Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuiokuhen - These are perhaps the best OVAs I have seen

I have always considered the Rurouni Kenshin anime as one of my all time favorites, I remember with much affection and nostalgia those afternoons that I waited anxiously to see each chapter on a local television channel, those were times when few had access to internet, so the alternatives to watch new anime were very remote, I remember that a few Dragon Ball movies could be rented in VHS format, but not much more than that, even it was difficult to get the Saint Seiya movies that in theory was also part of the mainstream at that time.

But with the arrival of a computer and the internet to my life, little by little an infinite world of possibilities opened up, among other things, I discovered that this anime so precious to me, which in Latin Spanish was called “Samurai X”, had a series of four OVAs which explored the past of Kenshin Himura. It was shocking for me to know that I could know the origin of the particular swordsman who impressed me so much with his wonderful techniques and his exemplary personality.

Before it was difficult to find content that was not mainstream because the streaming platforms that we know today did not exist, so I had to search deeply on the web for a blog that offered links to download the OVAs, maybe it was not the best way to get them, but it was the only thing there was.

So I was able to watch Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuiokuhen, a story that in aesthetics and seriousness is considerably different from the original manga and anime in which there was a lot of comedy included and more vivid colors, I would say that was what impressed me the most, but before analyzing anything, I want to give you some context of what we see in the OVAs.

For those who don't know, Rurouni Kenshin tells us the story of a wanderer named Kenshin Himura, a swordsman who had a very dark past as an assassin even becoming recognized as the most bloodthirsty and skilled of all, however, his present is totally different, he has decided not to kill again, so he just wanders from one place to another without an apparent destination. In a certain circumstance, he meets Kaoru and a group of people who eventually became his friends. Together they overcame many threats that were even originated from Kenshin's past, but they gradually overcame them until they lived peaceful times.

So, the wonderful thing about the OVAs is that in them we can see the origin of Kenshin and the circumstances that led him to become the famous assassin, but in addition to that, we also know the first facet of love in which he was involved and that was interesting because it is a field that seems strange for such a character. The first thing that catches our attention in the first OVA, is that we discover that Kenshin's real name was Shinta. A man, who saved him from a savage attack by criminals, considered that name too weak for a swordsman, so he gave him the name we all know today. That's how we also get the first glimpse of Kenshin's interesting teacher, Hiko Seijūrō.

Hiko teaches Kenshin the art of the sword and the philosophy of the Hiten Mitsurugi style, which aims, among other things, to protect those in need. However, at a time when injustice and evil reigns, it is difficult for Kenshin to remain idle, he claims to his master that they must go to protect those in need, but Hiko reprimands him saying that he can not do anything and that he will only end up serving a political side which will use its strength to convenience, and well, as his teacher predicted, it ended up happening.

The truth is that, among riots, conspiratorial plans, murders and suffering, Kenshin gets involved at a certain moment with a woman named Tomoe. The relationship between them seems to be by chance, but then we realize that this woman is one of those who suffered as a result of the ruthless killer named Kenshin. Thus, amidst a shower of emotions and contradictions, we see how Kenshin's first love develops.

I think I would write dozens of paragraphs describing this story, but obviously that's not the idea, I just wanted to express that, for its depth, seriousness and good script, these OVAs are the best I've seen so far, its function as a prequel is fulfilled with an overwhelming completeness to the point that I ended up valuing much more the anime I had already seen and although there is not a hint of comedy this is not missing at any time. The story unfolds steadily and absolutely nothing feels like filler or a waste of time, everything adds up and each chapter has elements that make us better understand the culture, era and idiosyncrasies of Rurouni Kenshin.

A wonderful aspect of these OVAs are their animation, character design, colors and graphics are nothing like the anime, these have more serious colors, there is much more blood and the dialogues are for an adult audience. The soundtrack is also outstanding, each song evokes nostalgia and generates a feeling of sadness, frankly it was very effective.

It is not necessary to watch the anime to see these OVAs since they are the origin of everything, so the logical order would be to first watch Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuiokuhen, they are only 4 chapters that serve as an introduction to the future adventures of the wandering swordsman.