Rurouni Kenshin - The Flames Of The Revolution DVD (Vol. 6)

This is the last DVD for the first season, and contains two story-arcs in five episodes ('eps'): 23-27.The first arc (23-24) involves a friend of Sanosuke's, and has strong thematic and visual links not only to Sagara's first appearance (eps 4-5) but also (especially in visual style) to Season Two and the theatrical film. The story-arc uses, and expands upon, one of the official manga stories; and the expansions to the plot (mostly in ep 23) are done _very_ well in my opinion. The party Sanosuke throws for his friends at the Kamiya dojo contains some of the best humor in the series. Altogether, this arc would make an excellent transition directly to season two (possibly via the theatrical film--see my comments on it in another review).The second arc (eps 25-27) involves a (quasi-)colorful group of coastal pirates. The eps do not seem to be critical (except insofar as they're used in the second season as background material during the closing credits). This story could probably be shuffled a little further back in the chronology sequence, in order to produce a more aesthetically pleasing flow of story-tone. Also, these eps do not seem to be based on any of the original manga stories. Nor do they boast any especially interesting fights. Still, taken as filler, they do the job sufficiently well; and may be worth it purely for the tentative romantic sequence near the middle of ep 25 (first of the arc) between Kenshin and Kaoru. (Nevertheless, I have a tendency to skip these during rewatches. Get this DVD for eps 23-24, and consider the pirate arc to be a diverting bonus.)

An awesome DVD lots of action.

Kenshin Himura was an assassin for the imperialist army during the revolution. At the turning point something happened and he just vanished. 11 years later he encounters a girl named Kaoru while wandering through Tokyo. He saves her life just before she is killed trying to fight a notorious murderer. He begins living with her at her dojo. They gain new friends and have many adventures, but one day ghosts from Kenshin's murderous past come back to haunt him. His gentle nature gives way to a murderous side and Kaoru must stand by him to keep him from changing forever.Sanosuke reunites with an old friend from the war 11 years ago. Memories of the past are brought back to the front of his mind. He soon decides to make a decision that will lead to another battle against his friends.Rurouni Kenshin is an amazing anime series. Maybe even one of the best ever made. It has everything. Action, comedy, drama, suspense, romance, and mystery are all common themes in this anime. The amazing part is that it is based loosely on actual historical characters. The animation, voice acting, soundtrack, and plot are all very well done. There are dozens of great and unforgettable characters. This anime is a legend, and is a must see for any anime fan. It's also pretty family friendly. It has violence, but it's pretty conservative. All in all this show owns.

This DVD is part filler, and part plot. The short plot arc is actually from the manga, and deals with Sanosuke and an old buddy from the Sekihotai. It wasn't as good as some of the other plot-oriented stuff was, but it was still really good, and obviously a must-have for anyone collecting the series this far. The filler episodes on this DVD deal with a gang of pirates run by a mysterious figure named 'Shura'. They run afoul of the Kenshin-gumi, and all sorts of stuff happens. I wouldn't want to ruin it. The pirates, however, are not in the manga, and represent the last bit of filler before the start of the much-famed Kyoto Arc, which is absolutely INCREDIBLE. If you think the series is good now, just wait!

The storyline with Sanosuke's Sekihoutai best buddy dragging him back into a vengeful plot is a worthwhile watch. The music, the speeches and the flashbacks are very well done and heart-wrenching; for the second and final time, Kenshin and Sanosuke must square off for each of their particular beliefs. (Most of this sequence is animated much better during flashbacks shown in the "Reflections" OVA). The sword work isn't a major factor, however, as the main "villain" uses all kinds of bombs as his weapons.The scarlet pirate Shura's storyline deviates pretty strongly from the series' mindset, and seems to try and make commentary on the fact that the Bakumatsu had alienated so many people, creating so many angry outside groups. Unable to protect Kaoru completely, Kenshin takes Kaoru's place as the pirates' hostage. Their once invincible, and now not completely powerful leader, a strong woman named Shura, as well as her gang, begin to doubt her abilities. Kenshin is on hand as a mutiny takes place, and he must, once again, defend the weak.This storyline never comes back in the rest of the series; it starts and, thankfully, ends here. Very little new sword moves or new clever attacks; just Kenshin beating up on severely inferior opponents. The first portion is important to the series, and does come back later on; the second part might as well be its own series.

I guess friendship is forever regardless of which side the friend is on. These episodes reaffirms the friendship between Kenshin and Sano....if you gone this far into the series...then this is another must have.