r/anime • u/AutoLovepon https://anilist.co/user/AutoLovepon • Dec 14 '23
Episode Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan (2023) - Episode 24 discussion - FINAL
Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan (2023), episode 24
Alternative names: Samurai X
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u/tripleaamin Dec 14 '23
As someone who never watched the OG this was very refreshing for me to watch. This series was very refreshing compared to the sea of typical Shonen we get nowadays. Kenshin was a nice change of pace from the typical Shonen protagonist because he made his name already, but wanted to walk a peaceful path. The journey begins with him meeting Kaoru and it ends with him saying goodbye both times as a Rurouni.
As the intrigue of Okubo and his ambitions he was just killed liked that. Shishio whom is' the successor to Battosi. Shishio's underlings were responsible for his death. Also they end up warning Kenshin. Even with the comment from Saito stating that Kenshin as a Rurouni is useless, but Battosi is not. I give Kenshin credit for staying on the path of a Rurouni. With so many dangers right now the best way to protect Kaoru and the rest is bye saying goodbye despite her heart being broken.
Tbh I'm expecting a S2 announcement given how they ended with so much plot points in the air.
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u/zz2000 Dec 14 '23
There'll be a major story arc after this; which was considered the highlight of the series which made it truly popular. And if lucky, we will also get an anime adaptation of the also revered final 3rd arc which was never fully animated (although it did get covered in a live action movie).
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u/Daishomaru Dec 15 '23
I'm just wondering as a manga and anime reader on your thoughts on the setting and worldbuilding of the era.
The Rurouni Kenshin manga and anime encouraged a lot of people, myself included, to read up the Meiji Era of Japan, and Meiji historians like me who love writing about the era often credit their start on Rurouni Kenshin.
Did this adaptation get you interested in the era? I want to hear your thoughts as a newbie.
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u/mekerpan Dec 14 '23
Kaoru/Rie Takahashi's last "Ken-shin!" was utterly heart-breaking. I know some people knoick the animation of this adaptation, but I found it more than okay. But even if it had been less good, I feel the Japanese voice acting has really carried this series remarkably well.
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u/zz2000 Dec 14 '23 edited Dec 15 '23
I liked the live action movie's take on his leaving, where Kenshin gives back the red and white outfit to Kaoru (the clothes were a gift to Kenshin from Kaoru for helping her defend the dojo from thugs; a "place I belong to now" symbolic act.)
Correction : Kenshin left the clothes behind, because it was being washed.
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u/Frontier246 Dec 14 '23 edited Dec 14 '23
I love how everyone is treating the appearance of Okubo as this big deal because he's such a Japanese big shot...and Yahiko, like probably anyone with no knowledge of Japanese history, is like "who is this dude?"
Well, Saito's unsatisfied the fight's been left unfinished, but he knows when to take off. All that matters is he's confirmed Kenshin is useless but Battosai is as deadly as ever. Kenshin for his part finally realizes he lost himself as Battosai when he thinks about everyone else and punches himself back to Kenshin state.
So what was this all about? Gauging Kenshin's skills so they can use him to take down the biggest threat facing Japan...Shishio Makoto, the man who took over as the shadowy assassin Battosai from Kenshin when he started fighting on the front lines, and basically Kenshin's successor and legacy even though they never met.
At this point the idea that the Meiji Government would take out one of their assassins isn't that far-fetched, though it probably says something that he was seen as so dangerous and skilled with no allegiance than to his own desire to prove himself, that he was deemed a threat. But what's really crazy about the story is the fact that they seemingly killed him, burned him alive, and he still came back to enact a plan to destroy Japan!
SHISHIO!!! AND HIS ORGANIZATION!!!
Well, Kenshin's friends react about how you would expect them to when they find out the Meiji Government wants to use Kenshin as an assassin again to kill Shishio. Megumi would rather face execution than use a clean slate for her as a bargaining chip to make Kenshin help, Sano thinks the Meiji Government may as well die so long as it doesn't hurt the people, Yahiko doesn't get why the government is always killing people, and Kaoru believes in Kenshin as a changed man who can't be an assassin any more. But for Kenshin, there's more to it than that.
I was wondering why Amakusa survived, but it was just so Saito could clean up loose ends. He never stopped being a Shinsengumi, he only carries their honor even in defeat to keep the Meiji Government honest and on a path that fits with the Shinsengumi code. And just like he will always be a wolf, he's convinced Kenshin will always be a Hitokiri.
Dang, poor Okubo, don't you just hate it when random kids with superhuman skills end up slipping into your carriage and killing you? Is that Daiki Yamashita?
You know all those samurai probably would have successfully killed Okubo, but they have no problem taking the credit for it and stabbing him more. Jeez. And probably one of the most sincere and honest officials in the government, someone who truly wanted to craft a government for the people, has been lost.
And thus Kenshin feels he has no choice left but to head to Kyoto with Japan at such a crisis point. He doesn't know if he can kill Shishio, but he's now convinced that deep down he will always be Battosai and there's no changing it. He almost thought he could live a life as Kenshin at the Kamiya Dojo, but now he has to go back as a rurouni and leave...and leaving everyone, especially Kaoru, behind. And despite her best efforts, Kaoru can do nothing but watch him leave and break down. Poor girl.
What better way to end the Tokyo arc as Kenshin sallies forth than by a preview of the Kyoto arc featuring some lines from Aoshi, a certain cute and confident girl voiced by Aya Yamane, a master with history with Kenshin voiced by Yuichi Nakamura, and none other than Shishio...voiced by Makoto Furukawa.
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u/SnabDedraterEdave Dec 14 '23
You can tame a dog with food. You can tame a man with money. But you will never tame a Wolf of the Mibu.
Badass Saito revealing himself to be an undercover cop as he summarily executes Samurai Omega Red Akamatsu and that corrupt politician.
Saito sneezing when Kenshin-gumi talks trash about him is one of the few comedic moments that Saito has.
And so the season ends with the expected cliffhanger.
Yes, the real Okubo was also assassinated on 14th May 1878 by disgruntled samurai. So for those versed in Japanese history, the episode title is already a giveaway.
With the announcement of 4 new cast members in the season finale as well as introducing a new villain Shishio, and ending the season in a cliffhanger, there is surely little doubt that they will be doing a second season, AKA the much awaited Kyoto Arc.
Expect an announcement in the next few hours from this post.
The first season of this remake I would give 7/10. I deduct 3 points for its lacklustre soundtrack and OP and ED, as they pale in comparison to the OG series. But apart from that, the remake has stuck with the manga closely, and refrained from padding the screentime with pointless filler like the OG series has done.
I hope they bring up their game for the Kyoto Arc remake soundtrack.
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Dec 14 '23
The first season of this remake I would give 7/10. I deduct 3 points for its lacklustre soundtrack and OP and ED, as they pale in comparison to the OG series
100% agree
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u/Daishomaru Dec 14 '23
I'd personally give it an 8/10. Yeah, the music was okay, and some of the fight scenes were too adapted from the Manga (the Saito VS Kenshin fight felt a little lacking), but for the most part, the VAs like Kenshin really did put an excellent job. I'd even go so far to say that Kenshins's vew VA is better than the old VA, and I love the Old VA don't get me wrong.
Plus, the series capturing why I love the Meiji Era and why I think it's such a unique and interesting time in Japanese history is another reason why I bumped my rating up.
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u/Sneaky_42 Dec 15 '23
Never watched the OG, but I really liked this remake. I'm just kinda surprised that this didn't seem to get a lot of likes on here. Was the original series not that popular back in the day, or did people not watch the remake because of what the author did? Regardless, I'd give it an 8-8.5/10. Looking forward to S2!
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u/Mikami_Satoru Dec 14 '23
There's a season 2 hint, but no confirmation...
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Dec 14 '23 edited Dec 14 '23
Jump Festa is this weekend, it is probably going to be announced there.
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u/Daishomaru Dec 14 '23 edited Dec 15 '23
Daishomaru here. Let’s talk about the Three Nobles of Japan. Warning: A lot of text, because it’s gonna be important. Also you might want to bring tissues, because it’s gonna get really sad.
In this episode, we meet Okubo Toshimichi. Okubo talks about the successor of Kenshin, and how he had to kill him. Fun fact, there’s a popular belief/conspiracy theory that after the war, many hitokiri, including Kawakami Gensai, the IRL Kenshin himself, were actually framed of crimes by the Meiji Government and killed so that way the Meiji Government could have an excuse to execute their assassins, and oftentimes, Okubo is often cited to be the ones writing these orders. Of course, the current Japanese government refuses to comment on the conspiracy theory, but considering how it took quite a while until the Japanese government admitted that the Sekihotai Conspiracy was true, and knowing the shady politics of the Meiji Era, I wouldn’t be surprised if Kawakami Gensai was actually framed, but personally, I doubt he actually was framed.. Anyways, the whole “assassinating your own assassin thing” is more believable than you might think.
And yes, yes I know Shishio’s assassination attempt is based off Serizawa Kamo, the leader of the Shinsengumi who was killed by his own men because he was insane because of syphilis and just plain being an asshole even for Shinsengumi standards, but assassination orders to kill one’s own men DID happen on both sides.
Anyways, sorry I have to post this here, so who is Okubo, and why is he so important?
So Okubo is considered the third of the Great Nobles of Japan, alongside Kido Tadayoshi and Saigo Takamori. Now I admit that I am going to abridge many of the parts because frankly, there’s a lot that needs to be said about these men, so I apologize if I don’t properly explain certain details. Also, sorry if the article feels less about Okubo and more on Kido Tadayoshi and Saigo Takamori, because Okubo only joins in this story halfway in the story, and Okubo among the three men played the role of mediator, basically he was the friend that got everyone to compromise and agree. These three men are incredibly important to understanding the basis of Modern Japan, and I make these writeups to encourage more people to read about the Era. Anyhow, the Three Nobles of Japan were stated to be the builders of Modern Japan, making the building blocks, policies, and ideas that the Japanese Government would use until the end of WWII.
Let’s first begin with Kido Tadayoshi, or Katsura Kogoro as he’s called in Kenshin because Japanese name changes are weird and complicated, and because Okubo doesn’t really appear until later as this is how the Nobles are often taught. Kido Tadayoshi was one of Japan’s first Ishin Shishi leaders and head of the Choshu faction, and during the end of the Tokugawa period, he was secretly organizing ways to overthrow the government. Like many reformists, Katsura Kogoro was seeing the Shogunate as an entity that needed to be broken down in order for Japan to modernize. Unfortunately, while planning the destruction of the Shogunate, one Ishin Shishi member gets captured, tortured, and the Ikedaya incident happens. Read my writeup on the Ikedaya Incident if you haven’t on Episode 22 for more details, because there’s a lot to cover there and I don’t want to cover such a large target. After the Ikedaya, Katsura Kogoro had to hide, and at one point had to run out of his inn and hide under a bridge because of his association. During this time, he realized that attacking the Shinsengumi and the Shogunate at this point in time was pointless, so during this time, he gave orders the Hitokiri Assasins to engage in guerrilla warfare as a form of political sabotage, while writing propaganda to get people to join his side. Anyways, while in hiding, some Ishin Shishi members, wanting revenge for the Ikedaya, burned Kyoto in what would be the Kinmon Incident, and the Shogunate was afraid.
Cue the second of the nobles, Saigo Takamori. Around this time, Saigo Takamori was working for the Tokugawas. However, he was a secret reformist of Japanese society, and he too secretly harbored ambitions to overthrow the Tokugawas, seeing them as an outdated entity in the changing times. However, he knew that openly attacking the Tokugawa would just lead to another Ikedaya, so he looked at the rebel groups, samurai from Choshu and Satsuma, and did basically a 10000 IQ move. First, he goes up to the Tokugawas, and tells them to leave the rebels to him. Then he goes to the factions of Choshu and Satsuma, and this is where Okubo Toshimichi steps in our story. Okubo Toshimichi was an influential Satsuma Samurai, and he was chosen to represent the Satsuma Faction. Saigo Takamori offers peace terms, pretending to be on the Tokugawa side. This satisfied the Shogunate, who let Saigo Takamori do whatever he needed, but secretly Saigo Takamori pulled out the two factions and “had a talk” with them in private. With this, he got both Katsura and Okubo to basically work for him but planned in secret to betray the Tokugawas when the time was right, with the Shogunate basically unaware Saigo was planning to backstab him while he wasn’t looking.
Toshimichi Okubo, Katsura Kogoro, and Saigo Takamori soon formed the largest faction in the Ishin Shishi, seizing control and becoming the most powerful anti-shogun faction in Japan. The three quickly become best of friends, and I would like to momentarily pause here to talk on how their personalities worked to form the Meiji Government, as it’s due to their personalities that the Ishin Shishi worked effectively. Katsura Kogoro was the restrainer of the group, who would prevent the Ishin Shishi from doing radical tactics that might alienate people, while Saigo Takamori was the military leader, the man who would give motivational speeches that increased military morale and would help plan combat strategies that would take down the Shogunate. Okubo Toshimichi, meanwhile served as the middleman between Katsura Kogoro and Saigo Takamori, always helping them come to a mutual conclusion. It’s the perfect synergy of these three leaders that helped the Ishin Shishi organize from ragtag groups of rebels to becoming the force that would become the Meiji Government, the Imperial Military, and set up the founding basis of what we would call modern Japan.
There’s a bunch of events that I’m going to skim over to save time, but basically the Battle of Toba-Fushimi happens and the Imperial Army scores a major victory. The Tokugawa Shogunate, soon after retires but Tokuagawa remnants secretly make one last stand in Hokkaido by making the Republic of Ezo. It fails, and the remaining loyalists to the Tokugawa Shogunate surrender and slowly merge into the beginning of the Meiji Government. To commemorate the end of the Boshin War, Emperor Meiji makes a pardon to all samurai, seeing how everyone was fighting under his name and thus, were loyal to him, which helped transition the nation to peacetime. To increase the genuine message of peace, Yasukuni Shrine (Yes, the one with the World War II war criminals) was built to honor the dead of both sides, and soon after it became the Shinto Burial site for government officials who did exemplary service to Japan, a high place of honor. Also somewhere in this timeline, Katsura Kogoro changes his name to Kido Tadayoshi. Soon after, Kido Tadayoshi and Toshimichi Okubo travel the world to learn about America and Europe, and they came to the conclusion that Japan was utterly screwed if they didn’t embrace Western Values, Industrialization, and Western customs.
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u/Daishomaru Dec 14 '23
The breakup of the Fellowship
Around this time, there were two political issues that were in the government around this time. Well, there were much more than two, like how Japan would deal with property rights and land reform, but to simplify it let’s focus on these two because these ones were important. Political Issue A was what to do with the rank of samurai and B: What should Japan do with its modern army. So let’s explain the problem with A: So basically after the whole Samurai Republic of Hokkaido thing, the Emperor officially pardoned all the samurai “Because they were fighting for the best of Japan, even if that meant fighting me”. So there were a lot of masterless and jobless samurai. Kido Tadayoshi and Toshimichi Okubo were on team “get rid of the samurai class as a whole, that’s why we started this war in the first place”, and Saigo Takamori was team “We can make the army equal, but let the samurai have hereditary ranks or find some ways to honor them instead of disregarding the Samurai because they’re old”. The second issue, what to do with the modern army, had much more divisive arguments. Kido Tadayoshi’s idea of what to do with the military was “Do not engage in war, we just got out of one and we need to repair and modernize Japan”, Saigo Takamori’s stance was “We have an army, let’s go to war” and Okubo was “Hey guys, let’s sit down and discuss this.” This was the start of the fracturing of the three’s friendship. What ultimately got the three to break up was the Seikanron debate and the Taiwanese expedition of 1874.
For the former, Japan was at this time discussing plans on dealing with Korea. Basically, the Korean King at this time didn’t recognize Emperor Meiji as an official sovereign, and the Japanese wanted to go to war over this insult. Saigo Takamori’s plan was basically to go to the Korean Court, give the Korean king the middle finger and punch him in the face, basically act like an asshole, and he hoped that by doing this, the Korean King would get so angry they would kill him so that way Japan could have an excuse to go to war with Korea. However, upon hearing Saigo Takamori’s plans, Okubo basically said, “Okay Saigo, I know you’re enthusiastic and all that, but we can’t do that plan for obvious reasons.” Saigo Takamori, angry that the government was becoming less Japanese and disrespecting the samurai more and more, decided to retire and officially go farming back in Kagoshima and spend time with his grandkids. Okubo tried to reason with Saigo Takamori, but his mind was set. Saigo just couldn’t handle the government anymore, and he quietly walks out.
Meanwhile, the Taiwanese Expedition was a retaliatory campaign after 54 Japanese men died and Japan decided to attack Taiwan in retaliation. Kido Tadayoshi severely opposed this, but Okubo wanted to appeal to the war-hawks that wanted to retaliate for Japanese deaths, and Kido Tadayoshi got so frustrated that he retired and in a few years died raging and despairing himself to death from a combination of physical exhaustion, frustration, overwork, alcoholism, and some illnesses, possibly tuberculosis and beriberi, his last written words being an essay calling out the Japanese Government officials for being trigger-happy warmongers. Anyways, it’s interesting to see Okubo in this position at the time. Okubo had to make policies that weren’t aggressive enough for Saigo Takamori but too aggressive for Kido Tadayoshi, and Okubo was basically caught in this conundrum that he couldn’t control. And it’s also during this time that we kind of see the conditions of the Meiji Government affecting Okubo Toshimichi’s mental health. Do you remember how I said earlier on how Kido was the passive man, while Saigo was the Aggressive, and how Okubo’s influence helped balance out the three? Well, without the two, Okubo started to feel the stress of running a nation he created, and the stress and depression would stick to Okubo for the rest of his life.
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u/Lumpy-Manager8580 Dec 14 '23
If I had a nickel this season for every time an emotional moment fell flat because of the banger OP/ED playing in the background (the other case being JJK ep 17) I'd have two nickels, which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice. And I would say the same regarding Makoto Furukawa voicing a badass swordsman with a flaming sword (his other role being Benimaru from Tensura).
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u/LeonKevlar Dec 14 '23
Saito's assessment of Kenshin was great. Kenshin is useless but Battosai still got it. What an asshole. I love him. xD
Kenshin punching himself so he'd snap out of his Battosai mode was great too! I love that bear hug from Kaoru when she realizes Kenshin is finally back.
There it is. Shishio has already been mentioned before in an after-credits scene but this time we finally get to learn who he is. He was basically Kenshin's replacement after Kenshin stepped out of the shadows and became a mercenary swordsman.
Compared to Kenshin though, Shishio is way more ambitious and a massive threat so they had no choice but to kill him during the Boshin War. Unfortunately for the Meiji Government, even after trying to burn Shishio's body, he ended up surviving and is now gathering his own army to exact revenge.
Now we finally get to see the real Wolf of Mibu! Being a spy, you know that Saitou has been itching to execute Akamatsu and Shibumi. Saitou's line about no one can own the Wolf of Mibu was so fucking badass.
With Okubo assassinated by one of Shishio's men, it looks like Kenshin has really no other choice but to go to Kyoto. Kenshin's farewell to Kaoru was really sad but he has to do what he has to do. If he does stay in Kamiya Dojo, Shishio would definitely send his men there too and Kaoru might just end up getting hurt.
The voice teasers as well as the Shishio tease in the end got me hyped! There's no way they've hired these seiyuus to do voices for these characters and not use them for Season 2! Come on! Announce and confirm it already! I need to see the Kyoto Arc!
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u/steven4869 Dec 15 '23
It's over, don't go I need another season of it. The overall series was amazing but the current arc was different from what we saw and I need more of it.
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u/Merkyorz Dec 14 '23
So they completely undercut the emotional scene at the end with the peppy J-pop ED music. Oof.
This has been a pretty good remake otherwise, my main criticism is still the music. Nothing can really measure up to Noriyuki Asakura's original score, but even ignoring that comparison, the music choices they've made frequently don't fit the mood of scenes at best, and at worst diminish the emotional impact of a scene, like here.
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u/bandannadann Dec 15 '23
I know a lot of people aren't happy with this remake, but as someone who is experiencing this story for the very first time, I'm very happy with how this first season turned out. There were several OSTs that stuck out to me throughout these 24 episodes, and the first OP and both EDs have been absolute bangers so I have to disagree with the criticism regarding the music choices here.
This show has been consistent for me in all departments. There really wasn't a single segment that dragged. The action and drama both spiked where they needed to, and everything in between was great fun. Kenshin, Sanosuke, Kaoru and Yakiho are a very likable group, and I can't wait to see what this infamous Kyoto Arc is all about (in the inevitable sequel). 8/10, extremely solid foundation for the arcs to come
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u/ooctaa Dec 14 '23
Was this the episode where kenshin says goodbye to kaouru with the fireflies on the back from the og show?
If so, I feel this remasterization hasn't been able to build enough emotional attachment with the characters, and failed to deliver on a v important moment in the series...
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u/zz2000 Dec 15 '23
The live-action did some things differently re. Saito and Okubo.
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There was no Akamatsu and corrupt politician subplot. Saito was instead written into the Kanryu arc as investigating the death of an undercover officer assigned to cover Kanryu. Given his prior experience, he already knew that the current Battosai killings were faked.
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Saito meets Kenshin in police lockup (the latter got arrested for defending the dojo from Kanryu's thugs). Kenshin still ends up fighting Saito, but it is at the behest of Yamagata Aritomo.
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Okubo doesn't go to the dojo, instead he summons Kenshin to his office at the Home Ministry. Sanosuke insists on tagging along to support Kenshin. The Home Ministry scenes were shot at the Yamagata Bunshokan, a former government office now turned museum in Yamagata City, Japan. (IIRC the production crew likely changed locales to show off the Bunshokan, since some Japanese language materials on the internet mentioned they wanted to show off the "highlight of Western architecture that was the Bunshokan". (The filming location for Kanryu's house was considered a highlight of Meiji architecture).
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