Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuiokuhen
Alt titles: Samurai X: Trust and Betrayal
Synopsis:
Himura Kenshin was a boy orphaned by the murder of his parents. Now he is the Hitokiri Battousai, the most feared and skilled killer in 19th century Japan. In the midst of a blood bath, he meets the love of his life, Tomoe. Will he continue to fight his enemies in a killing rage or will she sheath his bloodstained sword? Tsuikohen takes place years before the setting of the Kenshin TV series.
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Berserk
Born beneath the gallows tree from which his dead mother hung, Guts has always existed on the boundary between life and death. After enduring a terrible childhood, he spends his adulthood in brutal combat, pitting his strength against others in order to build his own. Life is simple enough for Guts until he meets Griffith, the inspirational, ambitious, and beautiful leader of the mercenaries, the Band of the Hawk. When Guts loses to Griffith in a duel, he is forced to join the Band of the Hawk, and, despite himself, finds a sense of camaraderie and belonging amongst them. However, as Griffith leads his soldiers from victory to victory, the bloody wars and underhanded politics reveal a side to him that nobody quite expected. Very soon, what seems like a straightforward march for conquest becomes a harrowing struggle for humanity and life itself. Can Guts, a simple warrior, defend those who have come to mean the most to him, all the while struggling not to lose to the darkness he has carried with him his entire life?
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10 people think you'd like this because...
add recThis OVA is better drawn, more serious and bloody. That's why I feel this is an even better match to Berserk than Rurouni Kenshin itself.
Both the Kenshin OVA and Berserk have betrayal and lonely rider themes, are violent and romantic, and have a dark overall feeling.
First of all, both of these masterpieces need to be watched by everyone with any depth and tolerance for violence. In addition to the stroke of genius, both Tsuiokuhen and Berserk possess a truly captivating dichotomy of basal gore and heart-wrenching emotion. Anyone who enjoyed being challenged by one of these will surely enjoy the other.
Both strike a chord in the hearts of its viewer amidst the chaos and mayhem that are the main plots. Comparisons can be made in the compelling, believable and somewhat lonely main characters, men who wield incredible strength but must learn a tough lesson in life in order to retain their humanity. These are two true action masterpieces which deserve as much praise as each other and a jolly good viewing.
Like Kenshin, it is a psychologically realistic exploration the motivations effects of the killing life on one's mind and state of being, albeit in a very different ways. Likewise the drive and effect of ideology are explored but instead of the deadening of the heart and soul as we find in Kenshin, in Beserk it is the corrupting effects of power and ambition.
Both have compelling narratives, and while Beserk may not have the lavish animation we find in Kenshin, it is still an immersing and engrossing watch.
And both have compelling narratives albeit in highly different settings.
Ninja Scroll
- Movie
- 1993
Jubei Kibagami is just a wandering swordsman minding his own business... until fate lands him in the middle of a battle with the terrifying Devils of Kimon! Now the fate of all of Japan lies in the hands of a vagabond samurai, a deadly female ninja and a perverted old monk as they take on an enemy who is, literally, immortal.
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8 people think you'd like this because...
add recNinja Scroll is a ninja movie for fans of the Kenshin OVA. A violent and dark story and a historical aspect can be found in both.
Both Kenshin Tsuiokuhen and Ninja Scroll are violent and emotional anime, set in somewhat similar settings. Though Kenshin is a bit more emotional you can't help but get the same feeling from both.
Katanas aside, these anime are to be viewed by someone who can appreciate well choreographed fighting sequences then feel the need for reason behind the blood-shed, never getting a straight answer but enjoying the ride there. Both are a pleasurable watch with a historically appeasing storyline (Kenshin more so) and a romantic sub-plot. And although Ninja Scrolls is by far the more violent and less realistic of the two it is compelling never the less.
Both of these anime involve violence, whores, and more violence. Rurouni Kenshin is much better in terms of plot and character whereas Ninja Scroll does a good job of creative goryness, but both are enjoyable anime. Ninja Scroll should definitely not be watched by kids though!
Basilisk
- TV (24 eps)
- 2005
Oboro, a naive, love-struck girl, is pledged to Gennosuke, an idealist. Both are successors to opposing ninja clans with a long history of hatred kept barely in check by a covenant of peace. Just as the two vow to reconcile the clans with their marriage, the shogun orders the feud to resume in order to resolve an internal struggle that threatens to tear the Tokugawa shogunate apart. Even worse, Oboro and Gennosuke themselves are forced to lead their clans in battle. Can the star-crossed lovers resist the brutal circumstances and remain true to their love as the death toll rises?
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5 people think you'd like this because...
add recBasilisk with Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuiokuhen is a bit of an odd recommendation, but here is why it works. Both have two sides wanting each other dead, both sides will do anything to see the other side killed off, and both have two people who are willing to sacrifice themselves for each other and do whatever it takes to be together. Both Basilisk and Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuiokuhen have great fights, good storylines and a love story to boot.
It is more than just action, blood and violence that connects the two - it is the deeper meaning that really binds them. The leads are pawns for a greater purpose, going to great lengths in order to win a battle at the cost of their hearts and conflicting loyalties. Both will make you feel nought but sorrow for those who must fight with nthe repercussions of their actions hidden, ultimately at a loss to themselves. Seriously, you must watch them both!
both series are about love that grows in the middle of a fight.
both have a lot of blood showing and are depressing in a way.
Tragic love stories which take place in difficult times of japanese history. Both anime let you enjoy unique animation and interesting fights. Moreover, they both make you think about japanese values which were acknowledged at that time and which are sometimes acknowledged even today. If you liked one, you'd surely like the other.
I know from an outside view these two animes don't look like they'd be comprable but I think at the heart of both there is a lot tying them together. Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuiokuhen is about Samurais where Basilisk is about Ninjas, but they type and level of action falls equal to the other (ocassionally Basilisk is more extreme). They main characters Kenshin and Gennosuke are extremely similiar, with Kenshin it is a more progressive piece. Also Tomoe relates to several different females within Basilisk. Both animes incorporate the depth of the human heart into their storylines making the bloodshed more than a visual captivation, but an emotional rollercoaster. I believe if you liked one you will like the other!
Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade
- Movie
- 2000
Constable Fuse is part of an elite Special Forces unit known as the Capital Police whose mission is to maintain peace during a time of civil unrest. Fuse becomes entangled within a web of intrigue and politics between the Capital Police, the government intelligence bureau, and a secret society known as Jin-Roh – the Wolf Brigade.
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4 people think you'd like this because...
add recBoth are based on true events within different periods of history, staying true to the concept of war and the effect it can have on both sides of the conflict. You can draw similarities in the male leads, not initially likeable characters largely due to their role in battle. The beauty in both is the evolving nature of the leads, best observed in their developed relationships and the way this impacts on their being. Both explore this in beautiful detail and are to be viewed by someone with an appreciation of the realities of inner and outer turmoil.
Grave of the Fireflies
Alt titles: Hotaru no Haka
- Movie
- 1988
With their father serving overseas in the Navy towards the end of the World War 2, Seita and his younger sister Setsuko are living as normally as they can. One day during a firebomb raid on the city their mother suffers fatal wounds and the two siblings' lives are turned upside down as they go to live with a relative. After suffering the cruel treatment of their aunt, who makes it clear that their very presence is a nuisance, Seita and Setsuko decide to leave and go to live in an abandoned bomb shelter. With no one else to rely on, Seita and Setsuko try their hardest to live from day to day. Though when food becomes ever more scarce and no one is willing to sell what little provisions they have, life for the pair is increasingly difficult. Then when Setsuko falls ill, Seita begins to realize just how fragile life is...
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3 people think you'd like this because...
add recThe Kenshin OVA is a very sad story with a mellow tempo that takes place in a time where war and violence is commonplace. I really believe that if you like the sad beauty in Tsuiokuhen you will love the equally sad wartime beauty in Grave of the Fireflies.
Totally different topics, but both are like an antique drama. They make you want to step in because you what is going to happen, still you can't avoid catharsis.
Both series are powerful, moving pieces about love and loss (more of the latter) that leave you in tears, wishing that human nature wasn't so terrible.
