Rurouni Kenshin or Samurai X is one great anime to watch. | Photo by Kenshin-TV.com
MANDAUE CITY, Philippines — Why should you watch the classic anime series “Samurai X” or “Rurouni Kenshin (The Wandering Samurai)”?
Here are five things that make Rurouni Kenshin iconic.
The storyline
If you are tired of watching anime with shallow storylines or plots, this one can really hook you from episode 1 to the final episode.
It’s a story of an orphan boy, Kenshin Himura, who became a feared samurai-assassin, “Hitokiri Battousai,” during the Boshin War or the civil war in Japan in the mid-1800s. It has a bit of everything — humor, courage, and a person with a dark past trying to be a hero in the shadows.
Battousai
The anime starts with “the Battousai,” disappearing after the war was won. The Battousai, in fact, was traveling around the country to protect people as his penance for the hundreds that he had killed during the war.
Nobody knew him as the famous “Battousai” , who was the assassin — an expert in killing using the katana, because he was using his real name Kenshin Himura.
How Kenshin Himura looked
To those, who had just met him, he was just a poor Samurai, passing through their place — a Samurai with an x scar on his face and wearing his hair on a single ponytail.
Aside from that he wore a Kimono and carries a Sakabato, a reversed katana or reverse blade sword.
After 11 years since the war ended, he settled in Tokyo where he stayed with a young woman Kamiya Kaoru, whom he saved and offered Himura a place to stay in her struggling martial arts school.
Everything seems to be going fine for Himura then but his dark past comes back to haunt him and threatens to turn him into the feared assassin that he once was — the Battousai.
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Protagonist does not always win
Another plus in this anime is that the protagonist does not always win.
His enemies are sometimes better than him, that he was even forced to seek his master to train him and teach him his kenjutsu’s final technique so that he can beat Makuto Shishio, the ultimate villain — powerful, merciless, and who will do anything to beat Himura, kill his friends and take over Japan.
Their epic battle is one of the climaxes of the series.
The supporting casts
One more reason to watch this classic anime are the supporting casts, Kaoru; his sidekick Sagara Sanosuke; the orphan boy from a Samurai family, Myojin Yahiko; and powerful opponents like a Bakomatsu expert turned police officer, Saito Hajime; a former leader of the oniwabanshu, Shinimori Aoshi; and of course, Shishio.
“Samurai X” or “Rurouni Kenshin” has also been made into movies — which was also nicely done, but nothing beats watching the anime series from episode 1 to its final episode.
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The fight scenes were not boring. They were awesome! With Kenshin Himura, surprising most opponents, with his many patented kenjutsu moves — and when facing tough enemies would have to use his secret ultimate kenjutsu move — the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu style’s Amakakeru Ryū no Hirameki or the flash of the heavenly flying dragon,
The sword duels are not just a clashing and slashing of swords but it tells the story of why they fight — Kenshin to protect his loved ones and his determination not to go back to being the Battousai — while his foes’ reasons would vary from exacting revenge on Kenshin or simply because they wanted to beat the Battousai or in Shishio’s case, aside from his grand plan to rule Japan but also to beat his idol, the Battousai.
In Kenshin’s case it proved to be difficult to deal with them because he fights not to kill and so he uses a sakabato, a reverse blade sword — where the sharp edge of the sword is on the inside part while the dull end is on the outside.
The music
Another plus in watching the series is the music — the opening and closing tracks of episodes in the series.
Who can forget one of the opening music of a few of the episodes of the series the “Sobakasu” by Judy and Mary, and the closing music “It’s Gonna Rain” by Bonnie Pink. The visuals accompanying this opening and closing music was also greatly done, particularly the Bonnie Pink’s “It’s Gonna Rain” closing.
There’s also the opening music in a few of the series’ episodes called “One Half” by Kawamoto Makoto.
Why watch it?
So why should you watch “Samurai X”?
Well, it’s a great anime series with a powerful and exciting plot or storyline, the action sequences are awesome, the supporting casts are great, there’s a bit of everything thrown in between like romance, struggles, and overcoming adversities, and how persons face their inner demons and the consequences of losing and the rewards of slaying these demons and starting over.
There’s also the music if that counts.
This 90s anime series is just what it is a great anime to watch.
Netizens comments
Just look at four of the many comments of netizens, Samurai X fans, when they learned about the anime getting a reboot from an anime channel, and after they watched its official trailer from YouTube.
“This is one of the very few anime where the English dub is so good! What a great show 
,” said @blitzball4lyfe.
“This was my VERY first anime I watched and I loved it. I still do and I’ve probably rewatched it over a dozen times. I can’t wait for this, as long as it stays true to the OG 
,” said @ Jambosm0key.
“This series was my very 1st anime as a child. So many ancient memories were activated. 
,” said @trollslayer7825.
“Pure nostalgia 
best moments of my childhood… the opening songs lives rent free in my head,” said @rayart9298.
But why should you watch the 90s anime, “Rurouni Kenshin,” which is having a reboot in an anime channel?
Well, don’t take my word for it, go watch it and experience the world of Kenshin Himura, the wandering swordsman.
