9; Story: 9; Characters: 10
