Yup, still Kenshin
Mar. 14th, 2006 12:06 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dangermousieRurouni Kenshin has the weirdest credits ever. Really. Come on. So far I've seen 5 sets of credits for it (two opening and three closing) and out of them, I only liked one.
Usually, the credits for an anime (or any other show) correspond to subject matter and I've never been puzzled by 'why' (well, I am mildly puzzled by Ceres having a tastefully nude sex scene in the credits when in the show itself it did the 'fade to black'). For example, Fushigi Yuugi is a show about a girl who goes to a fantasy world and there is fighting and falling in love. So the credits have the romantic and fighting moments and a kinda romantic song. Makes sense, right?
Well, RK is a samurai show. It's a samurai show about a lot of things other than fighting, granted. But. I have no problem with any of the credit visuals. I like them in fact, with their cool combo of fighting, various characters and Kenshin/Kaoru moments. Yay. But the songs? Not only are they bizarre cheery weird sound, but they are all about shmoopy kind of love. All of them. One of them seems to be entirely about making out, which I cannot imagine applying to anyone but the bad guy and his slutty girlfriend as the rest of the OTPs are yet to go to the kissing stage! And another one (in the same vein) has lyrics like "adults won't understand" which leaves me dreadfully confused as unless the song is about Yahiko, it doesn't apply to anyone in the show as everyone is adult. The thought of almost-30-year old Kenshin whining 'adults don't understand me' is...bizarre.
I'm enjoying the Kyoto arc a lot, even though they threw the previous set-up out of the window (being in Kaoru's dojo and doing things as a group). I think they (rightly) felt secure enough in character relationships to separate them for a while. I do miss Kaoru a lot, but since the last ep I finished with she got to Kyoto and bumped into Misao, my Kaoru-draught is about to be over. I can't wait to see Misao-Kaoru interaction. They are rather similar (though Kaoru is a lot more mature and laid-back about big things. She'll fuss about little stuff but the more important things leave her steady. I think it's a difference between having to support yourself from an early age and being a pampered darling of a ninja clan), and the show makes that similarity explicit, when Kenshin says that what Misao says to him at their parting is what Kaoru said to him when he left Tokyo.
The fights continue to be good, but no fight is as interesting as watching Kenshin fight against his own killer instinct. When he fought Vash the Stampede evil look-a-like twin (red coat, white mohawk, weird), TPTB almost got me, as was sure he killed the man and the devastation for Kenshin was amazing. I realized that the reverse-blade sword is a necessity for him because with a real sword he won't be able to contain his personality or blood lust. You could see him operate in purely instinctive mode when he had that real sword in his hands. Kenshin isn't some guy who accidentally did something wrong and is basically a wanderer. Battousai is something he is on a very basic level, and is a part of his personality, something that is intrinsic and natural.
Heeee, Misao and Co are basically deadly, weapons-crazy restauranteurs and hotel keepers? I bet the bills get paid on time by the guests. Does that make Aoshi the bouncer? I love the scene with Kenshin, Kaoru, Yahiko, Misao and Aoshi all passing each other on the street and not seeing each other even though they are looking for someone in the group. I am also beginning to think Aoshi left Misao with Okina because he was worried, with good reason, that he was going to wake up one day with Misao tying him to the bed.
Oh, and I decided I definitely love Saito now. The scene where Kenshin and Misao find out he is married, is priceless.
Usually, the credits for an anime (or any other show) correspond to subject matter and I've never been puzzled by 'why' (well, I am mildly puzzled by Ceres having a tastefully nude sex scene in the credits when in the show itself it did the 'fade to black'). For example, Fushigi Yuugi is a show about a girl who goes to a fantasy world and there is fighting and falling in love. So the credits have the romantic and fighting moments and a kinda romantic song. Makes sense, right?
Well, RK is a samurai show. It's a samurai show about a lot of things other than fighting, granted. But. I have no problem with any of the credit visuals. I like them in fact, with their cool combo of fighting, various characters and Kenshin/Kaoru moments. Yay. But the songs? Not only are they bizarre cheery weird sound, but they are all about shmoopy kind of love. All of them. One of them seems to be entirely about making out, which I cannot imagine applying to anyone but the bad guy and his slutty girlfriend as the rest of the OTPs are yet to go to the kissing stage! And another one (in the same vein) has lyrics like "adults won't understand" which leaves me dreadfully confused as unless the song is about Yahiko, it doesn't apply to anyone in the show as everyone is adult. The thought of almost-30-year old Kenshin whining 'adults don't understand me' is...bizarre.
I'm enjoying the Kyoto arc a lot, even though they threw the previous set-up out of the window (being in Kaoru's dojo and doing things as a group). I think they (rightly) felt secure enough in character relationships to separate them for a while. I do miss Kaoru a lot, but since the last ep I finished with she got to Kyoto and bumped into Misao, my Kaoru-draught is about to be over. I can't wait to see Misao-Kaoru interaction. They are rather similar (though Kaoru is a lot more mature and laid-back about big things. She'll fuss about little stuff but the more important things leave her steady. I think it's a difference between having to support yourself from an early age and being a pampered darling of a ninja clan), and the show makes that similarity explicit, when Kenshin says that what Misao says to him at their parting is what Kaoru said to him when he left Tokyo.
The fights continue to be good, but no fight is as interesting as watching Kenshin fight against his own killer instinct. When he fought Vash the Stampede evil look-a-like twin (red coat, white mohawk, weird), TPTB almost got me, as was sure he killed the man and the devastation for Kenshin was amazing. I realized that the reverse-blade sword is a necessity for him because with a real sword he won't be able to contain his personality or blood lust. You could see him operate in purely instinctive mode when he had that real sword in his hands. Kenshin isn't some guy who accidentally did something wrong and is basically a wanderer. Battousai is something he is on a very basic level, and is a part of his personality, something that is intrinsic and natural.
Heeee, Misao and Co are basically deadly, weapons-crazy restauranteurs and hotel keepers? I bet the bills get paid on time by the guests. Does that make Aoshi the bouncer? I love the scene with Kenshin, Kaoru, Yahiko, Misao and Aoshi all passing each other on the street and not seeing each other even though they are looking for someone in the group. I am also beginning to think Aoshi left Misao with Okina because he was worried, with good reason, that he was going to wake up one day with Misao tying him to the bed.
Oh, and I decided I definitely love Saito now. The scene where Kenshin and Misao find out he is married, is priceless.
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no subject
Date: 2006-03-14 05:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-14 05:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-14 06:58 pm (UTC)Also, anime themes are known for their lyrics not making sense at all. I have some hilarious translations of some of them. And while I love the Hellsing theme wildly, it is complete gibberish in English and Japanese too.
The scene where Kenshin and Misao find out he is married, is priceless.
That's one of my favorite scenes in the whole series. Them imagining her as some kind of Buddha, which she must be to put up with Saito. Like I said, I'm fond of Saito. Even him being ruthless and pragmatic doesn't mean he isn't essentially good in his own way.
no subject
Date: 2006-03-14 07:14 pm (UTC)I've been diligently trying to figure out which character even has freckles. None of them do!
Them imagining her as some kind of Buddha, which she must be to put up with Saito.
And Saito lying in her lap. I had to rewind that scene twice just to rewatch it!