Difference?

[Kalel07]

Hello all. I found some Rurouni Kenshin box sets to buy, but i cant figure out the differences between a few. The sets are called Rurouni Kenshin: Wandering Samurai Premium Collection and Rurouni Kenshin TV Series - Season 1, and i found the sets from dvdplanet.com The sets look to be the same episodes. Can anyone help? Sorry i couldnt link because i dont have enough post yet.

[7Raven7]

Buying Rouruni Kenshin 101:

Ok, so among the famous Rouruni Kenshin anime we have the following:


-Rouruni Kenshin: TV series
-Rouruni Kenshin: movie
-Rouruni Kenshin: OVA (also known as Samurai X. Trust and Betrayal tell the pre-series story while Reflection tells a post-series story.)

When you talk box sets, you are typically talking about the series. DO NOT get the OVA boxsets, waist of money IMHO.

If I'm not mistaken, the series is typically broken in threes when you see it in boxsets:

Rouruni Kenshin, season 1: Wandering Samurai (eps. 1-27)
Rouruni Kenshin, season 2: Letter from Kyoto (eps. 28-62)
Rouruni Kenshin, season 3: Meiji Era (eps. 63-95)

There are also economy boxsets, not sure if there are thinkpaks out yet however it should be pretty easy to buy season one, then two, etc.

Recommendation:
Try the Trust and Betrayal OVA first. If you are an English Dub type of person, I highly recommend the Director's cut as it leaves in a lot of material cut out to save time in other releases and it puts it into a convinient movie format.

Not only does this OVA tend to have the best of what Kenshin has to offer but it is way cheaper than investing in one of the series. If you become a fan then you might be a little more willing to invest some of your hard-earned dollars on those $100+ box sets.

Going into the series know that you will not be following the same pwnage Kenshin displayed in the OVA. He is by far more mild and almost to the point of being rediculous, but this is still amazingly entertaining. Even still, only the true blue fan will delve into the last season which is often descrbed as "filler" so wait until you have watched the second season before decisiding whether to buy this.

The Movie is along the same lines, a step down from the series. And then if you are insanely still in love at that point and absolutely have to have more go for the last OVA. I, myself, have not gotten that far yet.

[animanic_critic]

Recommendation:
Try the Trust and Betrayal OVA first. If you are an English Dub type of person, I highly recommend the Director's cut as it leaves in a lot of material cut out to save time in other releases and it puts it into a convinient movie format.
Personally, I think watching the series prior to the OVA is the better choice. Yes, it makes more sense to watch the whole story chronologically by starting with the OVA first, but then you'll miss the grandeur and magnificence of the OVA itself. IF you watch (and yeah, be mesmerized by it) the OVA first, I can assure you that you'll be disappointed by the series' mediocrity.

Plus, watching the OVA afterwards will give that priceless sense of nolstagia on how he and Saito Hajime/Mibu wolves first met and later on famously went head-to-head, plus the ending scene replicating the series' opening scene in turn. Most importantly, it will give you the enlightening feeling of how Kenshin got his cross-scar and the resolution to not kill anyone anymore.

This is after all just my 2-cents.

[L-sama]

Personally, I think watching the series prior to the OVA is the better choice. Yes, it makes more sense to watch the whole story chronologically by starting with the OVA first, but then you'll miss the grandeur and magnificence of the OVA itself. IF you watch (and yeah, be mesmerized by it) the OVA first, I can assure you that you'll be disappointed by the series' mediocrity.

Plus, watching the OVA afterwards will give that priceless sense of nolstagia on how he and Saito Hajime/Mibu wolves first met and later on famously went head-to-head, plus the ending scene replicating the series' opening scene in turn. Most importantly, it will give you the enlightening feeling of how Kenshin got his cross-scar and the resolution to not kill anyone anymore.

This is after all just my 2-cents.

Quoted for truth on everything EXCEPT the mediocrity part. Perhaps I'm interpreting it wrong, but my no means is the TV series mediocre. If anything, I'll agree to the fact that the ending wasn't all it should've been, but other than that, the TV series is pretty darn good.

[Milkymagic]

The Movie is along the same lines, a step down from the series. And then if you are insanely still in love at that point and absolutely have to have more go for the last OVA. I, myself, have not gotten that far yet.

The OVAs Trust and Betrayal were well done, but for the record, that movie was just boring. Definitely only get that movie if you're desperate for more. Actually, that sort of thing goes for most anime series, doesn't it? (give or take the good eggs like Patlabor or Urusei Yatsura movies for example)

I'd say go with what AC says and watch the TV series first, because even I had to go through my own disbelief at how different the TV was from the OVA. Of course, I haven't seen the entire Rurouni Kenshin TV, just some episodes on Cartoon Network years ago and it didn't fit well with my prior experience with the Trust and Betrayal OVAs. But I'd agree with the notion of starting with the TV, then using your interest to know the main character better to dive into his origins with the vastly different OVA (they're related only chronologically, yet their respective feels are quite different). I haven't seen the OVA Reflection yet, but that's merely because it takes place after the TV series (so I wouldn't want to ruin anything by watching that first).

TV Series, OVA, and if you're desperate you can even seek out that movie.

That's just what I felt was best.

[animanic_critic]

I, by no means, meant that the series is utter mediocre... but if you put it in comparison with the OVA, any hardcore RK fans will have to submit and confess that the series is nowhere near the OVA in terms of sheer caliber.

Yes, there were some riveting moment in the series (most notably Kenshin's battles with Shishio and others during the Kyoto Arc) but there were too many stereotypical and overly-exaggerated scenes, unlike the OVA where the sequences are done without overdoing them.

In conclusion, the series is good for both avid and casual viewing, but I suggest that you give the episodes after the Kyoto Arc a pass because in all honestly, they're gibberish and most of all, a waste of time.