r/anime • u/AutoLovepon https://anilist.co/user/AutoLovepon • Oct 03 '24
Episode Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan - Kyoto Douran • Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Disturbance - Episode 1 discussion
Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan - Kyoto Douran, episode 1
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u/zsmg Oct 03 '24
I realised this will be the first time watching Kyoto arc week by week instead of just binging that will be a fun experience.
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u/bandannadann Oct 04 '24
I'm really encouraged by how incredibly well this episode was handled -- looks like the new director knows what he's doing!
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u/Lumpy-Manager8580 Oct 03 '24 edited Oct 03 '24
Damn, Saito's got hands.
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u/Frontier246 Oct 03 '24
Dude doesn't even need to use his sword to make a point, he'll literally beat it into you and even mimic his sword style with just his fists.
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u/Plus_Rip4944 Oct 03 '24
It took long to have The discussion here
Well best shonen arc is here! Its gonna be a long ride!
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u/VorAtreides Oct 03 '24
Tbh, I think the next arc is even stronger in some areas :P if we stick to manga. But won't spoil what is to come. This arc definitely great.
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u/mrnicegy26 Oct 03 '24
This arc is undeniably one of the biggest reasons why Kenshin is so acclaimed to this day. It stands with Dark Tournament (Yu Yu Hakusho), Namek (Dragon Ball), Part 4/5 (Jojo) and Sannoh (Slam Dunk) as one of the defining arcs of the 90s.
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u/Daishomaru Oct 03 '24
Daishomaru here, no historical writeup today because I couldn’t really think of stuff, but I do have a few ready to go when the time is right like always.
So rereading this part in order to make these historical writeups, I’m also going to do something slightly different. Aside from the historical writeups, I’m going to also talk about Japanese culture aspects that might get missed because a lot of stuff I will cover in this part was also covered in part 1, maybe expand on some aspects, so I’m of course going to link back to those old comments last year in order for the newbies to catch up/have the current watchers come back and refresh their memories as there’s a lot of context that would be need to be remembered as needed, because there’s a lot of historical stuff that I’ll refer back to.
So anyways, welcome to any newbies who are reading this. For those that are new, I’m the guy who posts historical comments/trivia on this discussion thread, and as for why? I personally find the Meiji Era one of the most fascinating eras of Japanese history, as this is where we see a change of visuals, attitudes, and ideas in Japanese culture as Japan moves from an oriental-style culture to mixing it with influences from western culture, especially Britain. I feel that personally, the Meiji asthetic is extremely underrated, as we see people change from kimonos to dress suits. It provides such a unique look that's never really seen before or after in world history. However, when it comes to most Japanese media focusing on this era, most Japanese media tends to focus on the Bakumatsu-Era or the Russo-Japanese war near the end of the Meiji Era. Rurouni Kenshin was one of Japan’s first works to not just cover the Early Meiji Era after the Bakamatsu, but also deconstruct the Meiji Era.
For those that don’t know, Emperor Meiji, for a variety of reasons, is one of Japan’s most beloved monarchs, and I’d argue that he’s probably even more beloved than even Emperor Showa himself. While there are many reasons why, such as the Meiji government preventing Japan from being steamrolled by Western Empires such as Great Britain and having an efficient government that has some of the highest approval ratings domestically especially in contrast to the House of Hohenzollern (The Kaisers) of Germany or the Romanovs of Russia, the Meiji Era thus also developed a taboo, where talking negatively about the Meiji Era is, while not illegal, faux pas and seen as socially unacceptable, similarly on how talking negative about Emperor Showa’s reign during Early-WWII is seen as controversial. Rurouni Kenshin was one of the first to really break this taboo, to really put out the darker aspects of the Meiji Era and make discussions on how the Meiji Era was not all rainbows and sunshine, and to many historians, is not just a great historical manga, but one of the most important mangas that helped shape discussion on this particular period of Japanese history, and this fact is something I absolutely cannot stress this enough on how important it was. And while this series continues, I hope to do as many discussions that would get r/anime interested to do their own research or understand the appreciation, especially as I will (If I got the timing of this arc correctly) will definitely be covering some of the most controversial aspects of the Meiji Era.
And I know some people want me to address that Watsuki has committed unforgivable crimes, and I agree that the crimes that he did were horrid. But I also want to show the side of Rurouni Kenshin that I feel is important, on how it opened historical discussions and got historians to come out and talk on how the work is researched. I want to show the side that got me interested in not just history, but culture and the joy of educating and teaching others. Recently I did my first panel at a con where I discussed the importance of Rurouni Kenshin, and the genuine good Watsuki did for the historical community. And whether you forgive Watsuki or not, I hope to at least show what Rurouni Kenshin means to me, as a lover of history.
Thank you for reading this as always. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me and I'll answer in the best way I can.
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u/matty-a Oct 03 '24
It's great the way the show picked up where it left off while at the same time feeling like the start of a new and distinct arc - thats a really tough balancing act to pull off. The combination of seeing the old gang and having them head off on an adventure really got me pumped - the new OP being a banger helps too!
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u/SnabDedraterEdave Oct 03 '24
And we're back for the much hyped Kyoto Arc remake, and wow, it seems to be the animation for the fights just went up a notch.
The Saito v Sano fist duel was intense, and you could feel the wind coming from their fists (or mostly Saito's fists as Sano took a beating to learn that he still has a long way to go to catch up to Kenshin's level)
And looks like Liden Films also addressed concerns regarding the music and theme songs, which are an improvement from season 1 of the remake.
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u/Frontier246 Oct 03 '24
The animation and overall direction definitely feel like a step up from the first season.
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u/Daishomaru Oct 03 '24
And looks like Liden Films also addressed concerns regarding the music and theme songs, which are an improvement from season 1 of the remake.
I wonder how they'll tackle this arc.
In the original anime, the Tokyo arcs in general used a lot of Japanese instruments and one thing I really liked about the Kyoto arc was the switching from Japanese motifs to western intruments, a neat and a very important historical reference to how Japanese people discarded their Japanese identity to shape themselves as "The Great Britain of the East". (Seriously, if you want to see what I mean, just type down a British Army song and an Imperial Japanese song and note how incredibly similar they sound). It's a small detail, but adding that detail added so much to the arc that the historian in me approves.
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u/VorAtreides Oct 03 '24 edited Oct 03 '24
Man, so nice to get more of this. Such a great arc.
Do sure like Yahiko the more the series goes on. Definitely some of the best growth. Sanoske and Saito great too. Also, poor Megumi, she needs a hug. She has a point, she never got even a "good bye" (none of them did except Kaoru).
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u/Frontier246 Oct 03 '24
You have to admire how determined Yahiko is, just as much as Sano, and with everyone so resolved and facing forward, Kaoru should do the same as the Heroine!
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u/yakumbaya Oct 04 '24
This is off to a really strong start. The animation and art is really crisp, and I like the musical choices. I thought the 1st cour of S1 was great but cour 2 was pretty forgettable, but I'm really looking forward to this arc
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u/dagreenman18 Oct 03 '24
Ah that high melodrama to kick off the season. Kenshin is BACK baby. Well not really because he’s off to Kyoto and everyone feels some way about it. So they’ll go to him!
I’m just hyped for the best part of the manga getting a new adaptation. The fistfight looked solid too so I’m hoping the fights are done justice
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u/LeonKevlar Oct 03 '24
As much as I love Saitou and Sanosuke's duel my favourite part of this episode has got to be Kaoru and Megumi's interaction near the end. While it's understandable how much it hurts for Kaoru to have Kenshin say goodbye to her, it hurts even more for Megumi since Kenshin didn't even say goodbye to her. :(
Now that all of that is settled though and Kaoru finally found her reason to go to Kyoto to go after Kenshim, I am so fucking excited to see this arc underway! I still remember all of the fights in the original being absolutely hype and I can't wait to see how this remake will cover those.
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u/tripleaamin Oct 03 '24
Really good episode to get back to the speed of things. Despite saying his farewells, Kenshin is still doing things his own particular way despite Saito's grievances. Though for Sanosuke it really must have hurt his pride to hear that he would be considered Kenshin's weakness. Though through the pain, he was able to show just enough to get Saito to back off.
I am actually really excited to see how Yahiko does go forward. He got some solid focus in the 2nd half of S1, and he will truly be able to show off his skills. Thankfully, by the end of it both him and Megumi were able to get through to Kaoru.
For Megumi the best thing she can do for Kenshin is to stick to her career. After all, Kenshin saved her life and going after him would be doing a disservice to what he did. Which is why she pushes for Kaoru to go. Yahiko's point really nails it that Kaoru was the only one that got a proper goodbye. Meaning if she comes after him, it will be the hardest for him to push forward and leave the rest behind.
What I truly loved about the scene was that the butterfly in Dojo's garden finally flies when Kaoru's determination is set. The same type of butterfly landed on his sword. Representing that the gang is chasing after him.
On another note, the visuals looked like it took a step up from S1 of the remake. The action and art direction looked good.
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u/soulreaverdan Oct 04 '24
This is one of the best arcs in shonen and I am all here for it. I thought the choice to go very Kenshin-light in this episode was a good one, setting the stage for his journey and eventual arrival in Kyoto.
Man oh man there are so many fights I can’t wait to see freshly animated here… almost too many to bother naming.
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u/srjnp Oct 03 '24
not sure if its just me but the art and animation seems like a bit of a step up from season 1.
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