The story is set in the Meiji era (late 1800s) of Japan about an assassin called Battosai who has shunned killing and now travels as Himura Kenshin, the Wanderer. The leading lady is Kaoru and the actress who plays her on the big screen (Emi Takei) looks so much like Kathryn Bernardo. In turn, the actor who plays Kenshin (Takeru Satoh) looks so much like a smaller Ronnie Liang.
The film focuses on Kenshin’s fight versus an opium lord, Kanryu, and a fake Battosai with whom he has a climactic duel in the end.
Fans of the manga and the anime are obviously with the way it’s adapted on screen. Some say the characters are perfectly cast as they really look the cartoon versions. We just notice, though, that the fight scenes are greatly aided by the cinematography (especially with the use of handheld cameras) and the editing, unlike the old samurai movies where the action scenes were executed with more amazing realism and not much sleight of hand. Still and all, since this first movie version is a success, we won’t be surprised if this would turn out into an international franchise since its original source still has so many other adventures of Kenshin to offer.
