09/10
I saw this last night and…OH MY GOD THIS WAS GOOD! Finally, an adaptation of a manga/anime into the big screen that doesn’t make you want to jump fof a bridge. Otomo Keishi, the director, did a brilliant job making sure the live action version of this beloved story stayed true to its original roots, but taking advantage of the technology of movies and the things you can do with it nowadays. The action scenes are superb – I was nervous about this particularly, as I couldn’t imagine how they could translate into live action the highly animated and sophisticated moves that Kenshin does in the anime, but Otomo nailed it, resulting in a masterpiece of swordfights that rival any kung fu movie ever made, in my humble opinion.
The actor who playes Kenshin, Takeru Satoh, really did the character justice, embodying very well his spirit and personality. He doesn’t look anything like the anime character, but I was happy about that. Clearly, talent was more important in the casting decision that whether or not he looked like Kenshin.
Kaoru was good as well (though a little less feisty than in the anime version), and the rest of the cast fit very well in the characters. They did change some things…such as the way the characters met and other details, but the changes were understandable and did not take away from the major plot, which was exactly like in the manga and anime. It’s truly an adaptation that Kenshin fans will love, because it highlights moments loved within the series, moments we all know and grew up with. My only criticism was the music…Kenshin has such an AMAZING soundtrack, why didn’t they use that? The music they created for the film didn’t seem to fit quite right, and it was placed in awkward moments. There would be a fight track playing while characters are talking or just standing. It made the scene seem strange and uncomfortable, but other than that, I give the whole film many thumbs up…finally a good movie made from a manga, to take away the bad taste Dragon Ball “Evolution” left in out mouths.
I leave you with the movie’s featured there, by Japanese Rockers One OKRock. Great theme for the ending!
~ A ♥
