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spaceinvader6k's review against another edition
4.0
I refuse to believe a man wrote this Kenshin is too cunty
missayme's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyable but a wasted opportunity in the character of Kaoru.
1heavenlyreader's review against another edition
4.0
I love the message of Redemption, fighting to protect and I love samurai stories. So it's perfect for me....kind of.
It was way too formulaic and episodic for my taste at one point. I almost DNF'd. Low stake stories just don't do it for me. But finally after the 40% mark it broke formula to introduce my favorite character. From then on I knew this manga would be a 4 star.
I love kenshin and the loyalty of his little crew. And I love their dynamic as a unit. I love kenshins morals, what he stands for and his character depth. His wisdom and ability to preach to people's souls is his most loveable feature, paired with his usual aloof personality.
I can't wait for the plot line to be deepened and explored throughout the series. I'd loved to see the characters grow.
+1 point for nostalgia!
It was way too formulaic and episodic for my taste at one point. I almost DNF'd. Low stake stories just don't do it for me. But finally after the 40% mark it broke formula to introduce my favorite character. From then on I knew this manga would be a 4 star.
I love kenshin and the loyalty of his little crew. And I love their dynamic as a unit. I love kenshins morals, what he stands for and his character depth. His wisdom and ability to preach to people's souls is his most loveable feature, paired with his usual aloof personality.
I can't wait for the plot line to be deepened and explored throughout the series. I'd loved to see the characters grow.
+1 point for nostalgia!
b00kdragon's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
xaijar's review
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
I love Rurouni Kenshin! I watched the anime years ago but never read the manga. It's has all the humour that I love! The characters are amazing! The illustrations are fantastic! Some panels remind of Junji Ito's style. The manga and abumea are generally the same so far with some differences. So characters are added or removed in the anime. Now that Rurouni Kenshin is getting a remake of the anime series, they have made it a little closer to the manga so far. I'll be interested to compare it all.
frasersimons's review against another edition
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I’m partial to this, since it’s the first anime I really enjoyed. The manga holds up really well. The humour is handled better and, at least in this translation, Kenshin just refers to himself as “this one”, instead of weird, antiquated codas every sentence in the anime, which I greatly prefer. Otherwise I remember everything that happens still, and it covers a heck of a lot of ground, unlike other manga I’ve been reading lately (20th Century Boys being absolutely glacial). Each instalment is pacey and well plotted. A ton of things happen, characterization is good, and you get a bunch of asides about the historical aspects that certain things are based on, which is just really enjoyable, since I know literally none of the subject matter.
Also, Kenshin is just a great character, especially as a hero. Is feminine, he doesn’t want to fight, he doesn’t act like an INCEL, there’s no harem trope. It’s like a completely different Shonen than the ones I’ve been making my way through. The worst affront is that the author tends to damsel the women after he characterizes them well. Strong, independent, smart. But, oh yeah, they gotta be kidnapped. How else could we make interesting stakes for Kenshin? It’s a bit lame, which makes the last issue less interesting.
Also, Kenshin is just a great character, especially as a hero. Is feminine, he doesn’t want to fight, he doesn’t act like an INCEL, there’s no harem trope. It’s like a completely different Shonen than the ones I’ve been making my way through. The worst affront is that the author tends to damsel the women after he characterizes them well. Strong, independent, smart. But, oh yeah, they gotta be kidnapped. How else could we make interesting stakes for Kenshin? It’s a bit lame, which makes the last issue less interesting.
ehmannky's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I decided to revisit this series thanks to learning about the new anime that'll be out this summer and I love it so much! This is such a fun series that balances fantastical elements, darker histories, funny moments, and historical realities so well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Death
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Death of parent, Drug use, and War
sgp05's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
I received this as a gift and it would definitely not the type of manga I would read otherwise, so it was nice to have a bit of a genre mixup and try something new. For the book as a whole, sometimes the action scenes were a bit hard to follow. I loved the outfits, especially Jin-e’s.
I hated whenever Kenshin would say “oro.” It was super annoying, and Kaoru was right. What does it even mean? Also, why does he always refer to himself as “this one”? I agree with Jin-e, he should use first person pronouns more. In the fights there wasn’t a lot of tension because it was obvious that he would win the fight. The only tension was if someone else was in danger (usually Kaoru).
Speaking of Kaoru, the author’s notes presented her as a strong fighter and if she seemed weak, it was just in comparison to Kenshin and co. But she literally sits out all of the fights to basically be a housewife or she’s kidnapped and used as leverage. Because of that, she seems pretty weak to me. Also she’s a tsundere since she obviously has a crush on Kenshin and I don’t like tsunderes, so….
Sanosuke’s backstory was interesting. I’m sure his leader’s severed head wouldn’t look that pristine but oh well. There’s a difference between being tough and being invincible. When his friend died from an opium overdose I didn’t feel that much since I’d literally never seen the friend before. I love how he and Yahiko bicker like siblings; it’s always fun to read.
Yahiko was a little twerp at first but he kind of grew on me. I wish I got to see some training montage or something with Kaoru, but maybe that’ll come later. Their bickering scenes were more annoying than funny, unlike his back-and-forth with Sanosuke.
Onto the background characters… the villains look like stereotypical bad guys. The main bad guy designs were cool. Hyottoko was strange and I agree with the creator that his character was out of place. I loved how absurd it was when Kihei had so many guns to pull out. I know Megumi won’t stick around with the gang because of Kaoru. I predict that she’ll have to leave after she inevitably gets saved to find and be with her family.
I hated whenever Kenshin would say “oro.” It was super annoying, and Kaoru was right. What does it even mean? Also, why does he always refer to himself as “this one”? I agree with Jin-e, he should use first person pronouns more. In the fights there wasn’t a lot of tension because it was obvious that he would win the fight. The only tension was if someone else was in danger (usually Kaoru).
Sanosuke’s backstory was interesting. I’m sure his leader’s severed head wouldn’t look that pristine but oh well. There’s a difference between being tough and being invincible. When his friend died from an opium overdose I didn’t feel that much since I’d literally never seen the friend before. I love how he and Yahiko bicker like siblings; it’s always fun to read.
Yahiko was a little twerp at first but he kind of grew on me. I wish I got to see some training montage or something with Kaoru, but maybe that’ll come later. Their bickering scenes were more annoying than funny, unlike his back-and-forth with Sanosuke.
Onto the background characters… the villains look like stereotypical bad guys. The main bad guy designs were cool. Hyottoko was strange and I agree with the creator that his character was out of place. I loved how absurd it was when Kihei had so many guns to pull out. I know Megumi won’t stick around with the gang because of Kaoru. I predict that she’ll have to leave after she inevitably gets saved to find and be with her family.
puzumaki's review against another edition
4.0
Had to read this version because it is three in one like the second volume I picked up. Again, the anime is a mirror of the manga thus far.