Before the mediocrity

// Synopsis: A young boy becomes a skilled assassin during the struggle between the ruling Japanese shogunate and rebels. He is forced into hiding and tries to live a peaceful new life with a mysterious woman but finds that he is unable to escape his past.

// Review: I first watched a couple dozen episodes of the lengthy Kenshin series before giving up on it as a bland, campy, ugly title. I hear it gets better but I lost patience with it before I watched this prequel OVA. Even though my expectations were low, this is outstanding anime without them. It’s not really an action title, but more like an elegant romantic drama with intense moments of action. These four episodes visit Kenshin before he was the pacifist swordsman who speaks like Yoda.

/ Kenshin is introduced as a lone survivor among slaughtered slave traders and is then rescued and discipled by a master swordsman. As he grows in age and skill he also becomes brash an idealistic and leaves his master and gets caught up in a war over political control of Japan. Kenshin develops into a cold blooded killer and his boss has a mysterious woman become his companion in hopes to help Kenshin retain his humanity. When circumstances force them to flee and as they live a life of tranquility in the countryside, only then does Kenshin understand the life lessons his master once tried to teach him. But sadly his happiness is short-lived when his and her pasts both come crashing into one another.

/ There is a running theme of the stark contrast between peace and violence. I found myself unable to root for one particular side because no one was really evil and most of the characters were motivated by a deep conviction in their personal philosophies. The animation was a significant upgrade from the series. Except for a couple of voices, the dubbing was horrible. I recommend watching subs if you are able to find them.

// Wrap up: An engaging love story that’s light on the mushy and heavy on the tragic. It’s has enough frenetic action sequences to balance out the drama. This four episode OVA is a perfect amount to set up Kenshin’s back story. You don’t have to be a fan of the series or even have watched any of it to appreciate this one.

Entertainment rating: 5