Rurouni Kenshin Rebirth

Rurouni Kenshin aka Samurai X has been considered by many as one of the best anime series of all time. This is more so for people who were already watching anime in the 90s. Now imagine then the reaction of seasoned fans, and recent anime fans when it was announced that a remake of this much beloved anime was going to be released in 2023. Got that image in your head? Further imagine then that the first stop of the worldwide screening event of this anime outside of Japan is in the Philippines. My reaction: sign me up.

Standees of the Main Characters of Rurouni Kenshin

The Worldwide Screening Event for Rurouni Kenshin was held in SM Megamall last Sunday, June 25. The screening showed the first four episodes of the series which is slated to be shown in Japan starting July 7. LIDENFILMS is the new anime studio responsible for its development. The animation style captures the feel of the 1996 original release while maintaining some of its own unique flavor. Additionally, it has a new opening, and closing songs that add a modern feel to this remake.

(Left) Seiyu Taku Yashiro (Right) Seiyu Makoto Koichi

But, this was just not a screening event. Before the actual viewing, we were graced with the presence of two key seiyu (voice actors) of the anime in Tako Yashiro who plays Sanosuke Sagara, and Makoto Koichi who plays Yahiko Myojin. Both were interviewed about their experiences being part of the production for Rurouni Kenshin. They were also available for audience interaction after the screening. Honestly, when this event was announced, I was hoping that one of the seiyu invited would be Rie Takahashi. I was a bit disappointed when I found out she wasn’t one of the invited seiyu. Lucky for me though that I was able to speak to an Aniplex representative (he wouldn’t give me his name), and I was told that she was in another event for the anime in the United States. Maybe next time, she’ll get to visit the Philippines as she is not only one of my favorite seiyu, she is also seiyu anime royalty. According to the organizers of the event, that might be a distinct possibility. I can only hope that Rie Takahashi would be one of those invited seiyu in the future.

Rurouni Kenshin Merchandise

As part of the event, if you were lucky enough to get them, participation in the Worldwide Screening included some promotional merchandise which included a shirt, and signed character cards. Personally, I was most excited in getting the shirt since I haven’t had a Kenshin geek shirt in a while. Also, since Rie Takahashi wasn’t around, I couldn’t help but geek out with the her signed character card for Kaoru Kamiya. These souvenirs added to the hype for me of this eagerly anticipated anime remake of Rurouni Kenshin.

Pre-viewing screen inside the Cinema

As for the four episode movie itself, I had all the nostalgia, and epic elements of a great anime remake. The anime was as good as advertised, and I can’t wait to see more of it. Though, not hearing Judy and Mary deliver the opening song was somewhat disappointing (I mean it’s iconic), the new intro song carries the same emotional intensity that this latest iteration of Rurouni Kenshin has. Since I’ve seen this anime before, I wasn’t surprised that the theatrical pre-release ended in a cliffhanger. We don’t have long to wait though. The summer anime season is just around the corner, and we’ll be seeing the full run of this beloved anime sooner rather than later.