Thursday, February 16, 2017

Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends


Kenshin’s first battle with Shishio ended in defeat.  Now, with Kaoru missing and presumed dead, Kenshin is dead set on revenge.  To attain it, he returns to his former master, Hiko Seijiro, to learn the final technique of his sword style.  As Shishio closes in to finish his campaign, he strong arms to government into hunting down Kenshin for him.  If it wasn’t bad enough, a former shinobi master is determined to bring glory to his clan by claiming Kenshin’s head.  If Kenshin can survive his toughest opponents yet, at the end lies Shishio, his successor and the man crazy enough to set the world on fire.  This is where the legend of Kenshin Himura reaches it’s climax and only one Manslayer will walk away alive.

The Rurouni Kenshin Trilogy finishes as strong as it began.  And while a couple of problems I had with Kyoto Inferno do carry over, I cant ignore the fact that I have watched greatness unfold in these three movies.  Films that could have just been second rate adaptations have been given the utmost care and The Legend Ends reflects that care.

It’s kind of sad to know, once the credits begin to roll, that there are no plans to adapt the final arc of the Rurouni Kenshin Manga, the Jinchu Arc.  At the same time, it’s a bit clear what kind of story the filmmakers wanted to tell and with that in mind, events are carefully merged with the Manga storyline to get nods in to events we may not bear witness to on the big screen (unless something changes).  The film gives you a second to breathe in the beginning as we watch Kenshin reunite with his master, Hiko Sejiro, the man who saved him at the end of the last film.  But after that, it is full speed ahead.  It’s a breathless pace that somehow manages to keep you nice and comfy running along with it.

My thoughts on Aoshi from the last film still hold true in The Legend Ends.  His story would have been a bit more fulfilling had it begun in the first film rather than the second, to better give him a connective arc to Kenshin.  However, where Aoshi kind of failed to live up to my expectations in that department, he continues to excel on the action side of things.  His forest duel with Kenshin is one of the best fights in the trilogy and shows that the fight choreography isn’t slacking this close to the finish line, more on that in a moment though.  Just like Aoshi though, the introduction of Shishio’s much beloved Jupongatana, the Ten Swords, also doesn’t deliver as they are relegated to guys just waiting to be ended in battle.  Unsui, the blind assassin, at least gets a brief but very cool action bit with Saito, just like in the Manga.  Still, this was one case where too many characters being in the film was going to mean some got overshadowed or even forgotten entirely.  Thankfully, Hiko Seijiro is given better care, especially for being an almost last minute addition.  His humor is dialed way back, as it has been with many of these films in the humor department.  But Hiko is still the wise man he’s always been and I could feel the bond he shared with his student in their rather short amount of screen time together.

But let’s cut to the chase.  How was the final battle between Kenshin and Shishio?  Well we got a nice lead up to it with a beach war, and good duels for Kenshin, Sanosuke and Saito…oh but those were nothing compared to the epic four vs one throwdown the trailers all promised.  When Kenshin, Sano, Saito and Aoshi all square off against Shishio at the same time, it’s one of the most epic battles of all time.  Shishio is having a blast being top dog, even in his burned condition and you’ve got a feeling he could kill all four of these guys if he wanted to.  I cant praise the fight choreographers more than I already have.  What more can I say about how bad ass and amazing they have been making all of these fights look incredible, believeable and worthy of watching hundreds of times over?  Each warrior gets his equal amount of time in this battle and is never overshadowed by another combatant.  When the dust settles, Kenshin and Shishio’s mano a mano battle is everything you’d want it to be: bloody, a ton of growls and a rivalry that has set the standard for most Anime rivalries to day. 

Coming to the end of this wild ride, it seemed weird that the movie just kind of…ends.  I feel like there’s room for a potential sequel (JINCHU ARC PLEASE!!!), but the films ends on a moment that I wonder if it could have been explored a teeny bit more or if that was always the intended final moment.  Either way, it’s hard to end things right after the glorious onslaught of action that proceeds it.  Maybe just a simple breath of air was all we needed.  Either or, time to close it out.

The action was incredible, the acting was on point, the nods to the source material were nice touches.  If this is where “The Legend Ends”, it got one helluva send off here.  I had waited for this film, and Kyoto Inferno, for over four years and, gripes aside, I was left incredibly satisfied.  Listening to ONE OK ROCK’s final song for the trilogy, Heartache, I wanted to tear up.  One of my all time favorite Manga had been brought to life in a way I never expected and I enjoyed each entry as much as the previous.  Very few trilogies have managed to have that effect on me, just like the original Star Wars Trilogy.  If people are to go forward adapting more Anime into Live Action features, they now have Rurouni Kenshin, in addition to Death Note, to use as a template.  Now…if only we could get a live action Mobile Suit Gundam to match the glory this trilogy attained. 

These films are my hero…and The Legend Ends solidifies that.

9/10
See you in a couple of weeks for the return of Full Metal Panic.  And if you’re going to Katsucon, I’ll see you there.

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