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Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning
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Wikipedia article
is a 2021 Japanese live-action film based upon the manga series of the same name. It is the fifth and final installment of the 'Rurouni Kenshin' film series and serves as a prequel, depicting Himura Kenshin's origins as the assassin "Hitokiri Battsai", while exploring his relationship with the woman named Yukishiro Tomoe. As the film was produced simultaneously alongside 'Rurouni Kenshin: The Final', events in the former are directly referenced in the latter, with Tomoe's brother Enishi appearing due to events that transpired in 'The Beginning'.
Plot
During the Bakumatsu in Kyoto, and a carnage of killings, Himura Kenshin, also called 'Hitokiri Battosai' is a political assassin, who is part of the revolution that is poised to overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate and which eventually leads to the Meiji Restoration. He joins the Chsh clan and soon works for their leader, Katsura Kogor, as an assassin alongside Iizuka, the examiner of executions.
During one of the assassinations, a member of the Kyoto watch refuses to die, which results in Himura receiving a cut on his face. In contrast to the cold demeanor with which he kills the person, as he walks away, Himura is clearly disturbed. It is Katsura who later notices that Himura has a scar on his face, and from his response, that despite having killed 100 people Himura is still uncomfortable with killing people. Katsura recalls the day Himura was recruited. Himura had stated that he had not killed anyone at that time but that he could kill provided that the new age they believe in could bring about a peace of mind to all. Katsura realises that Himura is still pure at heart which is why the killings still make him uneasy.
One evening, as Himura is out having a drink on his own, he steps in to intervene with supposed members of the revolution who demand to be treated as heroes by a woman named Yukishiro Tomoe who had come in to drink alone. After leaving the establishment, Himura is attacked by an unknown assassin but manages to slay him. In the aftermath, Himura finds a shocked Tomoe watching him, drenched in the blood of the assassin he has just killed, and takes her back to his hideout, an inn for Choshu revolutionaries. The next morning, Tomoe decides to stay and work at the inn, seemingly grateful that Himura had protected and looked after her, and he is unable to persuade her to leave. He is stunned particularly when she questions and twists his philosophy on who he chooses to kill.
Despite their silent nature, Himura and Tomoe seem to bond. Although remaining elusive, Himura accepts and co-exists with her as she serves him food during the day reminding him to finish his food, helping him to wash the blood off his hands when he returns from his slaughters, keeping watch over him during the day so that he can sleep. When Katsura is informed of the odd relationship, he visits Tomoe, and asks that whatever she intends, she does not stop Himura from performing his role in the revolution.
During the Ikedaya incident (1864), an armed encounter between the shishi which includes masterless samurai (rnin) formally employed by the Chsh and Tosa clans, and the Shinsengumi, the Bakufu's special police force at the Ikedaya Inn in Sanj-Kawaramachi, Kyoto, Himura rushes to the site to protect the Choshu and rescue Katsura who is believed to be attending a meeting there but is delayed by the Shinsengumi captain Okita Sji. As reinforcements from both sides arrived, Katsura is said to be safe, Himura and the Choshu are forced to withdraw from the area.
When the Shinsengumi track them down and arrive at their hideout, Himura and Tomoe manage to escape along with the other revolutionaries. Before Katsura also goes into hiding, he arranges for Kenshin and Tomoe to hide in the village of Otsu, outside Kyoto, asking Tomoe to look after Himura and pretend to act as husband and wife so that Himura would not be suspected. After Katsura leaves, Tomoe states that she has no where else to go. Himura doubts her statement but nevertheless asks her to come and live with him for real and not just as an act. Tomoe agrees.
During their time in the village, Himura learns to be a farmer and starts to understand the meaning of peace and happiness which he had never encountered before. One day, when Himura is out, Tomoe's brother, Enishi, comes to meet his sister, revealing both the siblings as spies working for the Yaminobu who are pro-shogunate and have been planning to entrap and kill Battosai this whole time. Tomoe refuses to continue working with them, and asks Enishi to return home to Edo, causing Enishi to run off in anger. When Himura returns, he learns from Tomoe that she was previously engaged to be married, however her fiance was assassinated before the wedding. She breaks down as she blames herself for allowing her fiance to leave Edo, who had joined the Kyoto watch for her sake, rationalising that if he had stayed in Edo he would not have been killed. Himura consoles her and tells her that she has done enough and that she should no longer carry the pain. As they bond as husband and wife, Himura promises her that he will find a way to stop killing in the new age and that he will protect her happiness.
The next day, Tomoe meets with the leader of the Yaminobu but realises too late that she was used as a pawn by them to weaken Himura. Despite learning that Tomoe is a spy, Himura goes to the Yaminobu to rescue her. As intended by the Yaminobu, Himura is visibly distressed and distracted as he has also found out that Tomoe's fiance is the member of the Kyoto Watch he had assassinated. Upon reaching the abandoned temple, at each stage, he is met by a member of the Yaminobu. Despite his emotional state, he is skillful enough to instinctively fight and defend himself. Himura manages to defeat his enemies but each time he is weakened by the explosions that end each fight. The first explosion takes away his hearing by virtue of loud sound it produces. The second explosion takes away his vision due to the use of certain yellow powder it throws up in the surrounding. Upon reaching the leader Tatsumi, Himura has reached his limit and can temporarily neither see nor hear. As Tatsumi is about to defeat Himura, Tomoe intervenes by restraining Tatsumi. Unaware that Tomoe was right in front of him, Himura deals a death blow, killing Tatsumi as well as fatally wounding Tomoe. In her last breath, Tomoe carves another scar on a distraught Himura's cheek with her dagger, thus completing the cross-shaped scar that her fiance had started, whilst apologizing to him for the pain she has caused.
Shortly after, Katsura visits Himura at the village house to inform him that they found out Izuka was also a spy, and someone who is as skillful as Himura would be going after him. This person would also continue to be used as an assassin for the Choshu to replace Himura. However, he still needs Himura to join them on the battlefield. Himura agrees to continue fighting, as all the killing he has done would have gone to waste if they do not bring in the new age. However, he declares that once the new age arrives, he will never kill again. After Kastura goes off, Himura goes to Tomoe who is lying in wake inside their house. Himura finishes reading Tomoe's diary which explains how she changed from seeking revenge for her fiance to falling in love with her fiance's killer and finally resolving to do all she can to preserve him. After having a last meal, he sets fire to his house, cremating Tomoe's body within it.
The film ends with the Battle of TobaFushimi (1868) where the Choshu are victorious over their rivals. With the Bakumatsu finished, despite being challenged to a last sword fight by Saito Hajime, Himura abandons his sword as he leaves the battlefield. The narrative tells us that Battosai disappears for the next 10 years on an unknown journey as Japan enters the Meiji era.
Cast
*Takeru Satoh as Himura Kenshin
*Kasumi Arimura as Yukishiro Tomoe
*Issey Takahashi as Katsura Kogor
*Ysuke Eguchi as Sait Hajime
*Nijir Murakami as Okita Sji
*Kazuki Kitamura as Tatsumi
*Masanobu Ando as Takasugi Shinsaku
*Towa Araki as Yukishiro Enishi
*Shima nishi as Iizuka
*Takahiro Fujimoto as Kond Isami
*Sk Wada as Hijikata Toshiz
*Mansaku Ikeuchi as Katagai
*Mayu Hotta as Ikumatsu
*Makiko Watanabe as a landlady
*Wataru Ichinose as Sumita
*Kinari Hirano as Nakaj
*Eita Okuno as Murakami
*Eiki Narita as Yatsume Mumyi
*Masataka Kubota as Akira Kiyosato
Production
This fifth entry was produced at the same period of time as the fourth entry. The film started shooting on November 4, 2018, and finished on June 28, 2019. Large-scale shooting for more than 7 months was carried out at 43 locations nationwide, including Kyoto, Nara, Shiga, Mie, Hyogo, Kumamoto, Hiroshima, Tochigi, Saitama, Shizuoka, Osaka, and Nagano. It utilized a total of 6,000 extras. Director Otomo explained: "The goal for me was to portray the humanity and drama of the characters within the fight scenes and action. "The action sequences weren't just action, but rather an important factor in portraying the characters. That is why the main cast, including Takeru, performed almost all of the action sequences without stunt doubles." He added: "I always take acting scenes in one sequence without cuts, and the action scenes in this film were basically shot with the same approach." The director added that while it might be "difficult" for his cast to do the stunts themselves he felt it made the action scenes "more emotional" as a result.
Takeru Satoh has portrayed the character of Kenshin Himura since 2012, and has been doing all his own stunts since he first took on the role. Kenshin is an expert in "Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu," a sword technique that allows the fighter to attack multiple assailants at once. And, keeping in line with the source material, Satoh is regularly put up against multiple actors that he has to fend off through a series of intricately detailed moves in all five films. Embodying his samurai character, Satoh reportedly spent weeks perfecting the sword fights with choreographers, going through the moves multiple times both in and out of costume in a studio before heading out on set. Kasumi Arimura expressed pressure about her work due to the expectations given to her further appearances in 'The Beginning' as she only appeared in flashbacks in the previous movie as well as how different it is. In retrospect, she found it an interesting experience even if her role was smaller than other fellow actors. Among her favorite experiences involve her daily life with Kenshin as a married couple as the two work with a camp filled with plants.
The theme song "Broken Heart of Gold" is performed by One Ok Rock.
Release
'Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning' was released in Japanese theatres on June 4, 2021. All five films in the 'Rurouni Kenshin' series were screened on the 24th Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF), which was held on June 1120, 2021. 'Rurouni Kenshin' was the first Japanese live action series invited to be screened in Movie Franchise Section in Shanghai International Film Festival, which was newly established in 2016, while only Hollywood blockbuster franchises have been invited before. This was also the international premiere of 'The Final' and 'The Beginning'. 'The Beginning' was released on Netflix globally on July 30, 2021.
In Japan, the film was released on digital platforms on October 20, 2021, and on Blu-ray and DVD on November 10, 2021.
Reception
'Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning' opened in the first place at the Japanese box office, selling 350,000 tickets for over 508 million yen (about US$4.7 million) in its opening weekend. 'Rurouni Kenshin: The Final' ranked at #2 that weekend, making 'Rurouni Kenshin' the first franchise to take the top two spots at the Japanese box office in the same weekend. In total, the film has grossed $21,318,560 at the Japanese box office.
Anime News Network acclaimed the acting of the lead actors as well as the handling of fights, stating that the film should be watched before 'The Final' due to spoilers. LeisureByte commented that while Kenshin's character is too stoic in this movie, he becomes a more complex character when exploring his work and romance. However, the length of the film was a subject of criticism as newcomers might be bored by the pacing. Asian Movie Pulse ptaised the darker take on Kenshin's character due to the way he works as an assassin but noted his romance with Tomoe made the plot more interesting which is made more impactful thanks to the acting of Satoh and Arimura. Ani Radio Plus praised the fight sequences for being surprisingly violent in contrast to previous films as it might shock returning viewers to see Kenshin's coldblooded actions and the amount of gore caused by them. Fiction Horizon found it as fitting finale to live-action series due to the handling of Kenshin's nature and how he changes across the narrative.
See also
* 'Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal' (1999), an original video animation adaptation of the same storyline.
References
Buy Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning now from Amazon
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