The Shinsengumi--fearsome and formidable protectors of the Shôgunate. Kenshin knows them well, having done battle with them during the final days of the Meiji Restoration. One man in particular--Saitô Hajime, captain of the third unit--lingers in Kenshin's mind. Now an officer of the law and known as "Fujita Gorô," Saitô arrives on the steps of the Kamiya Dojo, challenging Kenshin to a duel that will force a reawakening of Kenshin's own past. But the confrontation with Saitô is just the beginning of something much larger, something that will involve the future of the new Japan...
Watsuki Nobuhiro (和月伸宏) is a Japanese manga artist, best known for his samurai-themed series Rurouni Kenshin. He once worked as an assistant for his favorite author Takeshi Obata.
Después de un par de volúmenes un poco flojos la historia se vuelve a poner buena y adelanta la aprición de Shishio, uno de los mayores villanos de toda la serie. Las 5 estrellas son más que nada por la primera aparición de Hajime Saitō; como buen fanboy quedé encantado por cómo es retratado en el manga.
Ah y también por la despedida de Kenshin y Kaoru que tantos años después me sigue dejando todo roto T_T
Volume 7 is essentially a prologue of the Kyoto Arc, which was the start of the best set of stories for the manga as the series hit its stride.
This volume started by bringing back a figure from Kenshin's Battousai past, a rival swordsman with the skills that match Kenshin's own. Saito Hajime was former captain Shinsengumi, essentially a swordsman police corps that had plenty of skirmishes with Kenshin's side towards the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate. In the the Meiji era, he became a policeman with a new name of Goro Fujita, which Kenshin saw through immediately, especially after he made a calling card of Sano's bleeding and unconscious body. The two have an epic duel that could have killed both if not for a timely intervention.
This would lead to Kenshin resuming a wandering life on a mission to Tokyo. There was a poignant goodbye between Kenshin and Kaoru, which became a wonderfully animated sequence in the anime.
Watsuki continued cribbing X-Men characters, particularly Jim Lee-designed ones. Look carefully if you can spot an Omega Red clone. The mangaka admitted it as much in the commentary section of his manga.
چقدر خوشحالم هرچند به مقدار کم، ولی به گذشته ی کنشین پرداخته شد. گذشته ای که فلشبکی نبود، آورد تو زمان حال. یه سری فایت خونی جذاب داشتیم. و کنشین از اون طرف ساکاباتوش استفاده کرد!
آها راجع به ساکاباتو بگم: تو رورونی کنشین، شمشیر هیمورا، یه مدل کاتاناییه که تیغه تیزش پشتشه، که مثلن باهاش کشتن آدم ها سخت باشه، چون تصمیم گرفته آدم نکشه. بهش میگه ساکاباتو 逆刃刀 تو داستان های خیلی قدیمی ژاپنی هم از این مدل کاتانا نام بردن؛ ولی به صورت ثبت شده ای تقریبن کاتانای واقعی ای به این صورت ساخته نشده. البته مثلکه چند مورد نزدیک این مدل بوده. بخاطر مدل فورج و فولد کردن و ایناش مثلکه سخته و خب چون قراره به درد نخوره کسی واقعی نمیاد بسازتش؛ یعنی نباید میساختتش. تا یه شخصی به اسم اوگاکا کانهکونی میاد یه ورژن ریللایف اینو میسازه که تو موزه میجیمورا نگهداری میشه.
Saya sedang dalam marathon menghabiskan siri manga Samurai ini. Dulu pernah disiarkan di tv3 (ke NTV7) sewaktu saya kecil.
Mujurlah bang Perewa membenarkan komik sebagai salah satu bacaan untuk Cabaran Bacaan 32 Buku. Banyak juga, ada dekat 28 naskhah yang menghimpunkan kesemua siri Rurouni Kenshin.
The Rurouni Kenshin series takes a swing onto some more serious territory with the beginning of a new arc. Himura Kenshin begins the story thinking about the past as a "hitokiri", essentially an assassin. He can't figure out why he keeps thinking of that past, and is struck by this sense of foreboding.
When he, Kaoru, and Yahiko return to Kaoru's dojo, they find their good friend, Sanosuke, near death. Kenshin quickly puts together the clues left for him and discovers that an old adversary from his days fighting in the Civil War has returned, and is trying to provoke Kenshin into fighting for him.
To skip over a somewhat convoluted, but consistent, plot, Kenshin finds himself facing a choice. He must decide whether to take on a mission from the new Meiji government, or refuse. It isn't an easy choice though. While Himura may want nothing more to do with fighting for the government, and doesn't want to kill if he can avoid it, his conscience may not let his stick to his principles. Yes, this is a strange situation indeed.
You see, he CAN ignore the request, but numerous good men have been murdered, and more will die if he doesn't try to face these killers. Unlike Kenshin, and many of his more anti-hero or anti-villain adversaries, these killers are not after any view of justice, real or distorted. They are after revenge and after a sick thrill from spilling blood. They have information from the Civil War that ended a decade beforehand that could destroy the government, and throw Japan into chaos.
Faced with the threat of Japan disintegrating and his friends in trouble (the bad guys are insinuating vengeance against them if Kenshin is involved) on the one hand, and his no-kill and fighting only for others principles on the other, which should Kenshin choose? And can his friends help him despite his efforts to keep them uninvolved and safe?
This volume is where some of the past is delved into some more and where things are more serious. It was interesting, yet also somewhat daunting, to read. Interesting in that the past and characterization of Himura gets fleshed out more, which is always good; and yet daunting in that I really do not want to see it become a broody, dark and edgy series. So far the author has walked a careful line here, but we shall see.
In an interesting note, even the characters in the story lampshade this potential change in the atmosphere of the story via Kenshin worrying about having to violate his principle, and his friends fear he will revert fully back to the merciless assassin he was at one point.
This is the dawn of a new, and hopefully interesting arc. At least for me at my place in the series it is. ;) Very good stuff.
Que un manga te explique y te cuente sobre los valores de la gente que defendía las distintas perspectivas sobre dos Eras opuestas que marcaron a las clases sociales en un país tan fuerte como Japón, que te trate de exponer dos pensamientos tan opuestos de forma que ninguno esté "mal" o "bien", y que te justifique de cierta forma lo que cada uno defendía y los valores que creían correctos, no tiene precio. Más allá de lo que uno personalmente piense. Mientras leía me di cuenta que, en el ciclo en que transcurre la historia, Japón pasa por un momento complejo de su historia donde se trata de salvar la esencia de la Era que hizo fuerte a su país, pero tratando de que los más débiles no sean maltratados. Ambas Eras que se señalan tienen pros y contras y cada pelea que se hace tratar, ambos exponen los sentimientos de los más afectados por los cambios. De las mejores historias que tuve el placer de conocer de chica, y con una historia compleja sobre política, poder, traición y dinero, sin perder la sencillez, con humor y una sutil historia de amor contada desde la perspectiva de una persona que fue una leyenda "mala" y "buena" para unos y otros. Me encanta. Nunca fui devota ni me llamó la atención este tipo de lectura, y es la primera vez que me tomo enserio empezar con una. No me arrepiento para nada a pesar de que vi el animé primero. ¡Chapeau!
This is where things start to get really interesting: the beginning of the Kyoto Arc, which is still my favourite part of the story. And Saito is hands down one of the best characters in a series, so every time I re-read this series I can't wait to get to this volume. (It's only my obsession with reading series in order and a certain other favourite character of mine by the name of Aoshi that ensure that I don't just skip the first six and get right to the best parts most of the time.)
This volume starts the biggest plot arc of the series, often known as the Kyoto arc. It will culminate with the showdown against Shishio Makoto. To start the story arc, there are two epic battles in this volume, both involving Saito Hajime, one of Kenshin's biggest rivals back when he was the Hitokiri.
Hum... Algo me dice que escribí una reseña de este tomo hace mil y que se borró cuando aquel infame Librarian xenofóbico arrasó con las ediciones internacionales. El tomo: excelente. La política de goodreads en cuanto a la protección de las reseñas: pésima y mentirosa.
Rurouni Kenshin, Vol. 7 continues where the previous tankōbon left off and contains the next ten chapters (48–57) of the on-going manga series.
Saitō Hajime, a former Shinsengumi member, comes to the Kamiya Kasshin-ryū dojo posing as a medical herb peddlar. Everyone but Sagara Sanosuke is out, and he quickly realizes from the sword calluses on Saitō's hands that he is an imposter. Saitō attacks Sanosuke, leaving him as a calling card for Himura Kenshin, along with clues to his true identity.
Meanwhile, Takani Megumi runs into Kenshin, Kamiya Kaoru, and Myōjin Yahiko and returns to the dojo with them, where they find Sanosuke in critical condition. While Megumi is able to save Sano's life, it is three days and nights before he wakes up. Saitō sends a challenge to Kenshin, who goes out to fight him and meets a man Saitō set up to occupy Kenshin while he goes to the dojo.
Kenshin easily defeats Saitō's pawn and returns to the dojo, where he recognizes Saitō, who attacks him. Kenshin reverts to his hitokiri personality, but as he and Saitō are about to kill each other, they are interrupted by the ex-Ishin Shishi Ōkubo Toshimichi. Ōkubo wants Kenshin to go to Kyoto kill the hitokiri Shishio Makoto, a man who is planning the overthrow of the Meiji Government.
One week later, Ōkubo is killed by a soldier of Shishio and Kenshin decides to go to Kyoto alone to avoid any further danger to his friends. He says goodbye to Kaoru and leaves without a word to the others.
This tankōbon is written and illustrated by Nobuhiro Watsuki. This tankōbon introduces Saitō Hajime was the leader of the third squad of the Shinsengumi during the Bakumatsu. He has a long-standing rivalry with Kenshin and firmly believes in "Swift Death to Evil". Hajime looks like he’s going to be sticking around for a while and perhaps the perfect foil to Himura Kenshin, who has polar opposite beliefs.
All in all, Rurouni Kenshin, Vol. 7 is a wonderful continuation to a series that seems really intriguing and I can't wait to read more.
Hajime Saitô défie Battosaï l’assassin dans le passé. Il s’agissait en fait d’un rêve. Tandis que Sanosuké doit se sortir seul d’une situation dangereuse. Le visiteur impromptu défonce Sano et leur baraque au sabre.
On retrouve les codes d’avant les années 2000. Quand quelqu’un n’était pas là, il fallait revenir plus tard, impossible de faire pression sur lui par téléphone. « Le loup de Mibu », ainsi était appelé leur nouvel adversaire.
Arundo le prétentieux prend sa raclée comme prévu, Le loup de Mibu se débarrassant par la même de ce gêneur sans se salir les mains.
De l’humour, fin, subtil et distillé. Mais rare.
Kaoru (qui est souvent le ressort comique) s’inquiète pour Kenshin et c’est touchant.
Face à ses adversaires démoniaques du passé, Kenshin devra-t-il se donner à fond et accepter de tuer?!…
Mais tout cela ne servait qu’à démontrer une chose… Battosaï serait-il apte de nouveau à assassiner?
Cette histoire est aussi une balade à travers les âges historiques du Japon.
Le chapitre bonus a moins d’intérêt mais il n’est pas très long et il est mignon.
Avis|
Kenshin le Vagabond, tome 7 : Un jour de mai est un volume captivant qui approfondit le caractère complexe de Kenshin et l’univers qui l’entoure. C’est un excellent ajout à la série, riche en action et en émotion.
En résumé, ce livre non seulement ajoute à l’intrigue générale de Kenshin le Vagabond, mais il offre également une analyse plus approfondie des thèmes de la rédemption et de la paix intérieure, ce qui en fait un incontournable pour les adeptes de la série.
That ending was SO SAD! Just whhyyy Kenshin, why?! 😭😭😭
This volume has a lingering sense of doom and change the whole time, not to mention a whole another level of yikes to how Kenshin can really be when he “snaps” despite not wanting to fight and kill. And realizing all the attacks on Team Kenshin were planned and set on them the whole time just to get to this point both made me mad for what they all had to go through yet impressed with the mangaka for making such seemingly isolated incidents as something really important to push Kenshin out into the open once more.
I will for sure be continuing though I really, really wish it hadn’t come to this for everyone. Because that last scene between Kenshin and Kaoru literally broke me. 😩😭
‼️Content‼️
Language: heck; vixen; damn; hell (as a swear word and a place); characters flash a middle finger; gee
Violence: fighting with weapons and hand to hand (PG-13 to R); injuries and blood (PG-13 to R); a guy is slapped; a character’s stabbed in the shoulder (PG-13 to R); a man’s head is cut off (R); a man was said to have been covered in oil and burned to death (not shown); a dead man is found in a carriage (R); a girl hits a guy with a pan
At this point the series has become so repetitive, there is some nut running around with a sword. One of Kenshin’s friends get involved, they get hurt or captured then he shows up at the last minute to save the day, there are some splash pages of the fight, he gets injured but still wins easily. There is just no stakes or character development everyone is fundamentally the same as when we first met them, they went through changes during that initial introduction but from there they haven’t change. I know Yahiko and Sanosuke got some attention in bonus story’s but it didn’t add anything to the narrative. I know that Shonen can be repetitive but this is the first one I’ve had an issue with and I’ve read a lot of Shonen.
In saying that I did actually enjoy this volume, it got a very political towards the end. Seems to be setting up a big arc and a big bad, which will be a breath of fresh air.
I'm trying to understand how the majority of reading this series LOVES it, how is that possible?
It's becoming more repetitive and a chore to read with every volume after volume.
So, after a lot of thought and wonder, I came to the conclusion that all these fucking ratings are either people who hate me and want to see me frustrated and angry because of the injustice of something being so fucking crappy people somehow like it, OR, I'm in a parallel universe where good is bad and bad is good, which I enter ONLY when I go to rate Rurouni Kenshin vols.
So that's that.
Other than that, I would never recommend for you to read this volume or the last one and maybe not even the next one, because I love you and I don't want anything bad to happen to you, your eyes, your common sense and your intelligence.
Quizá mi volumen favorito hasta ahora y una de las mejores batallas del Shonen. El juego psicológico creado por Saito, inmiscuyéndose en las dependencias del dojo de Kaoru, para así esperar campantemente a Kenshin, su eterno rival en la revolución, es sutilmente tenso. La primera gran derrota de Kenshin, reflejada en que Saito--como él mismo dice--pudo matar a todos sus seres queridos estando él ausente, dan cuenta de que todo tomará tintes turbios. Claro, algo está pasando, está a punto de verse trastornada la tranquilidad del dojo, ya no tendremos batallas facilitas para nuestro samurai. Saito hiere a Kenshin, haciendo despertar al Battousai que tiene dentro, cambiándole los ojos de tonto a los de asesino. Le obliga a pelear a muerte, a proferir palabras que nunca habían salido de su boca, a preocuparse seriamente por su integridad.
The further I get into this series the more different it is from the anime. I never finished the anime because it was too Saturday morning Cartoonish. Too many show downs and villains that barely did anything. Too many fights with no repercussions. And too many characters popping up just for one episode only to never appear again.
The manga is not this at all, the arcs twine together, the characters are diverse and frequently have bleak pasts reflected in the shared event of a revolution 10 years ago. The villains legitimately kill people, which makes showdowns with gattling guns and katanas feel less hokey.
I am loving this manga and cannot believe how poorly the anime was done in comparison.
Nobuhiro Watsuki continues to show his love for X-men with an Omega Red homage villain in this volume! The adventures really continue coming when a warrior from Kenshin's past appears and unlike some of the previous ones, this one seems a hair above those shown so far. Enter Saito and with it a really compelling story which makes this volume a real page turner! We also learn of a greater evil lurking in the wings...Shishio Makoto! As this volume continues, we have a lot of moving parts, but you can feel a super arc coming! I feel that this story actually moves quicker than I thought it would, but maybe this is after reading too much One Piece. ha ha
This book is the beginning of the first real arc this manga has ever had. So far it's been rather episodic, with a villain of the week for Team Kenshin to defeat and then never hear anything about again. Mostly a lot of randos who have decided that they want to try fighting a legendary hitokiri and Ishin Shishi and deluded themselves into thinking they could win.
The 'villain' in this book is Saito Hajime, formerly of the Shinsengumi. He nearly kills Sano as a challenge to Kenshin - he wants to see if the battousai is still there underneath the rurouni persona. At first I thought this was just another one of the many who just wanted to fight the best, but it's soon revealed that that's not the case. This is leading into something much greater and the rurouni just won't be good enough to deal with it.
Kaoru's been able to help him keep the battousai persona buried beneath the rurouni so far but this time there are much bigger stakes and if he doesn't do something about it, even if means becoming the battousai again. The fate of the entire country as well as the lives of his friends will be affected by the outcome. So, naturally, he tries to do everything alone instead of letting his friends help him. Hopefully he grows out of this.
Not that I didn't like this manga before, but now that there's actually an arc, I've found myself enjoying it far more. This arc couldn't have taken place at the beginning, but it would have been nice to have arcs from the beginning instead of episodic enemies of the week. It was fun to read but I didn't really get into the story until this book. Now, I can't wait to find out what happens next.
agora sim chegaram as poderosa do rolê: saitinho dos miojo e shishio makoto, o verdadeiro criador do "faz a egípcia".
confesso que sempre leio aquela cena da despedida imaginando a cena no anime (q ficou mt melhor, quem diria).
e dessa vez gostei particularmente do yahiko falando as verdades na cara do okubo sobre como eles teriam assassinado o kenshin se ele nao tivesse dado um perdido nos monarquistas a tempo (e td isso enquanto tirava cera do ouvido).
daqui pra frente é só babado, gritaria e confusão emo gótica.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Kenshin's past as Hirokimi Battosai raises its head yet again, this time bringing the highest reaches of the meiji government into the story, looking for the Battosai and seeking to regain his services. The arc ends very much en media res with a cliff hanger ending as to whether Kenshin will render the government his services, and reawaken the Battosai or not, so It was hard to decide on a rating, but in the end, I decided to go with rating what this is, regardless of how the arc turns out as a whole--it's a hook and a spate of exposition. And I am thoroughly hooked.
Alright, so given that Manga is more of an ongoing story split into arcs that are in no way split up between volumes. I'm going to be reviewing story arc by story arc. This will then be copy and pasted throughout all of the 28 Volumes of the Manga. Also, let's get this out of the way. This is 1. A Reread and 2. Spoiler Warning I won't be directly recapping, but I will use points to describe my thoughts and feelings.
Tokyo Arc - Acts/Chapters 1-47 - Rating: 8/10 -A great start for a historical fiction. A bit on the nose, but I generally find with historical fictions you have to pretend that no one knows what time period you're talking about so it's nearly unavoidable. -Great character work. Each Character introduced in Kenshin's gang are examples of how the war has hurt these people. This reflects on Kenshin as he was a key figure in the war that caused all these people that he growing to love, pain. Whether it's Yahiko who lost his parents to draft of war. Or Sanosuke who joined the rebellion and through political means lost his captain and the person he admired most. Or even Kaoru, who attempts to run a dojo in a time when Swords are forbidden by the government. All of these are monumental in Kenshin's redemption from the wrongs he has committed. -My issue is moreso in how these conflicts come up. They seem very much villain of the week story. And most Shonens are when they initially start and I understand that. Some do it great. (Yu Yu hakusho) some do it terribly (Reborn) I think RuroKen does it OKAY. There are a lot of conveniences and Kenshin is the type of character who can nearly fix everything at any point because he's Kenshin and he outclasses the people they face. -This arc is really split into 4 mini arcs. Beginning 6/10. Sanosuke Arc 9/10. Jin-E Arc 7/10. Oniwanbanshu arc 10/10
The Kyoto Arc - Acts/Chapters 48-151 - Rating: 9/10 -Phenomenal Arc. Kenshin must tackle with the concept of whether he can keep his oath against a man who is arguably his better. The man who replaced him as Hitokiri. Shishio Makota. -The jupponganta, the villain group of this ark are all well designed and each one makes perfect sense why they would follow Shisho. Whether they love, respect or just want to kill him. Each one feels like a tough nit group. As for Shishio himself. He's one of those cool villains. I understand why he is and why he's so charismatic. But as far as being an actual villain. He doesn't do much. I think that's to his benefit. His whole concept is realistic in terms of, he has a time limit to how long he can fight. Which is why he created the jupponganta. But that doesn't make him still do so little in the story besides sit and wait for Kenshin to show up. My only real gripe. -Kenshin conquers all of his fears and redeems himself completely towards the government by stopping the man that replaced him. Mastering Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu and finally allowing his friends to help him. It's a profound and beautiful arc that makes Kenshins character shine.
Jinchu Arc - Acts/Chapters 152-255 - Rating: 7/10 -Where in the last arc we saw Kenshin redeem himself in the eyes of the government. This is the arc where we see Kenshin redeem himself in the eyes of himself. When his Brother in law returns from China and threatens his friends and everyone he's grown to care for over the last 151 chapters Kenshin struggles with the reality of what murdering his late wife has become of Enishi. -To me, there are three chunks, but they all work towards the same goal. The beginning.(7/10) The Flashback. (9/10) The End (5/10) -The flashback is the strongest part of this. It was the missing piece in Kenshin's character and it really helps us figure out how and why he became who he became. He smiles constantly because his late wife wanted him to smile more. It's so sweet and tragic. -However, the actual arc collects a bunch of random riff raffs to challenge Kenshin and his group of friends that also kinda have "beef" with him. But this and the end were pretty much the weak parts of this arc to me. The one dudes whole problem was that he got his hand cut off....and Kenshin DIDN'T kill him so...he decided to lose his whale-like mind and join a terrorist group. Two of the others had people they loved died. Who weren't good dudes btw, they were villains. But still...revenge. The other guy had some kind of clan responsibility but when he was defeated Kenshin just told him to go back to his family so it really wasn't an issue. And the final guy...well he didn't even have a beef. He just wanted to test out his mega unrealistic puppets. I'm talking Naruto unrealistic for a historical fiction. -But all of those dudes at least had reasons. The villains in the final part were all just throw away villains that even Watsuki reveals himself were just throwaways. They aren't too compelling and giving the characters we have grown to love a final fight may have been appreciated by me the initial go. (because I was 14) I just found myself not caring whatsoever about these fights that lasted a whole volume by themselves upon rereading.
Overall, Rurouni Kenshin is a fantastic historical fiction centered around fantastic real life historical individuals. It's ability to write honest, true characters of the time period makes me remember them and I truly found so much more good in this series with the reread. The biggest issues this series has is staying consistent and opting to expose it's lack of authenticity for grenade launchers. Overall 8/10
I'm rereading since the first time the series was published in English in 2004.
The best volume so far. Every chapter is tightly paced, tense, and anxiety-provoking. So much good stuff. This volume brings back so many memories of the anime too. This one is just *chef's kiss* perfect. The author was really hitting his stride here.
Neste volume 7, começamos a entrar no arco do Shishio Makoto, provavelmente o arco mais emblemático de todo o mangá, porém, nota-se muito a falta de cuidado na escrita de alguns capítulos, que pareceram desorganizados ou desconexos. Fico à espera da continuação e do aparecimento em carne e osso do famosíssimo "Queijo da Serra"!
So begins the Shishio saga. I've never read it before, but it's one of my favorite arcs from the anime, and I'm excited to see how it unfolds in print. This volume with the Kenshin-Saito rivalry is a great start.
The best volume yet! Much more serious than the previous ones, introducing actual historical events, though giving them a fictional twist, of course. The introduction of Saito and the Shishio Makoto arc! Loved seeing a much more dangerous Kenshin.
This is a guilty pleasure re-read of the series alongside my regular GR challenge. I’ve loved Rurouni Kenshin since I was a kid, and it makes me happy to dive back into this series.