White Reflections

I was watching bits and pieces of Seisouhen on Youtube. And wow. People who’ve watched it are so unknowledgable about RurouKen. Here I was about ready to comment when… grr! Youtube and its 500 character limit. Well, since I’ve typed it all anyways, why not dump my text here? It’s sad when people don’t even know how to follow the storyline.

I’ve never commented on any videos before. Haha, actually I originally had planned never to watch Seisouhen. Rurouni Kenshin was meant to end as it had done in the manga, and Seisouhen (or it’s also known as Reflection) was just not suitable. Although it makes Kenshin seem more human, I just don’t associate his life with the ending of Seisouhen. And it seems the OVA’s are confusing. I’ve been a RuroKen for several years, so maybe I can clear up a few things.

The anime storyline is as follows:

Tsuikohen (Trust & Betrayal)
Rurouni Kenshin 95 episodes
Seisouhen (Reflection)

The manga consister of 3 main arcs. The Tokyo arc, the Kyoto arc, and the Jinchuu (revenge arc).

The Tokyo arc basically is the introduction to the various characters, culminating in the meeting with the Oniwabanshu.

The Kyoto arc follows Kenshin and the appearance of Makoto Shishio, Kenshin’s successor as hitokiri, who wants to exact revenge on the new Meiji government.

The final arc, which, for the most part, was not animated, involves Yukishiro Enishi, Tomoe’s brother. It’s called Jinchuu because Enishi was seeking revenge for his sister’s death. And I *think* a very summarized version of it is found in Seisouhen. (not enough to do the arc justice considering it is the BEST arc in the manga).

For the most part, the anime does a wonderful job following the manga. But after the end of the Kyoto arc, (I think they were running low on budget or something), rather than animating the Jinchuu arc, they went on to random fillers like the Feng Shui/Christian arc. Tsuikohen basically elaborates on the Tomoe/Kenshin story during the Jinchuu arc (and I think it’s the best OVA I’ve ever seen). Seisouhen does a horrid job with the actual Enishi subplot.

While the history would go Tsuikohen, anime, then Seisouhen, both Tsuikohen and Seisouhen are based off of events in the last arc of the manga, Jinchuu. In terms of the order it was told, it would be Tokyo and Kyoto in the anime, Jinchuu with Seisouhen, and Tsuikohen in the middle of Seisouhen.
BTW-Although it’s known as Samurai X in English speaking countries, it’s really a poor name choice. Technically, samurai are born into the class and Kenshin wasn’t.

And yeah, if you’ve watched Tsuikohen, and don’t mind a spoiler if you haven’t~ Himura Tomoe is basically Kenshin’s first wife. Then again, they weren’t legally married or anything. Regardless, she’s my favorite female character.

IMO, after watching bits and pieces of Seisouhen, I’d suggest picking up the manga and pretending Seisouhen never happened. ^^b;;

Then again I guess people like it.

And I think the animation’s changed for a purpose moreso than just switching animators. In general, the anime was more lively? The OVA’s have such a serious tone.