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dangermousieYesterday I saw Rorouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal. I bought it, and sorry ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
katranna I like it and am keeping it (btw, never fear, I watched it subtitled, not dubbed).
Plot: An idealistic 19th century Japanese assassin for a cause hates himself for the bloodshed he is causing and falls in love with a mysterious woman. This being the kind of movie where if the hero has a dog, someone would kill it, this does not end well. By "not end well" I mean it will inspire you to watch 3 Stooges for a month as an antidote.
Loved the artwork: beautiful. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. The story was interesting, even though depressing enough to make me want to get some uppers, and with the help of Mr. Dangermousie I could follow the convoluted politics with no problem. Also, *embarassed* I kinda sniffled a bit. Well, actually I cried, but we won't mention that.
The angst got a bit too much at times. Past a certain point you just want to start going: "Come on, no one's life could possibly be this rotten all the time!" I wanted to get both Kenshin and Tomoe some severe anti-depressants and therapy. Or maybe just to get them roaring drunk and have mindless and fun sex together. Heck, I needed therapy myself after it was over.
Personally, if I had to spend too much time with either of them, I'd start babbling to myself as neither of them talk much and are both quiet and reticent.
Conversation sample:
Kenshin: The moon is full tonight.
Tomoe: Yes, it is beautiful.
*24 hours pass without talking*
Kenshin: We will sell our vegetables.
Tomoe: I will prepare them for the market.
Well, not really, but chattiness was not one of their characteristics :)
The love story was lovely and subtle and star-crossed and super-doomed and incredibly angsty. And, oh the tragic irony of Kenshin who wanted nothing as much as to protect Tomoe, causing her death.
Also, seriously, prozac does wonders...
Fave scenes:
The bit where Kenshin first sees Tomoe in the rain, after she's just witnessed one of his assissinations and she is covered in blood. He is thinking whether he should kill her as she is a witness. Then she says "you made the bloody rain fall" and crumples, and he takes her home to take care of her. Awwwww....
The fact that he gives her his room and bed and ends up sleeping sitting up the whole time she is there. Come on, woman, you don't have to have sex with him, but you can let him sleep in a bed. His back will be killing him. But then when she puts a cloh around his neck so he won't be cold is also awwww. So is the fact that he attacks her almost before he wakes up (good reflexes) but near the end is so used to her that he just sleeps on.
Poor Kenshin, he likes being a farmer. This is how you know it won't last.
The bit where he is chopping wood, and every time he strikes the wood, he sees the faces of the men he's killed.
The scene where she finally tells him about herself and they hold each other and (I assume by the cloth off her shoulders and the fact they are sharing a bed in the morning) finally make love. I don't know if I'd want to hold my beloved as she is talking about her dead fiance, but to each their own...The artwork is gorgeous. And he wows to protect her. Ahhh, the irony. Now you know something horrible is going to happen.
When he gets told Tomoe is the traitor the morning after by the evil mustache guy and starts walking to the hut where she supposdly is (of course, it's an evil trap). If you thought the angst was bad before, just you wait: he is mentally tormented, physically beaten on, and has flashbacks to their time together. You just want to give him a hug, except for the whole "even severey wounded and screwed in the head, he'd chop your arms off"
Tomoe jumping in front of his opponent's strike to protect him, and getting slashed by Kenshin's sword instead (yeah, he looked 3/4 dead, but he's still good). Ahhhh, the angsty irony. Or something. I have something in my eye and can't see too clearly...
And now I know how he got his cross-shaped scar. He's got to be in pretty bad shape to not even flinch. And then of course he sits with her in their house, and then leaves and burns it down to the ground leaving his one childhood posssession with her.
Doesn't inspire me to seek out more anime (for one thing, any more of such misery and I'll need therapy myself), but this was certainly very good.
katranna I like it and am keeping it (btw, never fear, I watched it subtitled, not dubbed).Plot: An idealistic 19th century Japanese assassin for a cause hates himself for the bloodshed he is causing and falls in love with a mysterious woman. This being the kind of movie where if the hero has a dog, someone would kill it, this does not end well. By "not end well" I mean it will inspire you to watch 3 Stooges for a month as an antidote.
Loved the artwork: beautiful. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. The story was interesting, even though depressing enough to make me want to get some uppers, and with the help of Mr. Dangermousie I could follow the convoluted politics with no problem. Also, *embarassed* I kinda sniffled a bit. Well, actually I cried, but we won't mention that.
The angst got a bit too much at times. Past a certain point you just want to start going: "Come on, no one's life could possibly be this rotten all the time!" I wanted to get both Kenshin and Tomoe some severe anti-depressants and therapy. Or maybe just to get them roaring drunk and have mindless and fun sex together. Heck, I needed therapy myself after it was over.
Personally, if I had to spend too much time with either of them, I'd start babbling to myself as neither of them talk much and are both quiet and reticent.
Conversation sample:
Kenshin: The moon is full tonight.
Tomoe: Yes, it is beautiful.
*24 hours pass without talking*
Kenshin: We will sell our vegetables.
Tomoe: I will prepare them for the market.
Well, not really, but chattiness was not one of their characteristics :)
The love story was lovely and subtle and star-crossed and super-doomed and incredibly angsty. And, oh the tragic irony of Kenshin who wanted nothing as much as to protect Tomoe, causing her death.
Also, seriously, prozac does wonders...
Fave scenes:
The bit where Kenshin first sees Tomoe in the rain, after she's just witnessed one of his assissinations and she is covered in blood. He is thinking whether he should kill her as she is a witness. Then she says "you made the bloody rain fall" and crumples, and he takes her home to take care of her. Awwwww....
The fact that he gives her his room and bed and ends up sleeping sitting up the whole time she is there. Come on, woman, you don't have to have sex with him, but you can let him sleep in a bed. His back will be killing him. But then when she puts a cloh around his neck so he won't be cold is also awwww. So is the fact that he attacks her almost before he wakes up (good reflexes) but near the end is so used to her that he just sleeps on.
Poor Kenshin, he likes being a farmer. This is how you know it won't last.
The bit where he is chopping wood, and every time he strikes the wood, he sees the faces of the men he's killed.
The scene where she finally tells him about herself and they hold each other and (I assume by the cloth off her shoulders and the fact they are sharing a bed in the morning) finally make love. I don't know if I'd want to hold my beloved as she is talking about her dead fiance, but to each their own...The artwork is gorgeous. And he wows to protect her. Ahhh, the irony. Now you know something horrible is going to happen.
When he gets told Tomoe is the traitor the morning after by the evil mustache guy and starts walking to the hut where she supposdly is (of course, it's an evil trap). If you thought the angst was bad before, just you wait: he is mentally tormented, physically beaten on, and has flashbacks to their time together. You just want to give him a hug, except for the whole "even severey wounded and screwed in the head, he'd chop your arms off"
Tomoe jumping in front of his opponent's strike to protect him, and getting slashed by Kenshin's sword instead (yeah, he looked 3/4 dead, but he's still good). Ahhhh, the angsty irony. Or something. I have something in my eye and can't see too clearly...
And now I know how he got his cross-shaped scar. He's got to be in pretty bad shape to not even flinch. And then of course he sits with her in their house, and then leaves and burns it down to the ground leaving his one childhood posssession with her.
Doesn't inspire me to seek out more anime (for one thing, any more of such misery and I'll need therapy myself), but this was certainly very good.
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Yay! I knew you'd like it.
Date: 2005-06-28 03:19 pm (UTC)Not all good anime is that depressing, but yeah, this isn't really representative anyway. The reason I thought you'd like it in the first place is that it's not exactly "anime-like"--it's just a really good, beautiful movie in any form. I'm thinking that's probably the only kind of anime you'll really enjoy.
Oh, yes, really! No, that's them exactly. :-D
Yes, that's my favorite scene, too. I think it makes an impression on everyone who watches it; it' so beautiful and slightly unexpected. I prefer the translation where she says "You... you made the blood rain fall" rather than "bloody rain," but oh well.
Heh, yes, and I like how later the men tease him about sleeping with Tomoe and can't believe he didn't. I also like how he's at that crossroads between a child and a man. I mean, he's only 14 (I think), so in many ways his relationship with Tomoe is really innocent from his side... he's got that child's shyness. But in so many other ways, he has no innocence left.
Btw, it's "Rurouni" not "Rouroni." :-P
Re: Yay! I knew you'd like it.
Date: 2005-06-28 03:28 pm (UTC)It really is. It was visually beautiful and had one story arc.
You... you made the blood rain fall" rather than "bloody rain," but oh well
You are correct, and I mistyped. I don't think she was cursing like a British person :)
later the men tease him about sleeping with Tomoe and can't believe he didn't.
Yes. He is pretty quiet throughout, but he gets even quieter then. I think he is 15, though?
Re: Tomoe. I understand her predicament. Falling in love with a man who killed your fiance is confusing. But she really should make up her mind as to whether she wants to slit his throat or make love to him until he dies from exhaustion :)
he's got that child's shyness. But in so many other ways, he has no innocence left.
I do like the fact that he gives up killing forever, but not until the revolution is over, because otherwise everything would be meaningless.
no subject
Date: 2005-06-28 04:42 pm (UTC)Well, yeah, he still believes in the cause... but I think that's especially horrible for him. I mean, he didn't like killing before, but it's anathema to him now, and yet he must continue it to its end.
I really like this bit later, after the Meiji Restoration, when Kenshin first meets Sanosuke. Sanosuke was a little kid during the time of the Ishin Shishi, but he was part of the Sekihoutai (another division fighting for a revolution). The Sekihoutai were used as a scapegoat by the Ishin Shishi when they couldn't live up to some of their promises, and all killed, 'cept for Sano.
Anyway, Sanosuke is hired to some thugs to fight with Kenshin, and ahhh, it's so angsty. See, Sano wears "the mark of evil" on his back as a reminder of how the Sekihoutai were branded as evil and executed, and when Kenshin discovers the thugs who set Sanosuke on him (and captured Kaoru), he gets all angry and beats them up, and he kinda growls, "Taste hell for a while. You should be the one to wear the mark of evil," and then his face falls, and he adds, "...or... the patriots, like me."
And even though he doesn't want to fight, he flips his inversed sword around and agrees to settle it with Sano, because he feels he owes it to him.
...er, you probably found this really boring.
no subject
Date: 2005-06-28 05:05 pm (UTC)No, I actually found this pretty interesting. I love intricate and well-plotted and angsty in all its forms.
agrees to settle it with Sano, because he feels he owes it to him.
So what happens? (As Sano clearly walks around later)
no subject
Date: 2005-06-28 05:29 pm (UTC)Kenshin: Strong, as I thought. But you must be using all your strength to keep on your feet. (turning away) Now, wait here while I call a doctor.
Zanza: Not yet! I’m not finished yet! I'm not down yet! I will not lose! In the name of Sagara and the Sekihoutai, I won’t lose to an Ishin Shishi even if it means my death!
Zanza: So come on! Come on!
Kenshin: Did the Sekihoutai teach you to destroy the Ishin Shishi? Or to bring in the new era?
Zanza: Shut up! You preached equality, but you drowned in greed and acted like you owned the whole damn world! Don’t tell me about the Ishin Shishi, who gave us the lie of a new age!
(Zanza glares at them defiantly.)
Kenshin: Zanza, the new era isn’t finished. Certainly the shape of the new age was formed ten years ago. But those who are truly in need of happiness are still in the old era where the weak are oppressed. And so in my own small way, to bring such people power, I wield this blade. (holding out the reverse blade) For a year, or ten years, or what if the new age is eternally unfinished? I don’t know, but I will try to make amends for the victims of the new age. I will try to make amends for the people Hitokiri Battousai killed.
Zanza (thinking): He . . . he's the same as Captain Sagara, who dreamed of a new age and fought for it . . And he continued to fight . . . While I despaired, trying to forget by starting battle after battle. . .
I’m sorry, Captain Sagara.
(He falls backwards)
but I have lost completely. . . in the face of this man.
------------------------
And then they took 'im to the hospital.