I’ve had this series on my mind for a while now since I’m a huge Takeru Satoh fan and wanted to devour all his work. I can confidently say that he is undoubtedly the magic everyone seems to be enthralled by in these movies.

The character ‘Rurouni Kenshin’ itself is really enticing but to have Takeru play this role is almost as perfect as things get. He brings life to the strong, kindhearted Kenshin. His moves throughout the combat scenes are intricate and so beautifully executed, like an artist displaying his finesse. His warm smiles and agonising screams during emotional sequences give this the exact spark it needs.

The supporting characters are pretty great too; however, the female lead is a problem. It’s not the fact that she’s the weak, damsel in distress because I personally do not think weakness is a flaw. Though, her delusion and innocence are infuriating. She wants to live and see Kenshin safe but his hands are tied because “killing is bad”? The narrative is so flawed and I am annoyed with her attitude towards vital scenes in the movie. If he won’t kill, how do you expect him to live? Unbearable.

Don’t even get me started with the kidnapping. I can’t believe the writers threw that in again despite adding the same plot line in the first movie. It seemed illogical.

Looking past that, the cinematography, costumes, direction, music and acting is phenomenal. I feel like I’m watching history run its course in actuality and that gives me goosebumps.