I was stoked to learn that RuroKen Live will be screened in local cinemas but a little apprehensive as well. I'm a big fan of RK and I don't wish to see one of my favorite series of all time get massacred by some cheap live adaptation.
Well, Rurouni Kenshin Live Adaptation did not disappoint. Great!
The flow of the story is smooth. One new to the series will be able to acquaint himself to the characters and the general story. Although it did not really follow the manga's story and the sequence of the characters' appearance. But hey, still good stuff.
The characters are lovable. Saito is admittedly not as badass compared to the anime/manga but still decent. Sano was funny and really looks like a street-fighter. When Sano was first introduced during the prison scene, the crowd was very delighted. Kaoru-dono and Megumi are also lovable. Yahiko though is a bit thin. And of course, the main man Kenshin. Takeru Satoh did a good job IMO. He's not really that lovable. Not a lot of people can appreciate him but he was good. His moves, the way he holds the sakabatou, his Hiten Mitsurugi stance, I think it's all nice to see. Especially with all the wirework to perform the stunts, it was refreshing.
The background music is superb. Some are gritty. Some are mellow. And the fight scene themes are well-placed. And the OST by ONE OK ROCK is a really nice addition. Or maybe I'm just biased :P
And the fight scenes are excellent. The crowd laughed so hard and were clapping at Sano's fight. It was really entertaining and funny. Inui's line "Poor bird. I'm a vegetarian" was the killer! Gein's fight with Kenshin is also nice with those awesome dagger stunts. Although one Hiten Mitsurugi technique has been shown, it was saved for the last boss, Jin'e. Soryusen. Not bad. One thing though, I thought it would be awesome if Saito used his Gatotsu to destroy the gatling gun. Instead he went flying to knock the chandelier towards Takeda. Lol!
The film gives you that authentic Japanese film while retelling Kenshin's story. And it is a great film overall. I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the crowd's reaction. I enjoyed the crowd's enthusiasm. And surprisingly, I enjoyed hearing even those new fans that thought they know a lot about Kenshin. There were some smartasses talking about the story, the manga, the OVA like they were some boss about RuroKen information. And there are those people who would speak loudly, just so you can hear them introduce the characters. "Oh that's Saito!" "Oh that's probably Shishio!" But you don't really let them get into your head and mess up your viewing pleasure, do you? :D
Needs moar Oro! Oro?
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