Title: Rurouni Kenshin
Volume: 2 (of 28)
Creator: Nobuhiro Watsuki
Format: Unflipped
Original Publisher: SHUEISHA Inc.
US Publisher: Viz
Release Date: 11/1/03
Pages: 200
ISBN: 1591162491
MSRP: $7.95
Genre: Shonen Jump
Rated: T+ (For Older Teens)
Description: THE TWO HITOKIRI - Things are settling down at the Kamiya dojo. Former "fight merchant" Sanosuke has come to grips with his past, realizing perhaps that things aren't quite so black and white as he may once have thought, that good men may serve bad causes, and vice-versa. Yahiko, the angry-fisted young man, is learning to relax. And Kenshin is enjoying Kaoru's cooking (as much as he can, anyway). But even in these confused, ambiguous, early days of modern Japan, there is such a thing as pure evil - Udo Jin-e, black-hatted, crazy-eyed former assassin, still is chasing the scent of blood, his mad thirst for vengeance felling the innocent and guilty alike. If a man kills too many, too long, as Kenshin says, he loses his original purpose, and has his heart stolen by the color and smell of blood. Hitokiri vs. hitokiri...can Kenshin withstand the strange, hypnotic effect of Jin-e...?
Contains Chapters 7-15:
- Act 7: Mark of Evil
- Act 8: And Then, Another
- Act 9: Kurogasa
- Act 10: One Side of the Soul
- Act 11: The Ribbon that Binds
- Act 12: The Two Hitokiri
- Act 13: The Meaning of the Name
- Act 14: End Beneath the Moon
- Act 15: Beauty on the Run
Review:
Cover: The Covers of Rurouni Kenshin continue to surprise me. Volume 2 is very close to the original design. First up on the left side, we have a tan, flowery background pattern. A nice profile pic of Kenshin is to the right of that, with the Series Title towards the bottom of Kenshin’s Profile. To the right of Kenshin we have a box with a blue background. In the box is Sanosuke, who is one of the newer characters, who was established as a fiend, in the later part of Volume 1. The bottom of the cover has the Mangaka and the Volume Number in Red.
The Spine is the same as the rest of the Shonen Jump Mangas. From top to bottom we have, the Shonen Jump Logo (in red), the Series Title (in red), the Volume Number (in red), the Mangaka, and a sliced pic of the Profile of Kenshin from the front cover. Quite nice but too much red.
The back cover I found quite attractive as well. The top border is the same tan, flowery pattern they used on the front page. On the pattern we have the Shonen Jump Logo and the Series Title. On the white part of the background we get the Manga Volume Title (The Two Hitokiri), a summary of the Volume, and the Volume Number. To the right of the summary there is a nice action pose of Kaoru, which is a nice touch.
All in all, this cover was better then the last. Hopefully it will continue to be that way as future Volumes of the series are released.
Artwork: The Artwork in Kenshin still makes me drool. Nice clean edges and fantastic battle scenes. It’s just like I am watching the TV-Series, but in a book form. All of the images run smooth as well; no dark contrast pages like some Shonen Jump series tend to have.
Translation: The translation was somewhat accurate. All the names were correctly translated, as well as the plot line. The only draw back is the sound effects being translated. Kenshin is one of my favorite Manga Series and seeing the translated sound effects really does hurt.
Content (Warning: May Contain Spoilers): As Rurouni Kenshin Volume 2 begins; we have the Kenshin vs. Sanosuke fight that is continued from the last Volume. The fight only lasts for the first 2 chapters and then breaks off into the next big Arc. BTW, if you did not know, Sanosuke is a main character of the series and he joins Kenshin, Yahiko, and Kaoru.
The main ARC of Volume 2 deals with another Hitokiri Battosai. The second Hitokiri, Kurogasa, wants revenge on Kenshin (this is normal throughout the first few volumes of Kenshin). A few lives are shed in these Chapters, and towards the end we have a confrontation between the two Battosais. The battle is fierce, but in the end it ends in a somewhat draw. Both Battosais are evenly matched in strength. Kurogasa decides to kill himself since there was no other way he could ever win against Kenshin.
The next ARC begins in the last chapter of the manga. A damsel in distress is running away from a group of gangsters. She runs into Kenshin and Sanosuke. The only problem is when they stop some of the gangsters, some opium packets fall out of her pocket. Is this girl really in distress, or is there some other unknown force involved?
The Manga Volume ends with a nice cliffhanger. Like most mangas that end with cliffhangers, it leaves the reader at a spot where they want to read more. So far Kenshin has kept my interest and I will continue to buy the mangas as they are released, and I do hope if you readers have not yet picked up the first Kenshin Volume, do so. They are a very reasonable and affordable price, plus Kenshin has a little something for everyone.
Objectionable Content:
- Language: No
- Violence: Yes
- Nudity: No
- Sexual Situation: No
Where Purchased: Walden Books
Overall Rating: 5 (Out of 5)
Original Review Date: 12/10/03
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