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Rating: 
Summary: Sano's past....good stuff
Review: I guess friendship is forever regardless of which side the friend is on. These episodes reaffirms the friendship between Kenshin and Sano....if you gone this far into the series...then this is another must have.
Rating: 
Summary: A Mix of Great and So-So Stories
Review: The storyline with Sanosuke's Sekihoutai best buddy dragging him back into a vengeful plot is a worthwhile watch. The music, the speeches and the flashbacks are very well done and heart-wrenching; for the second and final time, Kenshin and Sanosuke must square off for each of their particular beliefs. (Most of this sequence is animated much better during flashbacks shown in the "Reflections" OVA). The sword work isn't a major factor, however, as the main "villain" uses all kinds of bombs as his weapons. The scarlet pirate Shura's storyline deviates pretty strongly from the series' mindset, and seems to try and make commentary on the fact that the Bakumatsu had alienated so many people, creating so many angry outside groups. Unable to protect Kaoru completely, Kenshin takes Kaoru's place as the pirates' hostage. Their once invincible, and now not completely powerful leader, a strong woman named Shura, as well as her gang, begin to doubt her abilities. Kenshin is on hand as a mutiny takes place, and he must, once again, defend the weak. This storyline never comes back in the rest of the series; it starts and, thankfully, ends here. Very little new sword moves or new clever attacks; just Kenshin beating up on severely inferior opponents. The first portion is important to the series, and does come back later on; the second part might as well be its own series.
Rating: 
Summary: The last volume of filler before the Kyoto arc!
Review: This DVD is part filler, and part plot. The short plot arc is actually from the manga, and deals with Sanosuke and an old buddy from the Sekihotai. It wasn't as good as some of the other plot-oriented stuff was, but it was still really good, and obviously a must-have for anyone collecting the series this far. The filler episodes on this DVD deal with a gang of pirates run by a mysterious figure named 'Shura'. They run afoul of the Kenshin-gumi, and all sorts of stuff happens. I wouldn't want to ruin it. The pirates, however, are not in the manga, and represent the last bit of filler before the start of the much-famed Kyoto Arc, which is absolutely INCREDIBLE. If you think the series is good now, just wait!
Rating:
Summary: awesome!!
Review: This is the best movie ive ever baught in my intiere life!!!!!!!I find that the way thay put it together is awesome and if i would be able to wach it agen,i would wacht it 400 times in a row!!!!!!!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Would have been four stars, except for mediocre last 3 eps.
Review: This is the last DVD for the first season, and contains two story-arcs in five episodes ('eps'): 23-27. The first arc (23-24) involves a friend of Sanosuke's, and has strong thematic and visual links not only to Sagara's first appearance (eps 4-5) but also (especially in visual style) to Season Two and the theatrical film. The story-arc uses, and expands upon, one of the official manga stories; and the expansions to the plot (mostly in ep 23) are done _very_ well in my opinion. The party Sanosuke throws for his friends at the Kamiya dojo contains some of the best humor in the series. Altogether, this arc would make an excellent transition directly to season two (possibly via the theatrical film--see my comments on it in another review). The second arc (eps 25-27) involves a (quasi-)colorful group of coastal pirates. The eps do not seem to be critical (except insofar as they're used in the second season as background material during the closing credits). This story could probably be shuffled a little further back in the chronology sequence, in order to produce a more aesthetically pleasing flow of story-tone. Also, these eps do not seem to be based on any of the original manga stories. Nor do they boast any especially interesting fights. Still, taken as filler, they do the job sufficiently well; and may be worth it purely for the tentative romantic sequence near the middle of ep 25 (first of the arc) between Kenshin and Kaoru. (Nevertheless, I have a tendency to skip these during rewatches. Get this DVD for eps 23-24, and consider the pirate arc to be a diverting bonus.)
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