Rurouni Kenshin Vol. #17: Holy War

By Zubin Kumana     May 31, 2002
Release Date: April 30, 2002



The Review!
The third volume of the Tales of the Meiji series, and the second volume of the Christian Saga (a.k.a. the Shimabara Arc), Holy War takes a deep turn into the characters lives, bringing out emotions rarely elicited from the best of anime. If you think these episodes are apocryphal, you are right, but if you think they are worthless because of it, you couldn't be more wrong. While there are a few faults, those who have patiently tempered themselves into the post-Kyoto phase will be rewarded with rich character development in this volume.

First, the usual:

Menus: Same as before. While I can't say they used the best songs in the menu, it's still done well.

Packaging: The cover this time comes in a drab olive, with a young Sayo and Shouzo in the foreground and a teenaged Shougo Amakusa behind them, with Kenshin behind him, staring off to the left. All in all, it is an acceptable design, although I must admit I was confused for quite a while about the identity of Shougo, as he looks quite effeminate, and only appears like this in the show for a few seconds. I literally scanned through the entire disc before I discovered his identity (look for him in Shouzo's flashback in the first episode).

Extras: Liner notes, creditless closing, and outtakes. The liner notes are a bit sparse this time around, with only four short entries. I guess everything else should have been explained by now. The creditless closing is the new ending featuring the song "1/3", one of the better songs to grace this show. The outtakes are thankfully a little short on stuttering, and feature one or two good laughs.

Video: The video is crisp and clean. No problems here.

Audio: I'd just like to make a special mention of the music in these episodes. "Beautiful." There, I'm done.

Content: The positive upswing of the last disc is here augmented and amplified into a compelling set of episodes that nearly bring to a close the Shimabara arc, at least from a plot standpoint. The threads begin to tie together (granted, they weren't that far removed to begin with), beginning with Sanosuke in the cavern we last saw him in.

Lady Magdalia happens upon Sanosuke in the cave, and brings him back to her place (No... not like that), to treat his wounds. They get involved in a religious/political discussion, and Sayo demands the return of her medallion. Sanosuke ends up leaving while Sayo is distracted. Sayo returns with a loaded weapon, but finds only a note thanking her for her kindness.

Sanosuke sets off looking for her medallion, and encounters Shouzo. The two start to fight, but end up talking and then teaming up.

The focus then returns to Sayo, praying in the underground cathedral. The episode ends with the revelation that Sayo is dying of consumption, a disease it turns out has afflicted her entire family.

The next episode features the return of Misao, who relays the information she has dug up on Shougo to Kenshin, who has been shacking up with Kaoru in an old shed (Hey! Didn't I tell you?, it isn't like that!) The history of Shougo's family is revealed, and the motive behind his actions is made apparent.

Kenshin & Co. find Santo engaged in covert activity on the beach at night. Misao then reveals the true enemy, Kaio the Evangelist. It seems Kaio's mother was driven from Japan for being a Christian while pregnant with Kaio, and died an exile during childbirth. This is the basis for his hatred of Japan.

Meanwhile, Sayo happens upon the image of her brother on a crucifix in Kaio's cave. She confronts him, and he reveals his plot. Shouzo and Sanosuke show up to save her, but all three are caught in a barbed steel cage, and if that weren't bad enough, the ceiling caves in.

While this is going on, Kenshin is suddenly snared with a garrote by a skeletal jester. In a move that seems a little out of character for Kenshin, he attacks the jester, and, while he doesn't deliver a fatal blow himself, lets the guy fall a good 60 or so feet.

After the smoke clears, we find that Shouzo has shielded Sano and Sayo from the majority of the debris, but is now crushed under some rocks. Sayo rushes to his aid, and Sanosuke surprises her by joining in. One of Kaio's minions then appears to stop them. Shouzo runs off to warn Shougo, trusting Sanosuke to defend Sayo. Yahiko arrives in the nick of time to save the two (Yes, Yahiko - making this, what, his second time saving the day?), and they all return to the surface.

Kenshin reveals that Sayo is dying of consumption. He suggests that Sano rush her to Sir Elsten, the former doctor-turned-Dutch consul. Meanwhile, Kenshin will try to stop Shougo, who is preparing for an assault by the army. As Kenshin & Co. return to the Christian village, Shouzo confronts Kaio with Sanosuke's bombs. Realizing he can't defeat Kaio with his fists, he blows himself and Kaio up.

The next episode is one of the best in the whole series, and certainly my favorite of the new season. Sanosuke rushes Sayo back to the city, carrying her on his back.
It's a long journey, taking him through the mountains, river, and country roads, before he happens upon a carriage occupied by Sir Elsten. I'll leave the rest of this scene for you to experience, but let me say that I found the characters motivations perfectly believable, and was glad to get to see this side of Sanosuke. I would also like to reiterate that the music in this portion of the episode is especially noteworthy.

Back at the village, the Christians have been scattered and separated. Shougo Amakusa is wounded by a bullet while attacking a group of soldiers. Kenshin arrives and challenges him to a duel to settle things once and for all.

Thus ends disc 17. Now, we wait for disc 18, wherein the Christian Saga comes to a close.

The highlight of this disc is definitely the development of the relationship between Sanosuke and Sayo, and its tragic end adds poignance and meaning to the characters. Sanosuke can never really be the same after this experience, and I hope this is reflected in future episodes. The fight scenes are average, but what really shocked me was the relevance of some of the material to current events. In one particular scene, a child blindly runs toward an explosion, stalwart in his belief that his death will bring him closer to god. It's unnerving to see this kind of thing in your anime and then hear the same thing on the news later. Sociological/political relevance aside, this volume is an excellent addition to your Kenshin library, and you would do yourself a disservice to omit it.

Bottom line: This volume vindicates the Christian Saga of any other faults it may possess. For those who have stayed with Kenshin after the Kyoto arc, here is your reward.

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