Samurai X:Reflection Director's Cut

Rating:
Summary: Moving but not in character
Review: Beautifully done and very moving. I even cried at certain parts. The music is wonderful, the action and the animation is good.

HOWEVER, a very big but for me is the fact that I find Kenshin and Kaoru in this OVA very out of character. I think the makers wanted to create in Reflections something akin to Trust and Betrayal but it just doesn't work for me. I find it extremely hard to believe that the Rurouni in Watsuki's manga and in the anime series would do anything he did in this OVA. And that wasn't Kaoru either, she seemed more like Tomoe to me. I know real life can be depressing. I don't really mind a sad ending especially if it is nicely done. But this OVA is just so out of character I prefer to think of it as part of Kaoru's dream in episode 95 of the anime series.

Of course, if you're a RuroKen fan, the DVD is still worth buying.




Rating:
Summary: Beautiful animation, depressing OOC plot.
Review: I bought the Region-2 DVD of this director's cut before the domestic release of the original version, so this was actually my first exposure to it. I was forewarned by summaries and spoilers about how much of a downer it would be, but boy, is this OVA a downer. Although the animation is as beautiful as the first OVA (Trust/Betrayal), its dramatic structure is imho much weaker due to various factors.

The first half of Reflections is built around fragmentary recaps which can't be fully understood without prior familiarity with the original manga and/or the parallel first two seasons of the tv series. The plot then proceeds through the manga's Jinchuu Arc in a manner that's only slightly less cursory, and similarly requires foreknowledge of either those manga volumes (not yet translated by Shounen Jump as of the DVD's release date) or the Trust/Betrayal OVA, or optimally both.

And then there's the whole question of how the OVA depicts Kenshin's behavior after the manga timeframe; in many fans' opinion, he completely reverses the direction of character development that was shown throughout the manga, negating the peace he'd supposedly found. So while Reflections is dependent on its context, it simultanously undermines that context's core themes, which is a really irritating paradox.

A mitigating factor in the Director's Cut is that it adds some happy scenes that weren't present in the original version: Kenshin's second wedding; early scenes from his marriage including the birth and childhood of his son. Kaoru and Saitou also have a brief conversation about, er, something. (Maybe if I actually understood Japanese I could attempt a summary.) Nitpickers will be entertained to note that the wedding is grossly anachronistic, as the "traditional" Shinto ceremony wasn't invented until 1900.

Still, the animation really is dang beautiful. The recaps of key fights from the manga/anime are full of grace and power; in more introspective scenes, individal cherry petals or fireflies float weightlessly through the air. The character design is slightly different from either the first OVA or the tv series, but certainly recognizable and vital.

In the long run, while you kinda have to be a diehard RK fan to really appreciate this OVA, most diehard RK fans may end up in a maelstrom of pathos and indignation by the end. Watch at your own risk, and keep some tissues ready-- even if you don't need them for your eyes, other people nearby may need to stuff them into their ears.

Rating:
Summary: i greatly enjoyed this anime
Review: i have to admit, i'd watched the series all the way through before i saw the films and was at first a little saddened by the difference in animation styles. however, after watching all of the films, i wished that the animation style used for trust/betrayal/reflection had been the one for the series.

this movie was deeply poetic and moving to me... i liked the change in kaoru from the kaoru of the series. she's much more mature and has a deep, abiding love for kenshin. she seemed so real i almost had to keep reminding myself that this was an anime. her interaction with yahiko is wonderful. the times when he's still an adolescent as well as the times when he's an adult are lovely. i was happy to see his transformation into a responsible man. and even though i really liked the change in kaoru...

...i loved the change in sanosuke. even though he still had a hint of his wild, punch-first-ask-questions-later attitude, he seems to have been changed into a more caring man. he's not in much of the film but his small part was perhaps the most moving. his devotion to kenshin filled me with emotion.

now that i've seen all of the rurouni kenshin and samauri x offerings i've decided that while i liked the show, i loved the films (i'm not counting the third film as it was simply a long episode). the voice acting is perhaps the best i've heard in any anime (at least in japanese). i can't wait to add this title to my collection.

Rating:
Summary: An unreal end
Review: I truly love this OVA evan know it is very good i cant exscape the fact that these characters do not seem to be the same.Karou was not herself in reflection i know her love was deep for kenshin but she seemed unreal,her love was deep for him in the series but she was still the funny, joyful,loud swordswoman she always was but with more love in her heart because of kenshin.The same with yahiko megumi and sanoske.It felt like Karou turned into tomo kenshins first wife,a soft spokened loving caring wife who would never leave kenshins side.Im very sure karou would become something like tomo but in her own way.Plus after what happend in the series with yahiko taking kenshins sword to fight gohei hiruma the crazed ediot who would stop at nothing to kill kenshin for breaking his thumb it looked as if kenshin would never let yahiko touch the reverse blade sword again. To end this it's hard to believe that all of the characters hardcore rurounie kenshin fans have come to love could change so much. In a way i dont know these people but overall reflection is a good story sad but good and the big change is it's only downfall. I agree with other reviewers because the animation is just unbelievable and i wish they used it for the series.

Rating:
Summary: Please Don't Support This Movie
Review: Ok, I know that not everyone is going to agree with me but here it goes. I don't beleive that many true fans of Kenshin will like this movie. I know that I was truely disappointed. Not only was the story line not well written but the ending totally ruined it for me. I am not opposed to sad endings but it just didn't seen appropriate for this character. I know that some have arged that the ending is realistic and in real life everyone dies but remember this is not true life. This is a cartoon. Besides not everything in real life has a sad ending. Anyways I thing that they should have stuck more along the lines of the magna, which is the show the true development of the story. I know others may say that the the TV series and first OVA may have differed from the magna too but it was only slight, nothing that completely changed the original story, at least not from what I have read so far. I haven't read all the volumes yet but I have read the summaries and plan on buying more of the magna, which show the true end, with Kenshin finally living in peace with his family. We can just imagine the rest if we so choose. THis movie completely alters and important element of the story, which Nobuhrio Watsuki, the creator of Kenshin felt was important, a happy ending. I think they made this movie just to make people stoping asking for more Kenshin by killing him off. Personally, I see this movie more as an animated form of fanfaction that Watsuki, doesn't even support. Why does movie creators always have to ruin the stories of our favorite heros? I hope that Watsuki, pushes for someone to animated the Jinchuu Arc to give the conclusion to the Kenshin story that true fans support. I watched this movie a few times and hated more everytime. They didn't even keep in line with the personalities of the characters. However, I do feel the animation style was nice. I highly recomend that people not buy this film or at least take it with a grain of salt. However I highly recomend that instead you purchase the first OVA Trust and Betrayal and the TV series, they are excellent. Even though much of the last season is not based on the magna, it the episodes I have seen are quite enteraining. More importantly, unlike reflection they don't hurt or butcher the original story. Also I'd like to mention that I strongly advise you not to show any of the OVAs to the younger fans of the Kenshin series. There is much more graphic gore (1st OVA) and sexual scenes, although not in any real detail or anything you can really see but it strongly implies things that parents probably will not want to be explaining to younger audiences. All in all, I'd like to forget ever watching this movie and tell others to just stick with the other movies, TV episodes, and magna to the series. You will end up much mopre satisfied with the story.

Rating:
Summary: It doesnt add up...
Review: okay, now, I had a very hard time accepting this ending. i have a lot of resons and here are a few:
Nobuhiro Watsuki, the creator of Rurouni kenshin, didnt write or appear to have any say in this, it seems as though Sony decided to inflict cruel fates on his characters.
anyone who is a fan of either the tv series or the manga knows how Kenshin evolved as character throughout the series, facing his inner demons and talking about the will to live, in "Reflection", Kenshin is presented as though he never lived through any of the experiences in the series, just so they can make him wander again in angst and have a tragic end.
Also, I anyone can see how everyone in Reflections was out of charcter by far.

Rating:
Summary: Conclusion.
Review: Samurai X (Rurouni Kenshin) is about a person named Kenshin who has stopped being an assasin and wandered Japan for ten years until he winds up with Kaoru a person that cares deeply for Kenshin but won't admit it. Reflection is set 15 years after the Kyoto arc, Kenshin is fighting a war Sanosuke is self training himself Yahiko is also training and Kaoru is waiting for Kenshins return. This movie is very sad because Kenshin dies in the very end and also it is hard to see such a good anime to end. I can't help wandering if they are going to make the infamous Jinchuu arc which is based on Kenshins brother in law. ou have got to see this you won't be dissapointed.


Rating:
Summary: A must see for fans of the TV series.
Review: Samurai X - Reflection is the conclusion of the Rurouni Kenshin TV series while Samurai X trust and betrayal is the prequel to the TV series. Reflection gives you a quick overview of the TV series then finishes the story. After the overview, we find that Kenshin marries Kaoru and they have a child. While Kenshin was not the best husband or father, it was important for him to make atonement for all the deaths he has caused even if it meant being gone a lot and exposing him self to leprosy. While Kenshin was home Kaoru allowed her self to be exposed to his leprosy, because of her great love for him. In the end Kenshin and Kaoru found each other. And his atonement now complete the X shaped scar disappeared and his swordsmanship name Kenshin was changed back to Shinta. He had now come full circle; I think that the ending is very beautiful.

Rating:
Summary: Bad revisions to scoring = Director's botch
Review: The one-star rating refers specifically to Reflection: Director's Cut. I would rate the original Reflection release--a two-part OAV--four stars. It had its content problems, as most Kenshin fans know. But I loved the quality of animation and the strength of the music, and I went with the content. I didn't feel ripped off, as it all seemed a worthy effort (even if doing a feature of Jinchu Arc would've been energy much better spent.)

The director's cut, however, makes me feel VERY ripped off. Why? It may provide about 14 minutes of extra footage, and further interviews with the Japanese voice actors; and for those who like the American track, there is a commentary track by the American voice actors. It also gets rid of the melodramatic dialog over the end credits. HOWEVER, it does an absolutely abysmal overhaul of the soundtrack once you get into the "part 2" material, ejecting some of the BEST and most exciting scoring for a rehash of music from Trust and Betrayal. The fight with Enishi is one such instance. In the original Reflection, this fight was electrifying, loaded with tension, the scoring absolutely wonderful. Well, that scoring's gone here. Why? Who knows. And the fight scene suffers terribly from this change. Other tampering with the music includes "blanket tossing" the opening theme around, and really ruining Yahiko's fight with Kenji. Such musical revisions all seem so careless, deflating what was previously exciting or touching or thought-provoking. They lack accent for emotion, and when spanning scene shifts, they ignore dramatic enhancement ... a terrible thing to do an anime that was originally, with respect to its scoring, nearly flawless. It also cheapens the Trust and Betrayal music, which I happen to love when it's used well.

The most I'll do with this DVD is pop it in for the extra 14 minutes when watching my original Reflection ... if I even do that. To be frank, I wish I had waited and gotten this thing used on the super cheap. The 14 minutes are worth something, I suppose, particularly as Saito shows up in one of those minutes; but nothing here is worth the full price of the disk. In fact, the sense I got from this was that nobody really cared what in heck they were doing, and that grates.

For those who are interested in either Reflection release but have not seen other Kenshin material (Trust and Betrayal; the Rurouni Kenshin series), the story here may confuse you and will probably not have much of an emotional impact. I'd recommend starting with the earlier Kenshin stuff. And when you're ready to see Reflection, go for the OLD release. Not this one. If you become a fanatic, you'll still want the director's cut. But seeing the original OAVs will ever be a far more satisfying watch. And by then, you may find lots of these director's cuts for sale used ... mine may be one of them.

Rating:
Summary: The conclusion to this legendary tale, yet very sad.
Review: This movie does not introduce a new ark or saga, but instead it recalls Kenshin's past conflicts. In the beginning of the movie we learn that Kenshin has gone away from the Kamija Dojo and Kenji (Kenshin's son) went to train with Kenshin's master. Kaoru feels worried since she has no news of Kenshin's health and of Kenji's ground. While Kaoru faints she remembers all of Kenshin's past conflicts, and the last saga or ark is about Enishi's revenge on Kenshin because Enishi's sister died for Kenshin and her death left Enishi alone in the world. Enishi's saga is the original last saga and "Tales of the Meiji" is only a saga of filler episodes because the original author of the series, Nobuhiro Watsuki, did not write it. Around the end of the series we learn that Kenshin has a disease that always turns out fatal and Kaoru gets it because she asks Kenshin to transmit it to her through a passionate night because she wants to carry some of the suffering he is caring.
At the end Sanosuke finds Kenshin and helps him travel back to Japan before he dies so he can see Kaoru again, and when he meets Kaoru he dies in her laps.