Rurouni Kenshin OVA: Reflections: Good or Bad?

[Cedahlia]

I recently got into a discussion with a person on whether or not the characters in Reflections were out of character, the storyline was slightly messed up, and whether it was worth watching or not.

I had seen it and had never thought badly of it, but now that I think about it the characters do seem a bit out of character.

Then I found out that Watsuki-sama never signed over the rights to actually make the movie at all, and he was quite disappointed in it. (There was an article/thing in Shonen Jump)

Has anyone else heard of this, or know where to find the article?

As a big Rurouni Kenshin fan, this is really interesting.

[Hitokiri]

Watsuki did not sign over the rights to create Reflections to my knowledge and therefore the OVA we have is not Watsuki's orginal design for it.

Nevertheless I really enjoyed it and took it as another alternative ending to the Kenshin series.

[ChristianKitsune]

Same here! ^_^ I really enjoyed it..it made me cry..

[spoiler] I just love how Sano showed emotion!!! [/spoiler]

but yeah.. Watsuki didn't direct it...and it wasn't in his design, so like Hitokiri, I just take it as an ova to the series.. ^_^ Like a Fan Fiction.

[Cedahlia]

Thinking of it as a fanfiction is a good way to see it. ^^

[eva-boy7985]

I think that it was a good representation of Kenshin's character actually. It's just that it returns to the atmosphere/tone that was set in the original OVAs, not the somewhat more light-heartedness that the tv series encapsulates at times. So, I wouldn't say that the characters were necessarily out of character; we're just seeing a side/tone of them that was emphasized as much or to the fullest degree in the tv series as it was in the original OVAs (and for the characters in Reflection that obviously weren't in the original OVAs, they're just being shown in a light/mood akin to that set in the originals; like I said this also occurred in the tv series at times, though to not the same degree perhaps). I thought the movie was beautiful artisticallyy, emotionally, and aesthetically in the message it promoted of the strength and preciousness of patient, unconditional love; I was in fact wonderfully reminded of the love that God has for us as His creations and also of the love that all of us as human beings desire at the very core of who we are in another person, and thus God created marriage to fulfill this desire. Anyways...... :-)

[Arnobius]

I thought it was 90 minutes of my life I wish I had back.

[Cedahlia]

I know, I loved the movie. ^^

But what got me thinking was:

[spoiler] Didn't Hiko say that the only person that could pass on the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu was Kenshin? So, why was he teaching Kenji?

Wouldn't Kaoru make Kenshin stay with her? She went after him when he left for Kyoto. Didn't Kenshin promise never to wander again? (Then again, she would understand Kenshin's need to atone for his sins.)

And, why did Sano stay in China instead of helping his friend back to Japan? (I think I heard it had something to do with him being banned from Japan...or him feeling the need to keep doing what Kenshin started (helping people) going) [/spoiler]

Then again, maybe I'm looking too much into it. ^^;

I also wouldn't want to ruin the movie for anyone by asking too many questions about it; I personally love to look at it from all different points of views and everything like that.

[Ingemar]

I thought it was 90 minutes of my life I wish I had back.

Yes, most of the material was simply reanimated versions of the more serious moments of the TV series (the exception of the whole Enishi thing which was never animated). If one were simply to cut off the Tokyo through Kyoto arc stuff, the whole thing could fit into one TV episode.

I also hate how this OVA portrayed Kenshin. IMNSHO, it portrayed him as a "benevolent jerk" who worried himself so much about other people to the detriment of his family life. It did not surprise me that Kenji turned out to be such an angsty little piece of work.

[GuItArFrEaK15]

quit Making Fun Of Me!!!!1!!!!!!1!1!11!

[Cedahlia]

Yes, that was the part that made me angry. Why would he abandone his family and friends like that, who did so much for him?

He said that they were the people he cared most for, and yet he let Kaoru slowly waste away in misery, and Kenji grow up with no father, having to watch his mother suffer.

[Kenshin17]

I feel it could have been done better, however I did enjoy it. The animation was good and the directors cut put some cool material. I can only watch it every once in a while though. Its sad. Call me soft, but thats how it is.

[Heart of Sword]

As a fanfiction it's good but I hate it to death because of the ending. Rrggh.

But I do like how they kinda animated the Jinchuu arc. And they totally made that guy look insane. I forget his name tho'...

Sano had a mullet. That disturbed me.

[ChristianKitsune]

His name was Enishi...

READ THE MANGA its better... FAAAAAAAAARRR BETTER// 18-28 BEST VOLUMES and the Jinchuu arc.

[EKmisao]

Not all volumes 18-28 are the best, but the ones that have Kenshin's history with Tomoe and the parts that deal with Enishi only, are awesome. ^^V

I liked the hard work that went into the OVA, but I do have to agree (while sobbing) that it's not how it all ends. ^^

EK 8 )

[eva-boy7985]

Kenshin's leaving his family at home is indeed sad, and somewhat disconcerting. But then you also have to look at his character and what's he's dealt with. Even when someone has the degree of love and support that he did, would it be that easy to instantly destroy/ignore the demons that haunt you over your past and the things you've done/have had done to you? Without sounding like I'm going too far out on a limb, take sexual abuse victims for instance; even if the people that experience this horrific thing grow up to have wonderful families, come to know the Lord and the refuge He provides, that is something that will never leave you. There are some things in life that, while their consequences can be assuaged by God's grace/love and support of others, will leave scars so deep that there will never be a full 100% recovery, or if it is attainable, much has to be done in order to achieve that. Please also bear in mind that I do not use this as an example without proper grounds; my mom was sexually molested by her step father when she was young. Anyways, I guess what I'm ultimately trying to say is sometimes it's good to try to, at least to some degree, step into other people's shoes, whether their fictionally oriented or not because that's often the best way to appreciate/understand people/characters. Just something to think about.