MANGA REVIEW - Rurouni Kenshin

Just the other day I finished reading the manga Rurouni Kenshin.  Well, to be honest, this was actually a reread.  I had read Rurouni Kenshin in bits and pieces in the early 2000s as it was being released in English in the USA, but this was the first time that I had read the series in one go.  It took a few days to get through all of it, but it was a fabulously addictive experience.

Rurouni Kenshin is a historical fiction manga set in the Meiji Era of Japanese history (around the 1870s), and interesting time in Japanese history; years of a feudal, military dictatorship were being demolished, and quickly being replaced with a more modernized military and government.  The starkest change of these tumultuous times was the end of the samurai class.  Rurouni Kenshin stars a wandering ex-samurai named Kenshin who goes to Tokyo in hopes of protecting weaker people who are being taken advantage of during this time of political and social upheaval, with one small catch:  Kenshin has taken up a vow to leave killing in the previous era, and refuses to kill his enemies.  During his time in Tokyo, he meets like-minded comrades, and potential romantic partners, as well as some deeply corrupt, over-the-top enemies.

Rurouni Kenshin is a sort of jack-of-all-trades sort of manga.  It has a little bit of romance; it borrows from the historical setting, but not too closely; it has a ton of action, some of which would be right at home in a Marvel comic; and yet it also has a few soul-searching and coming-of-age elements commonly found in traditional samurai stories.  Because of this, I feel that Rurouni Kenshin can easily appeal to a large audience.  It has a sort of feeling that there's something for everyone, and although it's a blend of different elements, I find it to be fundamentally very balanced.


It also has a solid pace.  There are always enemies appearing and a decent level of suspense for the more powerful foes.  The art is also consistently high quality throughout the series.  The scenes are detailed without being over powering, and the action scenes are easy to follow.  The art style evolution over the course of the series can also be described as becoming more crisp and fluid and even clearer to understand.

Rurouni Kenshin is complete at 28 single volumes and 9 omnibi editions.  Frankly, the omnibi are easier and a little cheaper to obtain and have a few more omake (bonus) comics than the single volumes have.  I, personally, have a mixture of both omnibi and single volumes, and I would recommend the omnibi over the single volumes for the sake of the few small bonus chapters.

In the action manga sub-genre, Rurouni Kenshin is what I would describe as a shorter series, and its very satisfying ending defines it as a worthwhile investment for anyone interested in a well-crafted story with plenty of action; a sprinkle of romance; memorable characters; a historical, Japanese setting; and high-quality artwork.  Sounds like a recipe for success if ever there was one!

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