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| Sano
82th Post
 
Occasional Customer
  
|  "Re(7):Rurouni Kenshin:Reflection"
, posted Mon 14 Apr 09:28
Here's the deal with why Reflection is different from the Manga.
The original agreement the people who made the Kenshin Anime and creator Nobihiru Watsuki was that they only animate the story up until the Shishio Arc, and end it their own way.
Due to it's popularity, the first OVA came out, and that should of been the end of Rurouni Kenshin. But the sales of this OVA were strong, especially outside of Japan, and that's how Reflection came about. Since the Anime ended, various people who worked on it are doing other projects and it would be almost impossible to re-assemble everybody to create another 100 episodes so it could be exactly like the Jinchu Arc in the Manga, and this goes against the original agreement made with Watsuki. So what they did is made Reflection which is the same legnth (time-wise) as the first OVA.
Personally, I'm glad that some version of Kenshin's ending was Animated. If it was Animated exactly like the Manga, I'd know everything that happened and it wouldn't surprise me at all the way Reflection did. I've always considered the Manga and Anime two seperate things anyway, because the Anime has always been different than the Manga. In the beginning Watsuki used to get pissed off how his stories were changed and shortened for the Anime, until the Kyoto Arc came along which was alot closer to the Manga.
I will say I wish the Sagara Sanosuke's "Back of the Man" story was Animated. Personally, I liked the Kyoto Arc better than the Jinchu Arc in the Manga anyways so I'm happy that it got Animated in it's entirety.
Interestingly enough, I've seen the Anime crew do drawings of Enishi for one of their Art Books, and two Kenshin Calenders years before Reflection. Never of any of the other Six Comrads. Makes me think they only planned to Animate Enishi all along. Well, I like the Junpon Gatana MUCH BETTER than the Six Comrads...
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| Maou
70th Post
Occasional Customer
| "Re(8):Rurouni Kenshin:Reflection" , posted Mon 14 Apr 20:51:
quote:
Personally, I'm glad that some version of Kenshin's ending was Animated. If it was Animated exactly like the Manga, I'd know everything that happened and it wouldn't surprise me at all the way Reflection did. I've always considered the Manga and Anime two seperate things anyway, because the Anime has always been different than the Manga.
Never of any of the other Six Comrads. Makes me think they only planned to Animate Enishi all along. Well, I like the Junpon Gatana MUCH BETTER than the Six Comrads...
Hmm, The 10 Katana (that's Juppongatana, by the way) as better than Enishi's gang of six? While the main ones, particularly Anji, Soujirou, Houji, broomhead Chou, and Usui are well-done, the later four are so embarrassingly bad that I really end up agreeing with Watsuki's musings in his Free Talks that maybe they should've been the Roppongatana (The Six Katana)...the later four were such obvious "theme characters" (i.e. defined by a physical characteristic) that it was embarrassing....clearly Watsuki was playing TOO many video games at that point. (Not to say I don't love my fighters.)
Meanwhile, the show wasn't really supposed to be the seperate entity that it regrettably became. Just filler, stalling episodes appearing because the comic was animated sooner than it should have been. I believe the Jinchuu final arc was supposed to be animated, but it simply hadn't finished: the show had outrun the comic, with predictably bad resulting made-for-TV episodes. Why the early arcs were so rushed is a mystery to me--Watsuki himself was astounded that blackhat Jin'e was reduced to 2 eps, and I the more so give the bilge that filters in between Oninwa Banshuu, Raijuuta, and Kyouto (pirates?! Trains?! Full House-esque sumou wrestlers?!) arcs.
That said, it is regrettable that the Jinchuu arc never was...whether you like Kyouto or Jinchuu better, Jinchuu is absolutely pivotal for the entire thematic drive of Kenshin and character resolution...people will remember how open-ended Kyouto ends. Jinchuu struck me strong, even if Kyouto is the more epic of the two, and to reduce Jinchuu to a mere 5 minute cameo in the new OAV when it took up as long as Kyouto in the comic is a disservice.
Never mind that the new OAV is more 'fanfic' story, brazenly so at the end... Most criminal is the blatant violation of Kenshin's character regarding the war, but at any rate... Still, I watched the whole thing because of the mindbendingly good music and animation, whatta sucker! ^_^
Maou
edit: spelling
[this message was edited by Maou on Mon 14 Apr 20:56] |
| Maou
70th Post
Occasional Customer
| "Re(3):Re(10):Rurouni Kenshin:Reflection" , posted Wed 16 Apr 23:31
Very true about the US influence, and Watsuki is always very honest in his character commentaries as to what influenced his character designs and personalities. That said, his most striking designs are often completely his own, Saitou and Houji being the best.
As far as Enishi's six, whether or not their actual appearance was US comic-esque (clawdude Yatsume was bit much), I thought they come across as more refreshing and unique, perhaps it was just because a better number, six, was used. Kyouto arc's weaker elements of the 10 Katana really did feel like some awful fighting game, whereas each of Jinchuu's 6 played key parts in that story. Banjin threw me off at first, but ended up growing on me, especially with the connection to the past. What a shame that they never showed up in that new OAV, which should have been a TV series.
Still disapprove of the artificial ending of the OAV, but as a piece of fanfiction, it's quite good. And that animation...!
Maou
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| Sano
84th Post
Occasional Customer
| "Re(4):Re(10):Rurouni Kenshin:Reflection" , posted Thu 17 Apr 09:54
I personally don't see Reflection as Fan Fiction. I see it as "Kazuhiro Furuhashi continuity" (The driving force behind the Kenshin Animes) and I see the Manga as "Watsuki Continuity." Of course, I consider the Manga official/canon and anything not from the Manga like the Anime, OVAS, Movie or Video Games as other. I still like both. The Anime and the Manga have giving me so much - things like having Kenshin's eyes turn yellow when he goes into Hitokiri Mode, the J-Pop songs and Rock tracks in a Samurai Epic are strokes of genious. The original story, taking place in the Meiji Era, not a popular era to depict is also brilliant. I like Kenshin all around, hell, I'm probably the only person on this planet that didn't think the filler arcs were all that bad. Maybe because Sano was doing his thang, (got a girlfriend, learned a new move, got a dog and stayed at Megumi's crib)and that supercedes corny stories of Kenshin going blind or fighting Chi Monks in my biased mind...
But of course, since this is an OVA and they tend to go outside of continuity anyway, I can see someone interpreting it as a Fan Fic.
Things I loved about Reflection - Amazing character designs (everyone looks like a real person!), Animation and awsome soundtrack! If the story would of been Animated just like the Manga, none of these factors would be in place, and wheither or not that would be better or not I'll never know. Reflection is the type of Anime that just stays with you for a long time, hell I cried at the end! The Manga haunts me as well, but in a different way.
I talk to much, I could probably just some this up as, "Sano's the Man in all versions!" like I did last time...
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MESSATSU 
"Re(1):Rurouni Kenshin:Reflection" 
the rainbow connection..." -Kermit
"Re(10):Rurouni Kenshin:Reflection"