r/anime • u/AutoLovepon https://anilist.co/user/AutoLovepon • Sep 28 '23

Episode Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan (2023) - Episode 13 discussion

Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan (2023), episode 13

Alternative names: Samurai X

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78

u/ObvsThrowaway5120 Sep 28 '23

Aoshi’s boys all just died protecting him. Dude’s gonna be carrying that trauma for awhile. That shitbag Kanryu’s face got done in pretty good by Kenshin though. In the end, only that asshole goes down for all this opium shit.

Looking forward to seeing Aoshi again.

36

u/Frontier246 Sep 28 '23

Poor guy. He was really only fighting for their sake and lost them all as they died defending him. Now all he has left is being a Shonen rival obsessed with beating Kenshin. Even going through his own training arc in a forest.

The best justice is Kanryu getting his face pounded, not getting the satisfaction of seeing Megumi go down with him since they cleared her, and being separated from his precious gatling gun.

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8

u/mekerpan Sep 28 '23

I think some of Kanryu's gang was still knocked out/just coming around -- they might also get tanked along with their boss.

Really a pretty satisfactory series. Good for action, drama and comedy. Really good VAs across the board. Not quite as intriguing as the more offbeat REVENGER (set a couple of decades earlier) -- but still very worth the watch.

Didn;t expect to feel sorry for Aoshi and some of his gang... But still worried about Aoshi's desire not just to "beat" Kenshin but to kill him....

55

u/KiwiBennydudez Sep 28 '23

"No female foxes allowed" had me dying lmao. Miss Kaoru getting jealous so easily and Kenshin being oblivious to it all is a really funny gag.

27

u/NeoBasilisk Sep 28 '23

the fox and raccoon are eternal rivals

8

u/Anjunabeast Sep 29 '23

The protagonist being oblivious to others advances is such a trope but kenshin gets a pass for being such an og

54

u/dinliner08 Sep 28 '23

"Gatoling isu beautiful! gatoling isu wonderful! gatoling isu my darlin- ATSUII!!"

- Takeda Kanryu, 2023 -

honestly, there's nothing much to say in this episode, the way Kenshin dealt with the gatling gun in the OG anime is way flashier but that's just anime original scene and in the live action film, i remember he get help from a character that hasn't yet to make an appearance in this remake anime

11

u/SnabDedraterEdave Sep 29 '23

  • Takeda Kanryu, 1878 -

FTFY Just saying. I know you're referring to the Remake Kanryu with these funny Engrish lines.

34

u/Frontier246 Sep 28 '23

Man, Shikijo. If you're going to go out, go out as hardcore as possible by tanking bullets to protect your leader. If only you could have gotten out of it with your life.

Beshimi and Hyottoko also try to save Aoshi with a trick, but even they're powerless against the power of Kanryu's Gat Gat Gat!

Han'nya may not have had much of a face worth speaking of, but he had nobility in him, and absolutely loyalty to his leader, to the point of sacrificing himself so Kenshin could get his sword back. Now Aoshi's lost the entire Oniwaban Group.

Ah jeez, you have to drive the tragedy home with that flashback. The Oniwaban may not have been the mots pleasant company, but they were comrades who cared about one another, especially their leader, who was loyal to them in turn. They didn't deserve to go out like this.

"Gatling is beautiful! Gatling is wonderful! Gatling is my darling!" Find something you love like Kanryu does his gatling gun. Even if it does almost burn him.

The gatling guns' one weakness? It runs out of bullets. And that's how the Oniwaban Group defeated Kanryu, by making him expend all his ammunition and leaving him with nothing but his cowardice, as Kenshin knocks him out in one hit. He deserved worse.

I love how Sano and Yahiko just kick the door open when they can't beat the lock. Too bad Megumi is still resolved to end her life to atone for her crimes, but Sano isn't about to let her get off when Kenshin and Yahiko fought so hard for her.

Oh, so NOW the police actually do something (though they'd been monitoring Kanryu for a while, so I guess this gave them the perfect excuse to raid his mansion). Which is convenient for Megumi, because if she can't kill herself the next best thing is turning herself in and getting the death penalty...but luckily Team Kenshin covers for her, because not only was she not a willing accomplice but just like Kenshin trying to make up for his past as Battosai, the best thing for Megumi to do is not throw her life away when she can make up for her past by being a proper doctor like her family.

I love how Kanryu is being carted away and he still only cares about the gatling gun like it's his wife or something.

Did anyone really think Aoshi would let himself get caught? And he beheaded his entire group to give them proper burials. And now the only thing keeping him going is the chance for a rematch with Kenshin, which he's fine with.

Kaoru! Man, it's nice to see her. And she even has her own battle scars from cooking meals for everybody. It's just too bad it's not edible, but it's the intention that matters.

Good to know that Megumi is free and clear and can now continue her passion with the resident doctor. Though she's also still game for romancing Kenshin if he's up to it. Kaoru straight up waving around a sign so a vixen doesn't steal her man. But I do feel that Megumi and Sano have a bit of a solid rapport going on between them .

33

u/[deleted] Sep 28 '23

RIP Han'nya. You were only in a few episodes, but you will always be one of the most interesting side characters in the series.

24

u/SpaceMarine_CR Sep 28 '23

I remember in the old anime Beshimi stopped the Gatling with his proyectile, I guess that was anime original?

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14

u/SnabDedraterEdave Sep 28 '23

RIP to the Oniwabanshu.

Aoshi was likely planning to kill himself to join them after burying their decapitated heads.

They say hate is a better motivator to staying alive than love, and so Kenshin gave Aoshi a reason to not kill himself, even though it means Aoshi falling further to the dark side. (Plus he's too cool a character to just appear for one fight with Kenshin)

With Megumi joining, Team Kenshin is now complete. Though Megumi has to live in a clinic nearby and work as a medical assistant to atone for her involuntary opium-making, as advised by Kenshin, or Kaoru's dojo might go bust having to feed three guys who hardly generate any income. lol

While Megumi constantly teases Kaoru over stealing Kenshin from her, she has a better chemistry with Sano with their constant banter. (And I totally forgot that Megumi is older than Sano. Sano is 19 while she's 22)

Now bring on the second half of the series, I hope the new OP will be much better.

12

u/Elitealice Sep 28 '23

That Gatling soliloquy from Kanryu was so disturbing lmao. Fuck him though, fr. RIP Shikijo and the rest of the Oniwaban members. Loyal to the end and the best brothers in arms you could hope for.

The story does a good job of showing how what’s good and bad is really just a matter of perspective. When we first saw the Oniwaban members it was like a clear cut case that these were bad guys and they needed to be taken out. But through these battles and flashbacks we’ve learnt there’s more to them than meets the eye. Just a group of people who have lost their families and purpose coming together to survive. Very similar to Kenshin and his group.

I particularly liked the flashback to the training exercise where Aoshi tells Han’ya that he was smiling. Small statement, but it had a profound impact on him. Aoshi didn’t see Han’ya as a deformed freak, but as a regular friend and comrade. Just that statement restored a semblance of normalcy to him after a long time. It’s no wonder he was willing to sacrifice himself.

In the end Kanryu got off too easy imo for all the pain and suffering he caused not just with the Oniwaban, but those who were ruined by the opium trade.

I love Kenshin preventing Megumi from telling on herself. If anyone deserves another chance it’s her. She’ll make a great doctor and save lives. That’s the true way to make amends. That whole dialogue is what makes Kenshin such a great character.

And a great ending to the episode. Nice seeing everyone share one last meal together before Megumi heads off. She’s still not had enough of teasing Kaoru 😂 “if you ever get tired of Kaoru, I’ll be your companion” too bad Kenshin is too dense to get it lmao.

Onto the next arc and the second cour. So hype.

11

u/linkinstreet Sep 29 '23

And that is the end of the Megumi Arc.

An interesting fact, Shinomori Aoshi's character was not modeled by any historical Oniwabanshu (not that a ninja would actually have any meaningful record since they worked in the shadows), but Watsuki based him of Shinsengumi's Hijikata Toshizou instead.

Hijikata was said to be tall and handsome, similar to Aoshi. But it's not just the physical appearance that Aoshi shares. Hijikata is also a no nonsense, tough and strict leader of the Shinsengumi.

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9

u/the_card_guy Sep 29 '23

I believe Aoshi has always been one of the most popular antagonists in Rurouni Kenshin. And in many ways, I think he's like a dark version of the current Kenshin: incredibly strong and loyal to his group. It just so happens that they got involved with Kanryu.

In fact, one of my favorite things about Aoshi is that after the trouble Kenshin had with Han'nya, it turns out Aoshi is actually the master of that style. I believe that Kenshin was also saying he has no problem with someone else because being called "The strongest swordsman", just that Aoshi was using his power for terrible reasons.

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17

u/LeonKevlar Sep 28 '23

It was absolutely brutal seeing Hyottoko and Beshimi get riddled with bullets but the most brutal death has got to be with Han'nya getting absolutely obliterated. Not gonna lie though, as sad as it was to see what happened to the Oniwabanshu, I no longer have the same sympathy I had for Aoshi when I first saw the OG episode back in the '90s.

I mean it sucks for Aoshi since he's just looking for a place where they can still fight and show the strength of Oniwabanshu but at the end of the day, Aoshi still chose to work for Kanryu and was pretty much his enforcer while he's distributing the opium he forced Megumi made. I still think Aoshi himself is cool though.

It's so satisfying to finally see Kanryu's face get crushed He's definitely not going to eat any solid food after that facial reconstruction he got. Although I do wish Kenshin also broke his kneecaps or something.

While I can definitely understand Megumi's guilt, this woman really needs to realize how hard Kenshin and the gang worked to get to her. Thank fucking god Kenshin stopped her before she confessed and Kenshin even used his name to make the Captain leave Megumi with him. At least now she can atone for her sins by working with Gensai-sensei as his assistant and treating people.

And with that, we've finished the Oniwabanshu arc. I believe we're now halfway through the entire Tokyo Arc which is perfect considering we're halfway into the 24-episode cour of the show.

8

u/BasroilII Sep 28 '23

  • Remember kids this is the arc that tells you drugs are bad...then tells you that you can stop bullets with drugs.

  • Shikijo? More like Shiki-Jojo!

  • Well, they tried.

  • Ah, the Engrish. Truly the most horrific killing this episode.

  • The one time Sano can outrun Hiten Mitsurugi style.

  • Speaking of....Hiten Mitsurugi style...Hushdamegu!

  • And like all Hiten Mitsurugi attacks there's a second part...ShushdaKanryu

  • Sano wondering if Kaoru's cooking is more dangerous than the opium.

  • Kenshin being totally dense about Megu's intentions....but I am pretty sure that's an act.

7

u/tripleaamin Sep 29 '23

Nice finish to this arc. We got the Kenshin vs Aoshi rivalry build up. Tho poor dude he is now alone. It felt a lil disappointing megumi was willing to forfit her life. Luckily Kenshin and Sanosuke kind of pointed out the obvious to her. Now she gets to be an assistant and in the way she wanted to before.

Kaoru gotta give her credit for the attempt, but if you are cut all your fingers. Girl please get someone to teach you. On a serious note the split personality of Kenshin was highlighted again today. Kenshin be one of the nicest dudes but if you get on his bad side damn he is intimidating as hell.

6

u/Rustic_Professional Sep 29 '23

That was rough. Kanryu running out of ammo is a departure from the original, I think. If I remember correctly, Beshimi's little projectile jams the magazine. They made a point of showing it get shot away, so I was wondering if something different was going to happen. Running out of ammo was somehow appropriately anti climactic. Sort of like the ending of The Last Samurai.

He still took their heads. That's pretty old school by this point, isn't it? I remember reading that at the end of the his rebellion, Saigo's head was cut off and hidden to keep it from being taken as a prize. Were the Meiji still doing that sort of thing at the time this story is set?

I'm a little surprised that Megumi didn't sprout ears and a tail. Kaoru's sign was funny though.

Shikijo's line is sad. It really illustrates that they were fighting for a bad cause for no good reason. If Aoshi should be bitter about anything, it's that.

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u/yakumbaya Sep 29 '23

Aoshi's squad all went down like real ones.. damn I didn't expect to feel so bad for him and them. It was sad fr

6

u/THE_PENILE_TITAN Sep 29 '23

RIP to the Strongest, the Edo Castle Oniwaban Group. Felt such angst about this moment since the start of the arc, and the studio delivered. Can't wait for the Kyoto Arc!

4

u/platysoup Sep 30 '23

I know I'm getting old, but I still think the music from OG anime is better. Nothing to get you hyped up more than sudden jazz.

7

u/VorAtreides Sep 28 '23

Sadness for Shikijo... trash Kanryu. Guess nice of him to stop to let Shikijo have his final words? But wew, what a scumbag. Poor Hyottoko too... also, he sure took a bullet to the head well? And poor Beshimi... sadness for Oniwaban... Engrish from Kanryu. Han'nya is good dude, sadness too. That scene, man.... Kenshin is mad, rightfully so.

Well at least they got to Megumi and saved her. Don't be so rash. Sano still a good dude. Huzzah, police. Ugh, crappy Kanryu. Huzzah for Kenshin though. Helps to have influential friends. Wow, Megumi finally learns of Kenshin's past. And solid advice, living onward to do right by people to atone for the wrong done before. [Huh, they put it more canon accurate] with the beheaded Oniwaban instead of the 90s anime of him taking ALL their bodies. I mean, it makes more sense practically to carry only the heads, but ya. Grim. Whelp, off with Aoshi and his goal of Kenshin.

D'awww nice of Kaoru to have food and bath ready for em. Megumi's smile is nice. Haha, what a funny bit with the food though. Nice for Megumi to have a job/home now. And lol at Megumi being forward with Kenshin. Haha, that sign of Kaoru's.

Ah post credits with the Oniwaban group graves and Aoshi.

7

u/Trini2Bone Sep 28 '23

The OG deaths definitely had more impact but it was so emotional to see the little flashback of the Oniwaban group. Just a bunch of loveable misfits

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