[Movie Review] ‘Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning (るろうに剣心 最終章)’ shows us the brutal side of Kenshin we rarely see

Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning. (Still: Netflix)
Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning. (Still: Netflix)

Platform: Netflix
Rating: M18
Running time: 137 minutes
Director: Keishi Ōtomo
Writer: Keishi Ōtomo
Cast: Takeru Satoh (Himura Kenshin), Kasumi Arimura (Yukishiro Tomoe), Issey Takahashi (Katsura Kogorō), Yōsuke Eguchi (Saitō Hajime), Nijirō Murakami (Okita Sōji), Kazuki Kitamura (Tatsumi), Masanobu Ando (Takasugi Shinsaku), and Towa Araki (Yukishiro Enishi).

Kenshin (Takeru Satoh) in Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning. (C) Nobuhiro Watsuki / Shueisha (C) 2020 Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning Production Committee
Kenshin (Takeru Satoh) in Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning. (C) Nobuhiro Watsuki / Shueisha (C) 2020 Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning Production Committee

Score: 3.7/5

Kenshin (Takeru Satoh) confronts Tomoe Yukishiro (Kasumi Arimura) in Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning. (C) Nobuhiro Watsuki / Shueisha (C) 2020 Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning Production Committee
Kenshin (Takeru Satoh) confronts Tomoe Yukishiro (Kasumi Arimura) in Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning. (C) Nobuhiro Watsuki / Shueisha (C) 2020 Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning Production Committee

Is Takeru Satoh capable of aging? The actor, who reprises his role in Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning, plays a younger version of the titular character — almost 10 years after his first appearance in 2012’s Rurouni Kenshin. As the film series comes to a close (but never say never, 2014’s Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends was originally going to be the conclusion of a trilogy) with this instalment, it reveals how Kenshin’s scars came to be, and his tragic relationship with his first wife.

The lovely Tomoe Yukishiro (Kasumi Arimura) in Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning. (C) Nobuhiro Watsuki / Shueisha (C) 2020 Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning Production Committee
The lovely Tomoe Yukishiro (Kasumi Arimura) in Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning. (C) Nobuhiro Watsuki / Shueisha (C) 2020 Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning Production Committee

Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning is a fantasy action film that is based on the Rurouni Kenshin manga and anime. It is the fifth and final instalment in the Rurouni Kenshin film franchise. It reveals Kenshin’s origins, and how he went from being a bloodthirsty assassin to the wandering samurai that we all know and love.

Kenshin (Takeru Satoh) and his wife Tomoe Yukishiro (Kasumi Arimura) in Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning. (C) Nobuhiro Watsuki / Shueisha (C) 2020 Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning Production Committee
Kenshin (Takeru Satoh) and his wife Tomoe Yukishiro (Kasumi Arimura) in Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning. (C) Nobuhiro Watsuki / Shueisha (C) 2020 Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning Production Committee

In the Rurouni Kenshin films, Kenshin (Takeru Satoh) is often referred to as the Hitokiri Battosai (人斬り抜刀斎), which loosely translates to “manslayer who unsheathes a sword”. Much has been said about how bloodthirsty and deadly he was, but we’re mostly told about his background — we’re rarely shown this side of him, unless he’s in dire straits. So it was interesting to see this gory and bloody side of Kenshin, especially when he ruthlessly massacres his opponents at the beginning of the film. It finally shows us why he was so fearsome in the past and why the title Hitokiri Battosai struck such terror into the hearts of his opponents.

Kenshin (Takeru Satoh) in Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning. (C) Nobuhiro Watsuki / Shueisha (C) 2020 Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning Production Committee
Kenshin (Takeru Satoh) in Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning. (C) Nobuhiro Watsuki / Shueisha (C) 2020 Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning Production Committee

The fact that there are more action scenes in this film compensates for its fairly lengthy running time, especially since long-time fans (or those who watched Rurouni Kenshin: The Final) know how the story is going to unfold. Nevertheless, the sword fights which show Kenshin cutting through his foes with wild abandon are a major draw of the movie… although that last fight at the end had one too many coincidences, such as Kenshin’s wife showing up.

Kenshin (Takeru Satoh) in Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning. (C) Nobuhiro Watsuki / Shueisha (C) 2020 Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning Production Committee
Kenshin (Takeru Satoh) in Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning. (C) Nobuhiro Watsuki / Shueisha (C) 2020 Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning Production Committee

His relationship with his wife, Tomoe (Kasumi Arimura), is both sweet and amusing. They’re both taciturn, yet there’s this sweet connection between the pair. It’s a stark contrast to his future love interest Kaoru (who doesn’t appear in the movie), who can be a bit more vocal and physical in nature, although both of them adopt a quiet and controlled demeanour with Kenshin. It’s a relationship between two introverts, so much of the love story comes from their nonverbals.

Kenshin (Takeru Satoh) in Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning. (C) Nobuhiro Watsuki / Shueisha (C) 2020 Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning Production Committee

As mentioned earlier, most viewers will know how the story turns out — we saw quite a bit of that in Rurouni Kenshin: The Final and there’s also Wikipedia. In terms of dramatic tension, there’s very little of it. You know it’s a doomed romance, you know this will propel Kenshin into getting his change of heart, and you know he’ll get his scars here. We’re watching the film for the journey. Consequently, when the film treats major plot points like massive revelations, it feels a little strange — there’s no surprise there.

Kogoro Katsura (Issey Takahashi) in Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning. (C) Nobuhiro Watsuki / Shueisha (C) 2020 Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning Production Committee
Kogoro Katsura (Issey Takahashi) in Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning. (C) Nobuhiro Watsuki / Shueisha (C) 2020 Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning Production Committee

I was looking forward to another deadly swordsman that Kenshin had to square off against in this film, but the ending felt a little… contrived. Kenshin doesn’t truly meet an opponent that can match his swordsmanship. Rather, he’s debilitated through a series of artificial and contrived events that allow for a tragedy (that we’re all waiting to see) occur. As his final movie, I expected one last glorious sword fight to close the series. However, there’s plenty of action before that, so I guess it all works out.

Hajime Saito (Yosuke Eguchi) in Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning. (C) Nobuhiro Watsuki / Shueisha (C) 2020 Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning Production Committee
Hajime Saito (Yosuke Eguchi) in Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning. (C) Nobuhiro Watsuki / Shueisha (C) 2020 Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning Production Committee

Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning takes on the difficult task of telling us a story  when we already know what the ending is. Thankfully, it peppers that tale by showing us a different side of Kenshin and giving us a sweet romance for him. Perhaps the film franchise will return in another few years — and I’m sure that Takeru Satoh still wouldn’t have aged by then.

Tomoe Yukishiro (Kasumi Arimura) in Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning. (C) Nobuhiro Watsuki / Shueisha (C) 2020 Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning Production Committee
Tomoe Yukishiro (Kasumi Arimura) in Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning. (C) Nobuhiro Watsuki / Shueisha (C) 2020 Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning Production Committee

Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning is available on Netflix from 30 July.

Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning. (Still: Netflix)
Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning. (Still: Netflix)

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