Step 11: Wear Pink (Kimonos)

I made a huge error in judgment today by subjecting myself to this blasphemy on a whim:

Don't let the gorgeous box art lure you into a false sense of security.

That's the DVD cover for the 2001 OVA titled Rurouni Kenshin: Seisōhen (Samurai X: Reflection in North America). Rurouni Kenshin unfortunately has a long and storied history of missed opportunities when it comes to adapting the original source material for film, which is a travesty because the manga is a goddamned masterpiece. I only watched Seisōhen once before disowning it from my headcanon years ago, because although it is quite the theatrical eyegasm--

Anytime Kenshin's hair comes down, so do my panties.

--and even though we get a glimpse at the enormous potential of Kenshin's son, Kenji--

before royally getting his ass handed to him by Yahiko

--and are treated to some unnecessary but totally hot Kenshin x Kaoru sexytimes--

[Click -> Save To: "Spank Files"]

--it completely disregards the point Watsuki-sensei was trying to make when he wrapped up the manga, i.e. Kenshin no longer needs to wander to atone for his sins. The ending of the manga is bittersweet in a lot of ways--everyone goes on their own separate paths, Kenshin is unable to use Hiten Mitsurugi anymore, etc.--but it sure as hell wasn't the sobfest that Seisōhen shoved down our throats.

Except for this part.  Cue me crying all the tears.

Kenshin's been on my mind a lot lately, for a variety of reasons. I mentioned before that Kenshin was somewhat the blueprint for the main protagonist in my novel, but I reread the manga not too long ago, and my husband and I binge-watched the Kyoto arc last week on Netflix. The manga itself was executed flawlessly in both story and art (in my humble opinion), but the anime brought to life some of the most gorgeous and poignant panels in a way that transcends the pages of the books:

I don't even know what's going on here JFC

Me: Don't you fucking cry like a little bitch... Brain: You gotta

Aoshi's gonna need some ice for that sick burn

Bye Felicia~

Even the live-action movies, which I have mixed feelings about (I liked them overall, but I'm ambivalent towards some of the changes they made), has a moment of sheer cinematic brilliance during the first fight between Kenshin and Sōjirō:

Slo-motion on fleek.

Like any diehard Kenshin follower, I long for the day when the third act of the manga--commonly referred to as the Jinchū arc by fans--is finally animated in its full glory. Despite the manga series having ended in 1999, Rurouni Kenshin is arguably as popular now as it's ever been, thanks to some new books and three live-action movies that have introduced an entirely new generation of people to the Kenshin saga. Still, instead of an animated Jinchū season, we got a two-part alternate retelling of the Kyoto arc that was at best pretty to look at, and at worst a perverse joke. It seems that, at least for now, Yukishiro Enishi and his merry band of revenge-seekers will remain bound to the pages of the comic.

Consolation Prize: Tsuiokuhen and a "chicks dig scars" complex.