Why Ruoroni Kenshin’s Live Action Films Are The Best Anime Adaptations

There have been more than a few live action adaptations that have been created by the movie industry in both North America and around the world, with the likes of Dragon Ball and Attack On Titan receiving movies of their own, but among all of them, there are simply no better live action anime films than the Rurouni Kenshin films. With the film series beginning in 2012 with Rurouni Kenshin: Origins, there are two new films that will be releasing to wrap up the film franchise that follows the Battosai who swore to never take another life.

What is your favorite live action anime adaptation? What anime property would you like to see brought to life in a similar way as the Rurouni Kenshin films? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the Kenshin series!

The Action

The cinematography and action set pieces that are created by the Rurouni Kenshin live action films is really a marvel, doing a fantastic job of taking the aesthetic and fast paced sword battles of the anime series and translating them effortlessly to the big screen. The choreography of this series of films is a sight to behold and if other anime films were to able to hit the same level, we definitely believe that Kenshin would have a lot of challengers to its “crown”. If you have yet to see the films, watch some clips online to give you a better sense of what you’re in for!

The Actors

Rurouni Kenshin is an anime franchise that is full of colorful characters, exciting in a feudal environment, with many of them almost unbelievable in terms of how they could exist in the real world. The live action films from Warner Bros do the impossible and legitimately make all their individual personalities and outfits work on the big screen. Takeru Satoh does an insanely good job balancing the personality of Kenshin himself, blending the hilarious side of the former Battosai and the killer instinct that lies beneath.

Adherence To The Source Material

The anime arcs of Kyoto and Tokyo in Rurouni Kenshin were dozens of episodes, but the first three films of the series do a perfect job of adapting these major story lines into the easily digestible “bites”. With the final two films of the series covering the Jinchu Arc of the anime, we would expect that the two movies will follow suit by doing justice to the fast paced franchise. The movies themselves don’t feel like “cliffnotes”, which can be a problem for some adaptations, but rather complete stories that can be entirely enjoyed on their own with next to no knowledge of the series before leaping in!

They’re Made As Real Films

As mentioned earlier, the Rurouni Kenshin films feel like they have a huge budget to each one, with all the levels hitting when it comes to direction, acting, cinematography, plot, and everything in between. It’s a shame that these movies don’t get as much play as some of the biggest action movies of the West, as it definitely is able to stand on its legs when it comes to the other movers and shakers out there, anime or otherwise!

There’s Not Much Competition

                                                                          (Photo: Paramount Pictures)

At the end of the day, Rurouni Kenshin is able to stand leagues above other live action adaptations of popular anime franchises as there just aren’t enough quality examples of the latter. Dragon Ball Evolution and Attack On Titan were not able to live up to the high standards set by their anime sources  Though there have been some diamonds in the rough such as Alita: Battle Angel, anime adaptations are really going to need to step up their game when it comes to hitting the same heights as Kenshin.