After the previous Rurouni Kenshin movie, I was left expecting big things from the next. And also wondering how they’d manage it. The Kyoto/Shishio arc is massive, and the movies are only about 2 1/4 hours each.
The answer was obvious; It was getting split into two movies. This was actually a good thing in the long run. It makes much more sense to split such a large amount of story over the course of two films instead of cramming it into one. As it is, they still had to cut a few things down. But it still isn’t as bad as most adaptations tend to be about it; there was absolutely an effort to get as much into their runtime as possible. That being said, as with the previous movie, take what I say with a grain of salt. It has been nearly a decade since I read it.
The film picks up slightly after where the last one left off. Well, that’s not entirely true. Though I have to give the set designer some props, they’d done a great job with everything. But Shishio’s Fiery Hell temple really is a spectacle for something that is onscreen for somewhere south of five minutes. It really brings to mind a few scenes from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. I honestly can’t recall if that bit with Saito and Shishio was in the manga, but if it wasn’t, it should’ve been.
Speaking of, they really nailed it with Shishio. I didn’t remember the source actually showing what happened when he was betrayed, but they show it here. The stabbing and the burning alive on a pile of corpses is all there. They were also able to make the bandages look right. He had a definite visual profile in the manga, and he has that in the movie as well.
They also added Aoshi into the movie. Judging from his obsession with fighting Kenshin, they rolled the Revenge arc into him. Having not watched the third movie just yet, my guess is that he’ll make up the B plot of that film. That said, it’s probably a good thing in the long run. I recall the Revenge arc feeling like falling action more than anything, since it took place after the Kyoto arc. It just struck me as making more sense to have it take place before Kyoto for spoilery reasons.
The nice thing, however about splitting Shishio between two movies: they were able to keep the best parts… mostly. But the fights and elements they did keep get to shine. Notably, Kenshin’s fight with Swordhunter Cho. It’s just as good as it was in the source, overall. There’s just one thing missing; the urumi. It’s a shame it got adapted out, as it was his signature weapon.
Kenshin’s probably the primary reason why so many nerds outside of India even know of the weapon. It made for a very unique fight overall thanks to just how unusual a weapon it is. That, however, was probably the mark against it in the end. You can’t easily make a stage steel version of such a weapon. Not to mention how dangerous it is to wield without a significant amount of training. So, sad as it is to say, it’s probably for the best that it was adapted out.
The major cut, however, was to Sanosuke. he gets his ass beat by Aoshi shortly after Kenshin leaves, then walks off into a plothole onto his way to Kyoto. He shows up in the middle of the fight in Kyoto like a Sengoku Basara General. He almost immediately tosses his zanbato into a river, which is fine since he didn’t have it at this point in the source anyway. The sad part is that he didn’t meet Anji on the road, which will make their fight in the final movie less than it could’ve been. Then again, the focus is on Kenshin anyway.
The one last thing I’d like to take note of is, once again, the setting. Crowd scenes have more of a mix of background characters in traditional Japanese clothing and more western styles of the time. It’s one of those little touches that makes the anachronism inherent of the period the series is set in more apparent.
Overall, Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno has a lot going for it, even though it cuts a bit out. But then again, the Kyoto arc could easily take up three films by itself. It was a very long arc, after all.
Final Thoughts:
- I’m still going to lament the loss of the urumi.
- I did realize, almost immediately, how screwed Kenshin’s saya would’ve been after that fight. It’s hard to believe that he was able to continue using it with his new sword.
- I’m glad they seem to be keeping Shishio’s unusual sword.
4/5
‘Great’
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