Rating: 
Summary: Amazing!!
Review: The 4 part OVA series is amazing! Not only are the action scenes great but the story is excellent! Very poetic and touching story!
Rating:
Summary: Awesome!
Review: This is the second DVD in which Kenshin and Tomoe leave kyoto and go into hiding. The change in environment in turn changes Kenshin and Tomoe for the better. Later on Kenshins' world will be turned upside down and he takes new direction in his life. The animation and music are the same as Samurai X: Trust. Overall, this series is an example of animation at it's finest. From the breathtaking visuals to the well done music score and thought out story line, this series is worth getting and is worth the money!
Rating:
Summary: Up there with the best
Review: This four part OVA is simply brilliant. In my book, it rates up there with the original Bubblegum Crisis 8-part OVA and 13-part Tenchi Muyo OVA. The quality of the storyline and animation is excellent. The characters are three-dimensional and the series has to be watched a couple of times to pick up the little subtleties. I look forward to acquiring some more of the Kenshin series, and hope that the animation quality, character detail and plots are equally as well crafted.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Conclusion to a good series
Review: How typical of fanboys... one of the first things I noticed when reading the reviews were the comments on "not enough fighting as the first disc" or "I expected more fights" etc., etc ( Heaven forbid the same people watch the Patlabor movies ) . I guess when one ignores the great pacing, the vivid imagery, and the tasteful cinematography of the third episode one would consider it "slow". But what the last two installment does is create a believable situation to the tragic and heart-rending tragedy of Himura. There is a noticeable introduction of CG elements in here, but it comes across as akward, especially with the melding of real-time sea-water and animated cels. Thankfully, this process is only done briefly, and does not hamper the overall visuial feel of series. The animation is solid, and the combat scenes of the last episode are so good that one can almost forgive the overtly violent scenes from the last two. And sorry, but just 'cuz there are swords and samurai in here doesn't necessarily mean that a Kurosawa comparison is in order. Needless to say, if one already has the first OVA, there is no reason for you not to have this.
Rating:
Summary: Rurouni Kenshin OVA
Review: The Rurouni Kenshin OVA series is probably one of the only series that Kenshin fanatics will admit is better than the TV series. Unlike the TV series' light-hearted comedy, this series is moody and serious. The animation is fluid, and the character designs are very realistic. The symbolism in the story is amazing. I highly recommend this series, whether you're a fan of Rurouni Kenshin or just anime in general!
Rating:
Summary: A Fabulous Story
Review: The first disc did a great job of getting you into the story with fight scenes and intrigue yet the second disc brought me only more into the series with great storytelling and a dramatic finish. The second disc only made me want to watch the two together again. I watched both of them through a few times before I was satisfied that I had noticed every little detail of this great story. Although I enjoyed this second part of the series very much it might be a little slow for some viewers who are expecting a bloodbath like the first disc. I enjoyed the fight scenes in this second disc even more because they were done more thoroughly than those on the first disc. I would reccomend this for anyone, just don't be suprised that there are not as much blood.
Rating:
Summary: Anime at its best
Review: I was only introduced to Rurouni Kenshin a couple of months ago when I accidentally watched a part of the TV series with a friend of mine. It is very good anime, great artwork, neat story and fantastic fights. Samurai X is the OVA version of Rurouni Kenshin. This second part to the two-disc OVA is really quite good. I expected more fighting like in the first disc, but the focus here is more on Kenshin and his development as a character (the first part of this dvd has no fighting whatsoever). In this I was a little bit disappointed: Saitoh and Kenshin have a go at each other, but it is almost an afterthought. The entire feature is done well, make no mistake, but if you are looking to find 'more of the same' from the first disc, this is not the case. That said, I enjoyed this immensely. The sparsity of combat makes it extra special when it shows up, and the character development works very well. This is very sombre anime, but truly excellent.
Rating:
Summary: The Master ASSASIN Strikes1 And Strikes it Excellently!
Review: The second part and the conclusion to the Rurouni Kenshin OVA's, Not only that the storyline that really srikes a viwers point of view towards what really happened, and to why he killed by the masses, but the soundtrack and instrumentation music that plays in the background that gives this epic a true masterpiece. Recommended for animation lovers that likes drama and action. I give this DVD my full blessing and proper credit of THUMBS UP ALL THE WAY! NOTE: Subtitled is recommended version.
Rating:
Summary: Revealed at last: how Kenshin earned his cross-shaped wound
Review: Telling fans of the "Rurouni Kenshin" series that "Samurai X: Betrayal," the second half of a four-episode anime mini-series is where we find out why Kenshin has that "X" shaped scar on his face should be enough to get them to check out this prequel. The story is set in 19th-century Japan and in the first half, "Samurai X: Trust," Shinta, a young man sold into slavery after his parents died, is trained by the mystic swordsman in Japan to be the most feared assassin in Japan and given the name Kenshin. When he grows up our young hero meets Tomoe Yukishiro, a mysterious young woman whose fiancé had been murdered by Kenshin. This DVD of "Romantic Tales from the Meiji Era" includes "Act 3: The Previous Night at the Mountain Home" and "Act 4: The Cross-Shaped Wound." In Act 3 Kenshin tries to live a life of peace that is at odds with his brutal life as he and Tomoe hide out in Otsu, posing as a simple farmer and his wife. Kenshin even thinks of making the fantasy real, although there does not seem to be any reason for him to fall in love with the mysterious Tomoe, but then the "traitor" is revealed to Kenshin, setting up the tragic end game in Act 4. As the title indicates, this is where we learn how Kenshin received his distinctive wound and the most impressive part of the tale is that writer Nobuhiro Watsuki and director Kazuhiro Furuhashi come up with something that is both surprising and lyrical. You might have trouble reconciling the contemplative Keshin we see at the end of "Samurai X" with the more childlike one of "Rurouni Kenshin," but it is hard to deny the power of this story. I think watching "Samurai X" after enjoying "Rurouni Kenshin" is the correct order for viewing, even though it is the prequel to the series. There are profound differences between the two, with "Samurai X" being more sophisticated that the series, with the violence heightened and the comic elements stripped away. The prequel is not intended for young viewers, even if they are fans of the series, because even though we all know that Kenshin becomes the "Hitokiri Battousai" (i.e., "the man who slashes even as he draws his sword"), his being an assassin constitutes an even darker chapter in his early life.
Rating:
Summary: Only for the Kenshin fan
Review: If you like Kenshin, you will like this DVD. It is, however, quite different than the t.v. series. First, the animation is quite a bit better. Second, there is none of the silliness of the series. This is 100 percent serious, which may be good or bad, depending upon if you like some of the foolishness of the series. I felt like Kenshin loses some of his appeal in this by being too serious, although the series could perhaps tone down SOME of the silliness. Third, the characters are never quite developed in this movie (although they are more Asian-looking. I never understand why Japanese anime heroes always look more American than me, but the villains always seem to still look Japanese. Is this a Japanese ideal?) In the series, we see Kenshin's struggle and turmoil, but in the movie he is basically portayed rather one dimensional and flat until the sees the errors of his ways. Finally, while everyone else seems to think it was violent, I don't find it that much more violent than the t.v. series. I personally don't have a problem with my children watching it, because it's animation and loses the edge that reality violence has. The main problem I see with this movie, and not to give anything away, is that I had trouble figuring out why Kenshin and Tomoe fell in love to begin with, because there was nothing overly interesting or particularly redeeming in their personalities to spark a romance. While the Kenshin in the t.v. series is quite lovable and adorable, the movie version of Kenshin is a little bland and not as personable or caring. The relationship does explain, however, why he might be a little shell shocked about falling in love again, and why he is so hesitant to fall in love with Kaoru in the series. If you like Kenshin, you will want to have these blanks filled in, as the first two movies fill the gaps of what happened to Kenshin to make him what he is in the series. The reason I give this only four of five stars is because if you are not a Kenshin fan, you will not appreciate the movie. It is SLOOOOOW moving for the most part, almost painfully so in some parts, (in fact I thought my DVD player had stopped during one scene), and if you are not familiar with Kenshin the man from the series, it is doubtful you will appreciate or understand his character. People I watched the movie with who had not seen the series did not think the movie was very good, and could not figure out why I like Kenshin so much to begin with. I would recommend this if you are a Kenshin fan, and you have any desire to find out about his first love, how he got the famous X-shaped scar, what made him decide to become the manslayer, what made him decide he needed redemption, and how he almost found it prior to his meeting Kaoru. If you are not a Kenshin fan, I wouldn't buy the movie, but maybe start with the series. Buy one DVD with three episodes and I can almost guarantee you will be HOOKED.
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