history of Samurai X
Samurai X Trust and Betrayal was an anime movie featuring the beloved character, Kenshin Himura. The anime show Rurouni Kenshin was an action-comedy anime series about a notorious samurai famous, bearing a cross-shaped scar on his cheek; for his fighting technique that helped start a revolution and bring in a new era to Japan. After the revolution was over he disappeared and reappeared as Kenshin in the anime series. Samurai X shows what happens during Kenshin’s life before the revolution, why he wandered around Japan for a long time, why he has his “no kill” rule, and how he obtained his cross-shaped scar.
Unlike the successor, Rurouni Kenshin, there was not a drop of comedy in Samurai X; it was a depressing and serious film. The creators wanted to show a serious side of Kenshin, and they succeeded. Underneath the surface though, the creators wanted to show the hardship of war, how the act of revenge could ruin a person’s life, and how strong feelings could change a person’s heart. They used strong quotes to support their ideas.
The opening scene of Samurai X is bloody, and a lot of action. The movie starts off with Kenshin as a small boy in line with other slave-people. Everybody is being killed, but Kenshin is saved by his future sword-master teacher. The next scene starts with Kenshin killing a target for an assassination assignment. One of the bodyguards put a cut on Kenshin, and the clan that Kenshin works for were shocked to find such a deep cut on Kenshin.
One night Kenshin is ambushed by another assassin. He cut the man in half
and sprayed the blood all over this woman who is passing by. This is where Tomoe is introduced. She is the woman passing by and is the second most important character to the movie. Tomoe faints in front of Kenshin from too much alcohol, and Kenshin carries her to the inn where he is staying at and asked the inn keeper for a room to keep her in. Tomoe becomes a worker at the inn.
One night Tomoe asks Kenshin to go to the festival with her. They enjoy some sake together until one of Kenshin’s clan members warns him that his clan was planning to attack the shogunate tonight. The clan was ambushed and Kenshin went on the top wanted list. His boss warns him to leave the city, and use an alias. Kenshin and Tomoe are going to pretend to be husband and wife.
Tomoe and Kenshin live happily together, and all the troubles between Tomoe and Kenshin disappear; the killer look in Kenshin’s eyes dissolves. All this happiness ends when Tomoe’s little brother, Enishi, came for a visit. Enishi tells Tomoe the trap will be sprung for Kenshin.
That night Tomoe goes into a soliloquy: She talks about how Kenshin took her love away, and that she will never love again, but Kenshin once more shows her the way to love once again. He has taught her the meaning of life and opened her eyes once again. The bodyguard who gave Kenshin a cut on his cheek was in fact Tomoe’s fiancé. Tomoe found out who killed him and wants revenge. The problem is that Tomoe fell in love with Kenshin; she goes to the enemies’ hideout to tell off
the trap. She left Kenshin sleeping peacefully on his back. This scene is important because Kenshin usually sleeps sitting up with his sword on his shoulder. It means that Kenshin is finally at peace with himself.
The next morning one of Kenshin’s clan members tells him that Tomoe is a spy and he should go and kill her. Kenshin is having a mental breakdown. The woman he loved and trusted had betrayed him; his feelings were all off center. Kenshin had asked Tomoe to be his wife for real the night before. On his way towards her Kenshin fights henchmen of the enemy. During the fights Kenshin can only say one word, “Tomoe.” Kenshin is badly injured but he kept on fighting. Tomoe’s boss is the final enemy. Kenshin goes into a blind charge, and during his charge he felt Tomoe behind him, then all the sudden in front of him, but it is too late. Tomoe had tried to stop the dagger from killing Kenshin; Kenshin cuts both the boss and Tomoe, killing them both. Before Tomoe dies she says one last thing to Kenshin, “This is my last gift to you” and cuts him on the face crossing her fiancé’s cut; giving Kenshin his cross-shaped scar.
Kenshin brings back Tomoe’s body to the house they are staying at and goes into his own soliloquy: He talks about how much pain Tomoe was in when Kenshin killed her fiancé. He now knows what pain she felt when she was killed. Tomoe has taught him about how a death of man could affect the feeling of another. Tomoe not only taught Kenshin about pain, but she taught him to respect other human
beings. Tomoe was the only person who loved Kenshin for who he is. Kenshin wants to atone for what he did; not only to avoid causing pain and suffering to other people, but to respect and honor Tomoe’s memory. Kenshin’s boss finally makes an appearance and tells Kenshin that the revolution of the century will begin and he needs Kenshin’s sword skill once again. Kenshin agrees because he wants to destroy the people who toyed with Tomoe’s feelings, but he says after the war is over he will lay down his sword to respect Tomoe’s memory. He burns the house, trying to burn his memory along with it.
There are many strong elements in the movie. One was the animation. The animation was very fluid and not shaky at all, sometime it was hard to forget that the movie was a cartoon. The strongest element of the movie was the music. The music was beautiful beyond words. The music fits the action parts and the doleful parts. The music during the doleful part was the best one, because the sadness of the song can be felt throughout the body. The only weak element of the movie was the English voice acting. At the beginning the voice acting was unstable; like it does not fit the characters, but the voice acting gets better as the movie goes on.
This movie was shown very effectively. The creators have succeeded in making a tragedy of Kenshin’s early life. There is possibly nothing to be done to improve the movie. The animation is flows well, the music is beautiful, and the story shows that not all cartoons are funny.
Unlike the successor, Rurouni Kenshin, there was not a drop of comedy in Samurai X; it was a depressing and serious film. The creators wanted to show a serious side of Kenshin, and they succeeded. Underneath the surface though, the creators wanted to show the hardship of war, how the act of revenge could ruin a person’s life, and how strong feelings could change a person’s heart. They used strong quotes to support their ideas.
The opening scene of Samurai X is bloody, and a lot of action. The movie starts off with Kenshin as a small boy in line with other slave-people. Everybody is being killed, but Kenshin is saved by his future sword-master teacher. The next scene starts with Kenshin killing a target for an assassination assignment. One of the bodyguards put a cut on Kenshin, and the clan that Kenshin works for were shocked to find such a deep cut on Kenshin.
One night Kenshin is ambushed by another assassin. He cut the man in half
and sprayed the blood all over this woman who is passing by. This is where Tomoe is introduced. She is the woman passing by and is the second most important character to the movie. Tomoe faints in front of Kenshin from too much alcohol, and Kenshin carries her to the inn where he is staying at and asked the inn keeper for a room to keep her in. Tomoe becomes a worker at the inn.
One night Tomoe asks Kenshin to go to the festival with her. They enjoy some sake together until one of Kenshin’s clan members warns him that his clan was planning to attack the shogunate tonight. The clan was ambushed and Kenshin went on the top wanted list. His boss warns him to leave the city, and use an alias. Kenshin and Tomoe are going to pretend to be husband and wife.
Tomoe and Kenshin live happily together, and all the troubles between Tomoe and Kenshin disappear; the killer look in Kenshin’s eyes dissolves. All this happiness ends when Tomoe’s little brother, Enishi, came for a visit. Enishi tells Tomoe the trap will be sprung for Kenshin.
That night Tomoe goes into a soliloquy: She talks about how Kenshin took her love away, and that she will never love again, but Kenshin once more shows her the way to love once again. He has taught her the meaning of life and opened her eyes once again. The bodyguard who gave Kenshin a cut on his cheek was in fact Tomoe’s fiancé. Tomoe found out who killed him and wants revenge. The problem is that Tomoe fell in love with Kenshin; she goes to the enemies’ hideout to tell off
the trap. She left Kenshin sleeping peacefully on his back. This scene is important because Kenshin usually sleeps sitting up with his sword on his shoulder. It means that Kenshin is finally at peace with himself.
The next morning one of Kenshin’s clan members tells him that Tomoe is a spy and he should go and kill her. Kenshin is having a mental breakdown. The woman he loved and trusted had betrayed him; his feelings were all off center. Kenshin had asked Tomoe to be his wife for real the night before. On his way towards her Kenshin fights henchmen of the enemy. During the fights Kenshin can only say one word, “Tomoe.” Kenshin is badly injured but he kept on fighting. Tomoe’s boss is the final enemy. Kenshin goes into a blind charge, and during his charge he felt Tomoe behind him, then all the sudden in front of him, but it is too late. Tomoe had tried to stop the dagger from killing Kenshin; Kenshin cuts both the boss and Tomoe, killing them both. Before Tomoe dies she says one last thing to Kenshin, “This is my last gift to you” and cuts him on the face crossing her fiancé’s cut; giving Kenshin his cross-shaped scar.
Kenshin brings back Tomoe’s body to the house they are staying at and goes into his own soliloquy: He talks about how much pain Tomoe was in when Kenshin killed her fiancé. He now knows what pain she felt when she was killed. Tomoe has taught him about how a death of man could affect the feeling of another. Tomoe not only taught Kenshin about pain, but she taught him to respect other human
beings. Tomoe was the only person who loved Kenshin for who he is. Kenshin wants to atone for what he did; not only to avoid causing pain and suffering to other people, but to respect and honor Tomoe’s memory. Kenshin’s boss finally makes an appearance and tells Kenshin that the revolution of the century will begin and he needs Kenshin’s sword skill once again. Kenshin agrees because he wants to destroy the people who toyed with Tomoe’s feelings, but he says after the war is over he will lay down his sword to respect Tomoe’s memory. He burns the house, trying to burn his memory along with it.
There are many strong elements in the movie. One was the animation. The animation was very fluid and not shaky at all, sometime it was hard to forget that the movie was a cartoon. The strongest element of the movie was the music. The music was beautiful beyond words. The music fits the action parts and the doleful parts. The music during the doleful part was the best one, because the sadness of the song can be felt throughout the body. The only weak element of the movie was the English voice acting. At the beginning the voice acting was unstable; like it does not fit the characters, but the voice acting gets better as the movie goes on.
This movie was shown very effectively. The creators have succeeded in making a tragedy of Kenshin’s early life. There is possibly nothing to be done to improve the movie. The animation is flows well, the music is beautiful, and the story shows that not all cartoons are funny.