Forum - View topicWhat of the Rurouni Kenshin anime is canon?
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Josh7289
Posts: 1252 |
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So, there's the TV anime series, conveniently divided up into three seasons, the two/three OVAs, and the movie.
Which of these is actually canon, based on the manga? |
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HitokiriShadow
 Posts: 6251 |
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Just parts of the TV series and the Trust & Betrayal OVA (the stuff from Kenshin's past).
The portion between the Aoshi/Oniwaban group and the beginning of the Kyoto Arc is mostly filler. Only the Raijuta portion was in the manga and the rematch with Sano was from the manga, thought they were changed up a bit. Everything after the Kyoto arc is anime original. Basically, the canon episodes are 1-11, 19-21, 23-24, the Kyoto Arc, and the Trust & Betrayal OVAs. |
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kyokun703
 Posts: 2505 Location: Orgrimmar |
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Episode 12 is also canon. It's a Yahiko story, but it was in the original manga.
And the Kyoto Arc starts with episode 28, I believe. |
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BrothersElric
 Posts: 1996 |
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I thought I heard somewhere that after the Kyoto arc it goes into a really bad filler slump, kind of similar to Naruto's that eventually killed off the series, but I don't know if I heard wrong or something. All I know is that if that's true, and you watched the Cartoon Network version (like me) you probably wouldn't know unless you heard from somewhere else (like I did
 ) because I also heard that CN skipped right over that part and went straight to the last episode or something like that.
As for the movie and OVA, the movie I haven't seen but from what I hear it's basically your standard Shounen Jump-esque movie, and the OVA I could have also sworn that Trust and Betrayal and Reflection were both cannon. 
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rainbowcourage
 Posts: 1216 Location: what is commonly known as "hell week" |
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No No NO!
let me direct you here to the official thread. Anyway, Trust & Betrayal is canon, although I prefer to think of it as standalone from the anime because it was done so stylistically differently; the anime is light-hearted and optimistic, whereas Trust & Betrayal is very dramatic and tragic; and OH the changed character designs 
Reflections is in NO WAY SHAPE OR FORM the ending of the RuroKen manga. A lot of people consider it garbage no matter how well it was done, since it completely contradicted Watsuki's original ending and the message of the series. And yes, season 3 is filler, although it is not as bad as some make it out to be. Last edited by rainbowcourage on Fri Jun 06, 2008 3:21 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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kyokun703
Posts: 2505 Location: Orgrimmar |
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I just finished the RK manga, and Reflection isn't covered in that at all. spoiler[For one thing, Kenji is just a little boy, and in Reflection he sounds older, at least a teenager.] I also read a summary of the short story that the artist did after the manga, and that also doesn't sound like Reflection. The artist also noted that he wanted RK to end spoiler[on a happy note which Reflection doesn't sound right at all and sounds downright depressing].
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HitokiriShadow
Posts: 6251 |
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Well, the movie is pretty much in line with the TV series in tone and style, but unlike most shonen movies, it lacked a super villain. It had a villain, but no one that appeared much or put up too much of a fight with Kenshin. As I recall, Kenshin didn't even fight much in that movie. It was decent, but utterly forgettable. But the OVAs are very different from the TV series. Trust & Betrayal was much darker than any of the TV series was. Reflections was.... very far from what you would expect for something based on a shonen series. It's rather disjointed as it involves a lot of flash backs and there is almost no fighting at all. While Reflections showed the villain from the final arc of the manga in one of the flashback segments, it was only very briefly and the rest of the OVA is most definitely NOT canon. |
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BrothersElric
Posts: 1996 |
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Hmm, that's interesting then. I know I remember skiming through one of the latest volumes of the manga (I've only read the first few volumes
) and there were characters I know for sure were in Reflection, not to mention certain scenes with said characters. I wonder if that fast little recap thing they did at the beginning was cannon then, because of course it showed scenes from the earlier parts of the series but it also showed stuff that if you'd only seen the anime you'd never seen before that seemed to make a lot of sense that something would be cannon. And then everything else is anime original or something, I don't know....
It's nice to hear that the manga was a lot happier though. I guess it's mostly because I haven't read the manga but I rated Reflection Masterpiece up there with Trust and Betrayal because yeah, it was incredibly well done, and it also was just so emotionally moving even if it was a bit depressing. Even still though, I felt like it was such a shame it had to end that way.... So I guess it's out of sheer love for the characters that it's nice to hear how it truly ended. 
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Josh7289
Posts: 1252 |
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So, of all these releases, which are actually good? I mean, even if some of the stuff is not canon, is it still good and worth buying?
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kyokun703
Posts: 2505 Location: Orgrimmar |
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I recommend the first two seasons of RK, and the two OAVs, Trust and Betrayal. The rest is risky. I've heard nothing but frustration and disappointment about the third season, and Reflections doesn't end the way the artist intended. (Although maybe since you'll go in with low expectations, it won't be so bad.) You can take my recommendation with a grain of salt, since I haven't bothered to see season 3 since I was so turned off by people's reviews. Then go read the manga so you can read the Jinchuu arc, which is really really good and it's terrible that never got animated. The Jinchuu arc picks up immediately after the Kyoto arc at manga volume 18. Anime watching order, if you see the whole series is: Season 1 Season 2 Trust and Betrayal (watch this here, even though chronologically, it takes place before season 1) Season 3 Reflections The movie fits in there somewhere, too, but since that is not canon, I'm not sure where. |
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HitokiriShadow
Posts: 6251 |
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Like I said, Reflections did show the main villain from the last arc of the manga. Actually, I think he may have played a bit more of a role than I initially recalled. But it was still all from Kaoru reminiscing and was a highly abridged and altered version of the manga events. spoiler[Einishi was the main bad guy in both, but he had a much, much more elaborate plan in the manga involving about five or six other guys and a lot more fighting.] But all the stuff in Reflections about spoiler[Kaoru waiting for Kenshin and the diseases and some foreign war... basically everything that wasn't in flashback] was anime original.
The first two seasons of the TV series are the backbone of the series and you really need to watch those. Of the non-TV stuff, both OVAs are good in their own way. ADV's Samurai X collection has both OVAs and the movie, so you might as well get that and watch the movie too. I haven't actually watched the third season of the TV series myself and I don't intend to. |
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Animastryfe
 Posts: 152 Location: Vancouver |
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So if I were to watch the first two seasons and then skip the rest and read the manga, which volume/chapter should I start with?
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guet
 Posts: 492 Location: Sparta |
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I believe volume 18 is the start of the revenge arc.
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BrothersElric
Posts: 1996 |
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Well all of the cannon stuff that's already mentioned, obviously, but some of the fillers in the earlier part of the series (the aforementioned time in between the Obinawan and Kyoto arcs), while some of them not so great, most of them are actually not all that bad. So yeah, pretty much the entirety of the first and second seasons, and just bear with the few not so great fillers. These 3rd season fillers I haven't seen so I can't tell you myself whether or not any of them are worth watching. Same goes for the movie, although I typically don't hear too many great things about it...... Then I guess from the end of Kyoto onwards in the manga you could just read that. Definitely watch both OVAs though, even if you probably could just get the Trust and Betrayal stuff in the manga. It's just that good. Reflections I'd say is definitely worth your time, if you can bear how depressing it is that is. I guess if you just keep in mind the fact that it's not how the manga ends it should be fine. In fact I think that's probably why I'm so glad to hear how it really ends in comparison to how depressing Reflections is. Of course being the shounen nut that I am, despite how much I still loved Reflections, I think I'd much rather see it end in the style of greatness that is shounen.
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Animastryfe
Posts: 152 Location: Vancouver |
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In what episode does the Kyoto arc end?
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