Rating: 
Summary: Excellent movie!!!
Review: I recently saw a episode of Rurouni Kenshin on Cartoon Network and found the show to be very interesting. I purchased all 95 episodes on DVD and became hooked. After I finished watching all 95 episodes, I wanted to learn more about Kenshin Himura, the man formerly known as Hitokiri Battousai, the rebellion's most feared assassin. When I learned that a movie was available on DVD that was a prequel to the series, I immediately ordered it and was blown away by the story and artwork. All the questions that anyone may have about the series and about Kenshin's past will be revealed, including how he got his famous cross shape scar and why he became a wanderer. My only complaint is that the dub does not stay true with the translation. All in all, this is an excellent addition to anyone's anime library who is a fan of Rurouni Kenshin.
Rating: 
Summary: It is simply...surperb
Review: I won't go into the plot, because Amazon already has a satisfactory summary. When I first saw this oav, it had my mouth open, mouthing WOW. The story is absolutly terrific, albeit a little confusing (you have to watch it twice to really understand everything). This does a 180 from the series, as it focuses on Kenshin the Manslayer(duh!). Don't expect any humor, this movie leaves you to savor the fantastic swordsmanship and the moving ending with no distractions.The Animation is amazing. It is clean cut and sharp. Notice I said ANIMATION. The cgi's are absolutely horrid. Particulary when they show a bounty of them around the middle of the oav. The sight of real water slapping against animated rocks is absoulutly nausiating. The Music. Ah the music. It is absoulutly wonderful. The B-G music fits where it needs to go and adds to the scene, making it sad, eerie, or ... whatever. It Works. The voices. I don't think they are as bad as the other reviewer said (The one who said it makes watching the movie hard). None really stick out to me as something I would remember. They do their job, and they aren't terrible, they just don't stick out. The most beautiful thing that I have found in this oav is the sword play. It is absolutely beautiful and gracefull. The movements are fluid, not chunky and jerky. One other great thing would be the rain effect on the blood. And boy is there a lot of it. The blood comes down in buckets. Stay away if you are squemish. [There is also a heck of a lot of violence. I'm pretty used to violence, but that first scene shook me(I wouldn't say it disturbed me however)] There is also plenty of alchohal use. There are a few suggestive scenes, but I'd say no worse than a pg 13 movie. I must say however, that you should be mature in the head if you will watch it, not for the objectionable stuff, but simply to understand it. One last thing before closing. This movie really does make you think about the subject of killing people for a better world. It is one of those movies that after you watch it, you think about it and reflect on it. It gives you that tuging feeling right on your heart (you know, that feeling that your chest is full and your throat sort of tickles). Its not a bad feeling, or anything like that, just that kind of feeling you get when you are reflecting on something deep and, well, meaningful.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed
Review: I would first like to say that I really enjoy Rurouni Kenshin and the especially the Samurai X movies, however, having said that I was greatly disappointed with this release. I was hoping for more than an additional fight sequence that appeared in the very end of the movie. Also, I was very bummed, by the lack of extras on the DVD itself. In all the DVD is quite worth it if you don't own Trust and Betrayal. Another redeeming quality if you don't own the aformentioned movies is Director's Cut is one long feature not divided into two episodes as it appears on the other two DVDs. Also, the cover is reversible, but the reverse artwork really was not that great. Overall, the only reason I gave this DVD 1 star was because it is Samurai X and the story is wonderful, but if already own T&B don't bother.
Rating:
Summary: Blown Away
Review: I'd only seen a little bit of the RK TV anime episodes and it looked like a typical anime w/the cutesy silly faces, big sweatdrops, etc., so I wasn't very interested. Imagine my surprise when I saw this and realized that Samurai X was the very same character from those animes. This is indeed very different from the TV anime, and to me, far superior. It goes for more emotional depth and weight and achieves it magnificently. I like this animation style much better and the music is top-notch. The few parts where they integrated live action backgrounds w/animated backgrounds didn't bother me as much as it did other people, but it was definitely unnecessary. The important thing about this is how Kenshin came to be the Battousai and what finally woke him from his numb killing mode to realize what he was doing was far from his idealized hopes. At the end of this he becomes the Kenshin everyone falls in love with in the TV animes. To me it was a great introduction to the character and now I want to see his other adventures and get to know the "other" Kenshin. So I definitely don't think you had to be a fan of the TV anime to appreciate this movie, and if anything else, it makes one want to know all about the character, in his various permutations. A beautiful, moving film.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding Story
Review: I'm a fairly newcomer to the Kenshin saga having only seen the series on the Cartoon Network which is how my curiosity was sparked after learning that there was a more seriously mature story out on DVD.
This is a classic love story as only the Japanese mindset can conceive of with Tomoe's reclaimation of Kenshin's humanity. The ending brought me to tears both in the original Japanese with English subtitles and English version.
Because of the bloody killings and violence I would not recommend this for anyone under the age of 17.
I really enjoyed this and have just ordered "Reflection."
Rating: 
Summary: Great Anime, Lousy DVD
Review: Let me first say that on a purley Anime basis, I would give this DVD 5 stars! Unfortunately, for some reason the creators of this DvD have made it impossible to play on my Computer's DVD player. It will work fine with my regular DVD player, just not with the PC's, which is really annoying. In case you're wondering, my PC will play other anime DVDs just fine, so I have to think it is just this particular anime company. Okay, that said, I think this story of Kenshin's beginnings is really cool and awesome. Perhaps one of the most artistic sword fight scenes I have ever seen in anime is in this story line. Plus, the music is great and matches the moods shown in the story and even enhances them. These two factors alone would justify buying this DVD. Then add the extra scenes at the end and the fact that all the OVA episodes are on one disc and you are in anime heaven. Now having sung this DVD's praises and drawbacks, I should warn you that if you already own the earlier version of this Kenshin OAVs, then I do not think it is worth spending $$ for this version alone. My recommendation, spend the $$ on another anime or other DVD. Cheers.
Rating:
Summary: Can I give it more than five stars? Say, A BILLION?!
Review: My God! I was totally blown away by this! This is the single most moving film I have ever seen, and I have seen a lot of dramas. This is nothing like the Rurouni Kenshin series, as it is a lot darker, both in terms of lighting, color, and perspective. There is not a single hint of humor in it, but as the hero is a young assassin trying to come to grips with himself during the Japanese civil war, I don't see how there could be any funny parts. You WILL NOT be laughing at any point in this. IF you don't want to be in tears at the end, then don't watch this. I have been a Rurouni Kenshin fan for years, so I thought that I would give this a try for the backstory on Kenshin and his life during the Bakumatsu. I knew it would be somewhat depressing, but I was put through the emotional wringer--and loved it. Every time I watch it I cry. It is that powerful. This is the favorite in my collection. I have shown it to my mom, and she loved it as well. This is definitely for those mature people who want to see the definitive sad, moving love story. Betrayal, love, loss, pain (both physical and emotional), and ideals come into play in this wonderful film. Kenshin joins the fight against wishes of his mentor and the warnings that he will be used by those in power, who will only want him for his incredible sword skills. Sure enough, his power and skills are abused by his superiors, who put him in the position of being their primary assassin. His ideals of honor, righteousness, and loyalty are skewed by his job as a murderer, and he begins to lose himself. Enter Tomoe. She meets Kenshin by chance and begins following him around. They start to fall for each other, but there are too many secrets still hidden, and too much to overcome... I cannot stress how EXCELLENT and WORLD-CLASS this film is. If you want to see a story guaranteed to make you cry, then this is it.
Rating:
Summary: Very good
Review: Probably one of the best movies I have seen in a very long time!!! I love the Manga series, so I wanted to see the OAV. I immediatley fell in love with it. The animation is incredible and the movie is dubbed very well. I would recommend it to anyone. But be prepared for it, it is very heavy and dark. Lots of violence and gore, but you should definatley see it if you think you can handle it. You will love the characters and the plot. You SHOULD know something about Japanese history before you see it though, or it will leave you scratching your head. I'd recommend this to ANY Rurouni Kenshin fan and even people who do not like Anime or Manga. This is definatley a 5 star movie.
Rating:
Summary: Samurai X- Trust and Betrayal (Director's cut)
Review: Samurai -X Trust and Betrayal takes a darker look at our samurai hero Kenshin. Trust and Betrayal follows Kenshin back to when he was little boy named Shinta, and gives a closer look on how Kenshin got his name and how he became Butossai,the manslayer. What makes Trust and Betrayal even more special is how it interduces Kenshin's first love Tomoe and how she and the cross shaped scar follwed him forever. To truly understand how Shinta became Kenshin in the best way Trust and Betrayal showed all the missing gaps that the tv show could not from the angery brother Enishi to Tomoe and her love for Kenshin Samurai X Trust and Betrayal is a piece devoted to telling kenshin's past.
Rating:
Summary: A great deal, but minor changes.
Review: Samurai X Director's Cut gives both trust and betrayal in one DVD. However, certain scenes have been changed from the original. Music has been cut out of some very important scenes or has had different music put in. The director's cut is not as good as the original, but surely beats the price! A couple of changes have been set in but is still a great film. Those who already have trust and betrayal should not consider getting this for the extra scenes.
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