Rurouni Kenshin Part I: Origins

The first film of the trilogy adapted from Nobuhiro Watsuki's manga. Kenshin was an assassin known as Battōsai during the Meiji restoration. When the war ended he swore never to kill again and took to the road with a sword whose cutting edge has been reversed, a sakabatō. It does not cut; it only strikes. The most praised element is the fight choreography, and the reason is that sword. Kenji Tanigaki, who staged it, has explained that because the weapon cannot cut, the choreography is built on hitting rather than slicing. The result is the opposite of wuxia's soaring duels: low, fast, and made of continuous reaction. Takeru Satoh plays Kenshin and does his own stunts across the series. Keishi Otomo directed. It landed in Japan and grew into a trilogy with two sequels. The right place to start for anyone who likes manga adaptations and swordplay. For a viewer who does not know the source there are a great many characters, and the historical period behind them passes quickly.