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Although its possible public broadcast is hotly contested, Sony may already be proceeding with its own plans.
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Although your typical anime character cast, this isn't Ranma or Tenchi Muyo.
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Girls love the X. They really do.
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IGN Sci-Fi Anime Previews
The best limb-chopping, blood-spewing, heavy-politicking martial arts action series since Ninja Scroll arrives in the US, but will Rurouni Kenshin remain intact?
November 3, 1999
When it comes to cult hits, Rurouni Kenshin is latest of a number of series that gained an audience with the hardcore anime fans and trickled out to the mainstream. Among those include such hallowed series like Dragonball, Sailor Moon, Tenchi Muyo, and Gundam Wing. At the same time, its imminent mainstream conversion has riled up the same hardcore audience, because while much of it will come to the US intact, there may be some changes are sure to rile up longtime fans. We break down what might and might not happen.
Today: Rurouni Kenshin/Samurai X
Premieres: 1st half 2000 for movies and OAVs, second half (most likely) for the TV series.
Who's Putting it Out? MediaBlasters (TV Series), AD Vision (OAVs, movies), Sony (Broadcast)
Who Developed it? SPE Visual Works
The Skinny: Arguably the most popular period anime series on the market. In 1997, it was merely a manga and animated TV series in Japan. Two years later, it's expanded into an OAV series, a movie, and at least one PlayStation videogame. It gathered an absolutely huge fan base in the US, and finally, everything Rurouni is making its way Stateside, but the current controversy is whether Sony will implement any major changes.
What it's all about: In mid-1800s Japan, after a major government upheaval, the Samurai warrior/noble class is dissolved. On of the best of that class was a man named Kenshin, who was a hitokiri, or government assassin, who wields an infamous reverse sword -- where the blade usually goes, it's blunt, and on the blunt side, it's all blade. That means that he can fight and spar without reserve, but to kill, he needs to be serious.
In Tokyo, Kenshin is framed for murder, and challenged for the honor of a dojo. When the smoke clears, so does the confusion, and he's invited to stay at the dojo, which he does, eventually gathering around him a new friends, regaining his love for life, and foiling plots to overthrow Japan.
What to Expect: A little bit of everything. The TV series is both political, humorous, touching, bloody, violent, sad, and romantic, all at the same time. Like Fushigi Yugi, there's a lot of cross-gender appeal, with the action, the plot, the characters all at the same time.
Longtime viewers of the series feel the first season is good but unfocused, but the story really picks up in season 2. Also, the OAVs and movies are a lot more violent and bloody, a la Manga Entertainment's Ninja Scroll.
The controversy at this point is Sony's potential domestic interpretation of the TV series. The company is currently looking at tuning Rurouni Kenshin for US broadcast, and as such, there's intense debate over the title and the content. There's ample evidence (see movies below) that Sony intends to change the title to Samurai X, which is universally loathed by fans. In most markets around the world, the exported series is called by that title, and is very likely to be its title here as well.
As for the dubbing and censoring, it's also likely to happen, as the current focus of most anime shows brought over to the US have had their violence, nudity, blood, and death levels lowered, from Sailor Moon to Robotech. Despite hardcore protests, there are two considerations to keep in mind: Sony will pitch it as a kid's show, since cartoons have been traditionally a kid's market, and the only dramatic animated series in recent times, Invasion America, tanked miserably. Second, the subtitled versions will most likely only be available for people who buy them from MediaBlasters. Dubbing has been proved to be more profitable and accessible to a mainstream audience.
This doesn't mean fans won't get what they want, however. AD Vision will be releasing the OAVs and movie in subbed/dubbed formats, and MediaBlasters will most likely have subtitled and uncut versions of the TV episodes. Finally, Sony has not made any official announcements about the name yet, so relax.
Who's it for? Anybody who likes a strong story combined with high-flying martial arts action.
Who should avoid it? Anybody who just likes giant robots.
Will we watch? Yes. Even if the series is dubbed, we'll get used to it. But subbed tapes are probably the better way to go.
Movies:
Previous Anime Previews:
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