Rurouni Kenshin Vol. #16: Son of God

By Zubin Kumana     April 26, 2002
Release Date: March 26, 2002



The Review!
The second volume of the Tales of the Meiji series, and the first volume of the third season, Son of God marks the beginning of the departure from the manga, containing original stories and animated by a different studio. So how fares the Kenshin that we know and love? Let's find out.

Menus: Same as before. The layout is nice and the colors and images used very appealing. Like I said, there are no more vertical lines of text, so it's easy to read and navigate.

Packaging: The packaging used differs from the design issued to buyers in that the logo was changed from a cross to an inoffensive floral pattern. Apparently Sony didn't want to offend anyone, so they removed the cross (while retaining the title "Son of God"). I don't really care, as the logo is completely irrelevant to the content of the disc, but it is still sad to see Sony feeling it has to make these kinds of changes. Aside from that, the cover shows Kenshin and the new villain, Shougo Amakusa, in the back, with Sayo in the front.

Extras: Liner notes, creditless opening, and outtakes. The liner notes are on par for the series, as are the outtakes. The creditless opening is basically the same as the previous one, with the new villains replacing the Juppongatana. Hopefully the next volume will have the new creditless ending, featuring the new closing song "1/3."

Video: I was impressed with the clarity of the video. Part of it may have to do with the new studio taking over the animation, but I've never seen a better-looking Kenshin. Also, I wasn't bothered by any layer changes, so it looks like they have again put it in a proper break.

Content: The last disc presented us with an anticlimactic view of Kenshin's life in Tokyo. With the new season, the story attempts to recapture the scale and drama of the Kyoto arc. Does it succeed? Well, that you will have to decide after seeing the whole arc, but the setup, while flawed in a few areas, is surprisingly entertaining.

The first episode deals with a letter from Misao. Strange events have been occurring in Kyoto. A man has been murdered, his body floating down the river with a strange symbol carved in his back. Another man receives a warning, and begs Aoshi to help him, but Aoshi will not. Misao follows the man anyway, and becomes comatose after suffering one of his special attacks. Aoshi saves her, and recognizes that the man is using the Hiten Mitsurugi style. Kenshin and Co. return to Kyoto to help (and do it within one commercial break, a lot faster than the seven episodes it took during the Kyoto arc). We even get to see our old pal Vash the Stampede reprising his role as Chou the Swordhunter.

Warned in a similar note, the next target's assassination is heralded by a celestial event (You'll figure it out before it happens too.) The assassination is carried out in a similar fashion. Kenshin visits Hiko to find out about the mysterious man using the Hiten Mitsurugi style. Hiko then tells him the tale of an apprentice, Hyouei Nishida, who left the country after failing to defeat his master's Kouzou-ryu-sen. This man was a Christian, and raised an apprentice of his own, Shougo Amakusa, named after the great Christian leader Shiro Amakusa.

Meanwhile, Sano encounters a young lady, Sayo, and her escort, Shouzo, after following them from a secret religious service. Believing he's saving her from a group of unruly policemen, she returns her thanks with a slap. Having recovered a medallion for her, he keeps it, but faces the ire of her bodyguard.

Kenshin pays a visit to Hyouei and learns of the dispute between the two men over revenge for religious persecution, a dispute that ended in Hyouei's blinding by the Rai-ryu-sen, an attack able to defeat the Amakakeru-ryu-no-hirameki. Hyouei begs Kenshin to stop Shougo, as the man has quite obviously disregarded his Christian upbringing, and instead plans to kill and cause more suffering. The animation is this scene is particularly stunning with superb lighting effects from candles. The episode ends with Shougo goading Kenshin into following him to Shimabara, where they will cross swords.

The next episode has Kenshin and Co. going to Shimabara (Really, you don't say?), where Kenshin runs into an old acquaintance, who tells him of the situation in the region (namely, that there is none). Kenshin goes off to pursue Shougo anyway, and eventually he and Sano come across a cave leading to an underground cathedral. They are stopped by a fat man with an ocarina, and must deal with min before they can pass.

Meanwhile, Kaoru has run off after some children, and ends up inside the same cathedral (faster than Kenshin, mind you). There she finds Shougo Amakusa, and begs for him to not fight Kenshin.

Kenshin has, in the meantime, saved the fat man from his own devices, and in so doing has caused him to question if he's doing the right thing. Believing that Kenshin was the devil, as he was told, the man runs of to find Lady Magdalia (Sayo), to ask what he should do. Kenshin waits for the man to return, despite being worried about what has become of Sano. The man returns, but with him come Kaoru, Sayo, and Shougo Amakusa. The two men face off, but Kenshin is determined to not use the Amakakeru-ryu-no-hirameki. Kenshin is defeated, and is on the receiving end of Shougo Amakusa's Rai-ryu-sen.

Thus ends disc 16. Now, we wait for the next one!

I am very pleased with the episodes on this disc. The animation quality is excellent, despite being handled by a new studio. The plots and characters, while not on the same scale as the Kyoto arc and the Juppongatana, are interesting and capable of delivering a similar level of complexity, action, and drama. The pacing may seem a bit off, but this is overall a much smaller arc, and some cuts are meant to be expected. Besides, we wouldn't want an exact copy of the Kyoto arc; anyone who wants that can just rewatch those episodes over again. As to whether our characters can be expected to grow or change much, that's another story. The relationship between Kaoru and Kenshin seems to be barely moving, if at all (though there is one scene, where Kaoru and Shougo are talking, that is pertinent to the growth of their relationship). The action is good, the characters interesting... This is good stuff people, not the garbage you may have been told to expect after the Kyoto arc.

Bottom line: I highly suggest you try this out. If you've already collected volumes 1-15, take the next step.

Review Equipment
Microsoft X-Box, 27" Sony WEGA FS12, Sony MHC-M630AV Sound System