Title: Rurouni Kenshin
Volume: 1 (of 28)
Creator: Nobuhiro Watsuki
Format: Unflipped
Original Publisher: SHUEISHA Inc.
US Publisher: Viz
Release Date: 10/7/03
Pages: 208
ISBN: 1591162203
MSRP: $7.95
Genre: Shonen Jump
Rated: T+ (For Older Teens)
Description: It is the Meiji Restoration, and the feudal system separating the classes has ended. By law, the samurai must give up their swords - symbols of their traditional power - but a few still resist the changing times. Many of these that refuse have honed their power and skill in such a way that it would make them a horrible threat in an otherwise, peaceful society.
Although... not all that carry a sword carry it with the intent to kill, as the wanderer, Himura Kenshin will show. Using an elite style of swordsmanship known as Hiten Mitsurugi, he wields a reverse-bladed sword and fights to repent for his past, defending the oppressed and aiding those in need - all without killing anyone.
Contains Acts 1-6:
- Act 1: Himura – Kenshin Battosai
- Act 2: Rurouni in the City
- Act 3: Tokyo Samurai
- Act 4: Kasshin-Ryu Reborn
- Act 5: The Fight Merchant
- Act 6: Face Off: Sagara Sanosuke
- End-of-Volume Special: RUROUNI – Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story
Review:
Cover: The cover of Volume 1 of Kenshin is very close to the original and I still love it. The Background is a greenish flowery pattern, kind of somewhat resembles a table cloth. We have a very nice pic of Kenshin, as well as Kaoru peeking over part of the background. We have the Series Title on the top. The Mangaka’s name is on the bottom, followed by the Volume Number. Maybe what I really like about the cover is how retro it looks.
The Spine from top to bottom has the Shonen Jump logo, the Series Title, the Volume Number, the Mangaka, and a nice profile shot of Kenshin.
The back cover is just as nice as the front. We have the same green flowery pattern for the background. On that we have the Shonen Jump logo. To the left we have the Series Title. Then we have a white background with the Volume Title, and a Summary under it. We have a nice action shot of Kenshin to the right of the summary, with his sword drawn. The Volume Number is next to Kenshin.
As a whole, this is by far the best Shonen Jump Manga Cover yet.
Artwork: Kenshin was made a few years back, but the Artwork still looks very fresh and new. None of the art suffers at all, and the age doesn’t affect anything either.
Translation: Translation is excellent. All names kept the same and plot was kept intact. The only thing was that the sound effects were translated. Although I don’t really care for translated sound effects, I was able to tolerate it.
Content (Warning: May Contain Spoilers): As for the first Volume of a Series, they usually only consist of Character Introductions. That’s how this Volume is as well. In the first 2 Acts we have our main couple, Kaoru and Kenshin, who are introduced. We also have Kenshin in action for the first time since he was a Battosai.
Acts 3 and 4 consists of the introduction of Yahiko, a swordsman in training. He is also another one of the main characters. Kenshin saves him from a gang of thieves and then assigns him to learn the sword style from Kaoru’s dojo.
The last 2 Acts introduces Sanosuke. Kenshin and Sanosuke first hit it off, but some of Sanosuke’s supposed allies tell him that Kenshin is an enemy. Sanosuke goes to fight Kenshin and he would rather die then lose.
The main part of the manga ends here, leaving the reader wanting more. We do get a bonus chapter however. We get to see how Kenshin was supposed to be like if it were a manga 2 years before; the original Kenshin story. This was a cool bonus. I wish Shonen Jump would have done this with some of their other titles, like Naruto.
Objectionable Content:
- Language: No
- Violence: Yes
- Nudity: No
- Sexual Situation: No
Where Purchased: Waldenbooks
Overall Rating: 5 (Out of 5)
Original Review Date: 11/17/03
No comments:
Post a Comment