Film Analysis Of Rurouni Kenshin

Submitted By Phoenixknight1
Words: 345
Pages: 2

The film I chose for this assignment is the film adaptation of the popular Japanese anime, Rurouni Kenshin. The film focuses on fictional events that take place during the early Meiji Period in Japan (1868-1912), telling the story of a wanderer named Himura Kenshin, formerly known as the assassin ‘Hitokiri Battousai’. After participating in the Bakumatsu War (1853-1867), Kenshin wanders the countryside of Japan offering protection and aid to those in need as atonement for the murders he once committed as an assassin. Thanks to the gorgeous cinematography, the beauty of old-world Japan was captured in every frame, such as the opening battle sequence in the snow. The action opened up with a low angle shot of a ghoulish battlefield, the battle of Toba-Fushimi (Jan 27, 1868), and was shot through blue filters to emphasize it’s otherworldliness, and to exasperate the death and violence that surrounds the main character, Hitokiri Battousai whom later becomes Himura Kenshin. Then, as the scene fades out in a flash of bright blue, the audience is shown bustling streets and quaint houses bathed in warm yellow tones to show the emotional change that had occurred based on the battle they had just been shown. This is further proven as Himura Kenshin walks through a festival with a smile upon his lips. The fight scenes were also beautifully executed. Very little CG animation was used, mainly to provide blood splatter, and instead of death-defying stunts, the movie provided