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Rurouni Kenshin by Nobuhiro Watsuki Rurouni Kenshin is a historical fiction action-adventure manga series set in Meiji-era Japan following the Meiji Restoration of 1868. This time period, and the periods immediately preceding and following, were complex and difficult for Japan, as different social classes clashed in bloody conflicts fighting to decide the future of Japan. With a mixed cast of fictional characters and fictionalized historical figures, Rurouni Kenshin explores the ideological tension and growing pains of this period of enormous social, political, economic, and cultural reformation within Japan. The main cast is a ragtag gang of talented and powerful individuals who come together because of their common admiration for the main character – a fictionalized version of a famous assassin who fought on the revolutionary (pro-Meiji, pro-moderinzation) side of the civil war: Hitokiri (or, Man-slayer) Battosai. Now, with Japan shifting into imperial governance and away from the samurai-shogunate, Battosai reverses the blade of his sword, takes the name Kenshin, and becomes a rurouni (a wandering swordsman), with the purpose in mind to protect all those within his sight. His vow to never kill again is a major thematic plot point throughout the series. Kenshin is a very memorable main character, with several endearing qualities and quirks that act as the yang to his yin, which is his incredible strength, speed, and killer instinct in battle. The most substantial conflict of the series is the conflict that Kenshin faces within himself. Kenshin is easily the most nuanced character of the series, as sweet and lovable as he is glorious and terrifying. His entrances in every story arc are some of the best I've seen anywhere, and I love it. The other four main characters and two main villains are each memorable in their own right, though not so much as Kenshin is. Kaoru Kamiya is the young woman at whose dojo he comes to stay after clearing both their names from a murdurous imposter. The two become fast friends. Yahiko is the orphaned son of a samurai who becomes Kaoru's student after he is rescued from gang activity by Kenshin. He comes to idolize Kenshin and is determined to become just as great a swordsman. Sanosuke Sagara is a “fight merchant” with a tragic past whom Kenshin defeats in battle and therefore motivates him to find new purpose. The beginning of the series progresses through several brief story arcs that introduce or develop each one of the main characters. A third of the way through the series, the first major story arc begins, forcing Kenshin to face a metaphorical ghost from his past. A short reprieve follows the defeat of that villain, and then the final story arc begins. Kenshin faces the full burden of his past and is forced to find a way to reconcile it with the present and future that he wants. The series, rather definitively, centers on and revolves around Kenshin and the past that continuously haunts him. That aspect, and its corresponding themes, are what make segments of Rurouni Kenshin brilliant. Everything involving Kenshin is dramatic, deeply personal, and emotionally compelling. He and all that his character brings to the series is the reason I fell in love with the series and had to read it all the way through. I do say the series is worth the read for Kenshin and the struggles he has to face. The ending was also very satisfying. However, I did also fall partially out of love with the series due to its substantial weaknesses, which stem from the immaturity of the author. Watsuki's sense of humor was too often in poor taste; his sense of manliness led him to favor his most twisted villain over the more compelling and better written one; and he tended to value drawn-out battle segments over plot development, character development, and character interaction. Watsuki's biggest infractions occur during the first major story arc, which upon annotated analysis turns out to be the shortest segment of the series, but was so painful to get through that it very much felt like the longest – and it kind of risks ruining the brilliant pieces of the story arc that follows. As such, my feelings about Rurouni Kenshin wind up being rather mixed and my conclusion has become that, rather than keep the series at home on my shelf, I am giving it away to my sister who will enjoy reading it all the way through herself, and I will simply check out from the library the appropriate volumes which contain the parts of Rurouni Kenshin that I find compelling and worth reliving at some point in the future. For all these flaws, however, its being historical fiction is not among the mistakes. Despite Watsuki's being a self-proclaimed “history illiterate,” I really like and respect his treatment of the historical subject matter in his story. Throughout the series, Watsuki depicts both sides of the civil war conflict so that the reader develops a working understanding of what was at stake regarding Japan's cultural and socioeconomic future. I felt the fear and indignation of the Shinsengumi (the samurai-shogunate side which wanted to preserve the pride and cultural identity of Japan as it had been for so long) as much as I felt the fear and determination of the Ishin Shishi (the pro-imperialist, pro-modernization side, which wanted to take Japan into a new era that they believed would lead to a more equanimous future). There are so many historical details that make up the prologue and backdrop of the story, and the university-level research I did corroborated Watsuki's historical context and major details throughout, increasing my fascination for this time period and my enjoyment of the series. Clearly, Watsuki did some excellent research and was committed to weaving an accurate sense for the difficulty and unrest that Japan experienced during this time. Rurouni Kenshin gets the distinction for being the book series that sealed the deal on my interest in historical fiction. Now, I need to find some more good historical fiction to read, which treats the chosen historical context with accuracy and respect and includes as many historical details as will enrich the narrative and fascinate the reader. As is common among manga, Rurouni Kenshin is geared towards youth readers. And while I understand that its being Japanese entertainment means that sensibilities for age-appropriate content are different, my own comfort level has me placing this series in the late-teens category, both because of the humor and because of the violence. In Writing.com's rating system, Rurouni Kenshin would easily rank in the 18+ category, although the violence and gore might justifiably bump it into GC, in all fairness. Enthusiasts of Japanese history and culture will certainly enjoy this manga series, as will those who are looking for slightly more depth in their Shonen (action-oriented) manga reading. Those like myself who thrive on character-driven, thematic stories will find portions of this series worth the read. Those of us who don't prefer a great deal of gore and violence are advised that this may be a one-time read, if it is worth reading at all. Especially in the middle of the series, it can be pretty grisly. While it covers a pretty grisly time period and grisly subject matter, I don't consider it necessary to place so much emphasis on the violence in the telling of the story. I enjoyed Rurouni Kenshin for what it is and would recommend it to manga readers interested in something with more depth. From this series, I'm taking a new interest in historical fiction and some mental notes on a few “do's” and “don'ts” in action fiction. With this series complete, I'm ready to move on to more book books. Yay! |
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