Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning

The film that returns to the beginning of the Rurouni Kenshin series. The story takes place before the other films. Kenshin has not yet reversed his blade; known as Battosai, he is the most effective assassin of the imperial faction. He works at night in Kyoto and does not count the people he kills. One night a woman witnesses one of his killings. Her name is Tomoe. Rather than silence her, the faction decides to keep her close, and the two are forced to live together for a time. The film is about that relationship. For the first time Kenshin sees a life he is not killing in: a house, a field, daily work. But Tomoe has a reason for being there and she does not say it. The narrative also explains the best-known detail of the series: how the cross-shaped scar on Kenshin's face was made. The register is markedly darker than the others. There is little action and it is hard; the fights are short and lethal. Takeru Satoh plays Kenshin and Kasumi Arimura plays Tomoe. Keishi Otomo directed. One of the strongest instalments for anyone who likes manga adaptations and historical action. For a viewer who wants action, the film is built largely on silence and waiting.