RK Live Action Review
Hey all,
Went and saw Rurouni Kenshin, the live action movie opening weekend. Now, all of you outside of Japan got Avengers way before we did, but at least I got this. Thought I'd leave my thoughts for those who want to know. Of course if you want to refrain and judge for yourself, don't click the cut.
So, I'm going to start with the bad points because I like to finish on a high note. The pacing was horrendous. There were a lot of dead spaces where nothing of real significance happened, and it left you jonesing for the next bit of action. There were also a lot of unnecessary scenes and flashbacks that didn't particularly add to the plot, though in some cases I appreciated the humor.
Additionally, much as I love Sano, Saitoh, and Yahiko (Ok, maybe tolerate Yahiko would be more truthful,) they were completely unnecessary in this film, and while I know many a die-hard fan would demand the presence of at least Sano and Yahiko, I could have done without. They didn't add anything concrete to the story and were clearly there to butter up fans. (Contextually speaking, everyone seeing this movie probably knows who they are and doesn't need much of an introduction for them, but since they changed a great deal of the original storyline, they really could have gone without.) Additionally, I thought Saitoh was mis-cast. They tried too much to get a bishie, when Watsuki's Saitoh is really not a bishe at all. I wish they had hired someone gaunter, older, and more badass. Additionally, he had probably the dumbest use of sword in the entire film, and I wish I was exaggerating about that, but I'm not. Yamagata Aritomo was also a bit more of an asshole in this version.
The soundtrack also left me wanting. I thought it was a bit overwrought, and as a friend of mine pointed out, using such modern and somewhat electronically modified music does not necessarily fit in with the atmosphere of a samurai film. At the very least, I think a simpler orchestral score was needed, if not a more traditionally Japanese sounding track. Shakuhachi flute could have really added great atmostphere to Jin'e's scenes, and taiko drumming would be excellent for the action.
My last major beef is with the Final Fantasy reject who aleges to be Gein. Now, honest to God I can't remember if Gein was ever unmasked in the manga and I'm too lazy to look it up at the moment, but they made serious mistakes with his costuming and hair. I can take Kenshin with a light brown look, but silver on a young guy is just pushing it into the unbelievable, and his costume was straight out of Advent Children. Also, I was left wondering who the hell he was, and when I saw the credits and saw his name listed, I was left mystified as to why they would choose this guy over Hannya, even if Hannya is attached to Aoshi. My suspicion is that they want to use Aoshi's group for a probable sequel and somehow involve them with Shishio, but even so, I found the inclusion of characters from the third arc of the manga to be a bit mystifying.
Ok, now the good stuff.
The rest of the casting was Absolutely. Perfect. I don't think they could have found anyone more fitting for the roles of Kenshin, Kaoru, Sano, Megumi, Jin'e and Kanryu. Satou Takeru gives a spot-on performance as Kenshin, though I did find his protrayal of younger Kenshin a bit more problematic. It wasn't my cup of tea for that part, but it did resemble some parts of the Trust and Betrayal OVA, so I can let that slide.
Additionally, though I found Sano's inclusion to be unnecessary, he nonetheless added an element of humor that I deeply appreciated. His bravado was even more exaggerated in the manga, but the actor took it in stride and really made it work. Kanryu and his goons also, surprisingly, added a lot of humor, and they were so scuzzy that it was just an excellent venue for developing antipathy toward his entire faction.
However, the real take away for this film, the reason I will purchase the DVD when it comes out, and the reason you should watch it, is for the Fucking Fantastic Fight Scenes (TM). First, zero CG. Absolutely none. It is all actors all the time and it really adds a visceral edge to all the action. Also, they're deliciously gory and stunningly brutal in a way that the anime just couldn't get away with because of its target audience. Violence level is definitely on par with Trust and Betrayal. They do an amazing job of conveying Kenshin's speed without making it seem too out of this world. He still seems (genearlly speaking) bounded by the laws of gravity (There are obvious exceptions, of course.) The pacing, the choreography, and the setups are all just...I'm still in nerd-gasm mode just thinking about it. The only think that bothered me was the camera work, but that was only once or twice. Overall, humanah humanah humanah oh god so beautiful wish I had rewind so that I could watch that bit in the dojo again and again.
The last fight with Jin'e is equally pleasing, though as I said, there are elements of Satou's Battousai side that I don't like. Even so though, it's just so pretty and so visceral and so...guh that I can forgive all that. Also, the ending theme is badass.
If I were to rate this film on a ten scale, I'd give it a seven for non-RK fans and an 8.5 for RK fans. To be perfectly honest, I walked in with low expectations (which may admittedly skew my own judgement to a more positive light) because the last things RK film-related things to really get circulation were the OVA which shall not be named and Misao's great adventure in the woods happy fun time (which is admittedly not so bad, but it's really not great either.) RK fans are supremely lucky that we got a live-action film with this much budget, this much semi-decent writing, and this much downright beauty in it. I highly recommend it to you all.
In other news, the frozen northland of Japan is treating me well and I'm much happier here than I've been in a long time. I'm lucky I got this placement and this area and this job, and hopefully I keep feeling that way.
~Jade
Went and saw Rurouni Kenshin, the live action movie opening weekend. Now, all of you outside of Japan got Avengers way before we did, but at least I got this. Thought I'd leave my thoughts for those who want to know. Of course if you want to refrain and judge for yourself, don't click the cut.
So, I'm going to start with the bad points because I like to finish on a high note. The pacing was horrendous. There were a lot of dead spaces where nothing of real significance happened, and it left you jonesing for the next bit of action. There were also a lot of unnecessary scenes and flashbacks that didn't particularly add to the plot, though in some cases I appreciated the humor.
Additionally, much as I love Sano, Saitoh, and Yahiko (Ok, maybe tolerate Yahiko would be more truthful,) they were completely unnecessary in this film, and while I know many a die-hard fan would demand the presence of at least Sano and Yahiko, I could have done without. They didn't add anything concrete to the story and were clearly there to butter up fans. (Contextually speaking, everyone seeing this movie probably knows who they are and doesn't need much of an introduction for them, but since they changed a great deal of the original storyline, they really could have gone without.) Additionally, I thought Saitoh was mis-cast. They tried too much to get a bishie, when Watsuki's Saitoh is really not a bishe at all. I wish they had hired someone gaunter, older, and more badass. Additionally, he had probably the dumbest use of sword in the entire film, and I wish I was exaggerating about that, but I'm not. Yamagata Aritomo was also a bit more of an asshole in this version.
The soundtrack also left me wanting. I thought it was a bit overwrought, and as a friend of mine pointed out, using such modern and somewhat electronically modified music does not necessarily fit in with the atmosphere of a samurai film. At the very least, I think a simpler orchestral score was needed, if not a more traditionally Japanese sounding track. Shakuhachi flute could have really added great atmostphere to Jin'e's scenes, and taiko drumming would be excellent for the action.
My last major beef is with the Final Fantasy reject who aleges to be Gein. Now, honest to God I can't remember if Gein was ever unmasked in the manga and I'm too lazy to look it up at the moment, but they made serious mistakes with his costuming and hair. I can take Kenshin with a light brown look, but silver on a young guy is just pushing it into the unbelievable, and his costume was straight out of Advent Children. Also, I was left wondering who the hell he was, and when I saw the credits and saw his name listed, I was left mystified as to why they would choose this guy over Hannya, even if Hannya is attached to Aoshi. My suspicion is that they want to use Aoshi's group for a probable sequel and somehow involve them with Shishio, but even so, I found the inclusion of characters from the third arc of the manga to be a bit mystifying.
Ok, now the good stuff.
The rest of the casting was Absolutely. Perfect. I don't think they could have found anyone more fitting for the roles of Kenshin, Kaoru, Sano, Megumi, Jin'e and Kanryu. Satou Takeru gives a spot-on performance as Kenshin, though I did find his protrayal of younger Kenshin a bit more problematic. It wasn't my cup of tea for that part, but it did resemble some parts of the Trust and Betrayal OVA, so I can let that slide.
Additionally, though I found Sano's inclusion to be unnecessary, he nonetheless added an element of humor that I deeply appreciated. His bravado was even more exaggerated in the manga, but the actor took it in stride and really made it work. Kanryu and his goons also, surprisingly, added a lot of humor, and they were so scuzzy that it was just an excellent venue for developing antipathy toward his entire faction.
However, the real take away for this film, the reason I will purchase the DVD when it comes out, and the reason you should watch it, is for the Fucking Fantastic Fight Scenes (TM). First, zero CG. Absolutely none. It is all actors all the time and it really adds a visceral edge to all the action. Also, they're deliciously gory and stunningly brutal in a way that the anime just couldn't get away with because of its target audience. Violence level is definitely on par with Trust and Betrayal. They do an amazing job of conveying Kenshin's speed without making it seem too out of this world. He still seems (genearlly speaking) bounded by the laws of gravity (There are obvious exceptions, of course.) The pacing, the choreography, and the setups are all just...I'm still in nerd-gasm mode just thinking about it. The only think that bothered me was the camera work, but that was only once or twice. Overall, humanah humanah humanah oh god so beautiful wish I had rewind so that I could watch that bit in the dojo again and again.
The last fight with Jin'e is equally pleasing, though as I said, there are elements of Satou's Battousai side that I don't like. Even so though, it's just so pretty and so visceral and so...guh that I can forgive all that. Also, the ending theme is badass.
If I were to rate this film on a ten scale, I'd give it a seven for non-RK fans and an 8.5 for RK fans. To be perfectly honest, I walked in with low expectations (which may admittedly skew my own judgement to a more positive light) because the last things RK film-related things to really get circulation were the OVA which shall not be named and Misao's great adventure in the woods happy fun time (which is admittedly not so bad, but it's really not great either.) RK fans are supremely lucky that we got a live-action film with this much budget, this much semi-decent writing, and this much downright beauty in it. I highly recommend it to you all.
In other news, the frozen northland of Japan is treating me well and I'm much happier here than I've been in a long time. I'm lucky I got this placement and this area and this job, and hopefully I keep feeling that way.
~Jade