A samurai who does not kill. Has a backblade the cutting edge of the katana on the wrong side of the sword. Huh? Miss kaoru is the antidote for battosai the assassin's killing.... Great watch on a 21km treadmill spin.
>>Quote
From WIKIPEDIA
As the Imperialist forces celebrate their victory in the
Battle of Toba-Fushimi, the participant Hitokiri Battōsai walks away from the battlefield, abandoning his sword. But, the Battōsai's old katana is not left alone. It is claimed by one of the fallen, Udo Jin-e.
A decade later,
Saitō Hajime and his fellow policemen investigate the murder of an undercover cop supposedly by the hands of the Battōsai. But Saitō is not convinced and suspects
Takeda Kanryū, a wealthy, but cruel businessman.
Meanwhile, the former Hitokiri Battōsai (now calling himself
Himura Kenshin) arrives in Tokyo. While roaming its streets, he meets
Kamiya Kaoru, the owner of her late father's
Kendo school. With her
dojo's name smeared by one bearing the name of Battōsai, she attacks him believing him to be the famed killer, but is proven wrong when Kenshin reveals he only carries a sakabatō (
逆刃刀?, "reverse-blade sword").
Elsewhere,
Takani Megumi, a woman forced to make
opium for Takeda Kanryū, escapes and turns to the police for a safe haven after witnessing the deaths of the other opium makers. However,
Udō Jin-e, under the service of Kanryū, hunts her down, slaying everyone in the police station. Luckily, she escapes in the ensuing chaos.
Kaoru crosses paths with Jin-e, the actual perpetrator killing under her dojo's style of swordsmanship. Utterly no match for him, she is injured in the fight, but Kenshin appears out of nowhere and saves her. Jin-e immediately realizes Kenshin's hidden identity as the true Battōsai, before a swarm of policemen rush onto the scene, giving Kenshin and Kaoru a chance to flee. Kaoru leads Kenshin to her dojo where they will be safe.
Next, a group of thugs under Takeda Kanryū attempt to take over the dojo. After revealing his identity as the former Battōsai, Kenshin beats down the entire gang without killing a single one before the police arrive. Kenshin takes the blame for the incident and gets himself arrested in order to help avoid Kaoru's dojo being blamed for the violence. Soon, Saitō recognizes him and releases him. After his release, he is greeted by Kaoru who knows Kenshin is not the Battōsai who had defamed her dojo and takes him back to the dojo. Kenshin afterward moves in with Kaoru and her only student, the boy
Myōjin Yahiko.
Still running on the streets for her life, Megumi runs into Yahiko who helps hide her and brings her to the dojo where she is introduced to everyone. Kaoru treats everyone to a
sukiyaki dinner at the Akabeko restaurant, only to have the occasion spoiled by Kanryū coming and offering to hire Kenshin, who humbly declines. Here, he is challenged by
Sagara Sanosuke for the job and they leave the establishment to fight.
Later that evening, Jin-e goes on a killing spree leaving many corpses for the police to find the following day. Kenshin witnesses the horror, as well as a woman mourning the death of her lover. This evokes a memory for Kenshin from his years as an assassin when he witnessed a woman mourning a man that he had killed, a sword fight that left a scar on his face. Later that night, a masked man working for Kanryū warns Megumi of coming dangers.
The next day the people around the dojo fall ill from
rat poison contaminating the community wells. Megumi suspects it is Kanryū's doing and helps by providing medication for the victims. Angry at Kanryū, Megumi attempts to kill him, but fails and is instead held hostage by the wealthy drug-dealer. Besting all his men, Kenshin and Sanosuke attack Kanryū's mansion in hopes of rescuing Megumi. Saitō assists them to subdue Kanryū, who is armed with a
Gatling gun. They rescue Megumi, but discover that Jin-e, the fake Battōsai and Kanryū's man, has kidnapped Kaoru.
Kenshin pursues Jin-e. To further provoke Kenshin, Jin-e uses a special technique that paralyzes Kaoru's lungs and can only be undone with his death. After an intense battle, Kenshin critically injures Jin-e by shattering his elbow with his scabbard. Before Kenshin could land the killing blow, Kaoru overcomes the paralysis and stops Kenshin from killing Jin-e. Jin-e commits suicide, telling Kenshin before his last breath that he who lives by the sword must die by the sword, a re-occurring theme, counter to Kenshin's vow never to kill again.
Kenshin, tired and wounded, carries the unconscious Kaoru back to the dojo. They rest, in the care of Megumi and Yahiko. Upon waking up, Kaoru does not see Kenshin and goes in search for him. She finds him carrying back some vegetables, and is relieved of her fear that he may have left permanently.
Cast
- Takeru Satoh as Himura Kenshin, a former assassin turned wanderer who has made a vow never to kill again.
- Emi Takei as Kamiya Kaoru, the owner of a Kendo school left to her by her father.
- Munetaka Aoki as Sagara Sanosuke, a street fighter who befriends Kenshin.
- Teruyuki Kagawa as Takeda Kanryū, a ruthless businessman bent on controlling organized crime.
- Yu Aoi as Takani Megumi, one of Kanryū's forced opium-makers, though from a famed family of doctors and healers.
- Koji Kikkawa as Udō Jin-e, one of Kanryū's men, and a survivor of the Battle of Toba-Fushimi.
- Gou Ayano as Gein, another of Kanryū's men.
- Genki Sudo as Inui Banjin, another of Kanryū's men.
- Taketo Tanaka as Myojin Yahiko, Kaoru's only student at the dojo.
- Yosuke Eguchi as Saitō Hajime, a former member of the Shinsengumi who now works for the Meiji government as a police officer under the name of Fujita Gorō.
- Eiji Okuda as Yamagata Aritomo, a ranking member of the Meiji government and Saitō's superior.
Production
On June 28, 2011, a live-action
film adaptation was announced.
[6] Produced by
Warner Bros., with actual film production done by Studio Swan, the film was directed by Keishi Ōtomo and stars
Takeru Satoh (of
Kamen Rider Den-O fame) as Kenshin, Munetaka Aoki as Sanosuke Sagara and
Emi Takei as Kaoru.
[7] The film was released on August 25, 2012,
[8] and the staff "aims to release the film internationally and eventually make a series.
After choosing Takeru Satoh as the lead, Producer Shinzō Matsuhashi commented, "Satoh has the looks and stature to be a proper Kenshin." Watsuki added that when this project was just starting, he and his wife were discussing who should play Kenshin, and decided that Satoh topped the list.
[9]
Satoh later commented, “The role of Kenshin is that of a well-known character, therefore, I think fascinating acting is needed. I would like to create the Kenshin image with the staff, while staying true to the details. I will try my best, so please look forward to it.”
Nobuhiro Watsuki praised on Satoh being cast for the role: “When this project just started, my wife and I were talking about who would suit the role of Kenshin, and Satoh Takeru-san was the one who came up on our mind first. So, when it was confirmed (that Satoh will be taking the role), I was surprised, but was also very happy. I’m looking forward to seeing his wonderful acting.”
_poster.jpg)
