Writer: Casey Lee

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Watch this if you liked: "Rurouni Kenshin" & "Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno"

The Good, the Bad and the Legend:

After being found on the shores at the end of "Kyoto Inferno", Himura Kenshin wakes up to find that he has been saved by his master, Hiko Seijuro. Personally experiencing the lost against Shishio and his henchmen, Himura asks to be taught the ultimate technique of Seijuro's sword style, knowing that he will need it to defeat his toughest opponent yet. While Himura finds reason for his oath and trains tirelessly in his master's secluded hut, Shishio continues to spread his reign of terror on the new government. By holding the villages within bombardment range of his battleship as hostages, Shishio demands the government to disavow and execute Himura as a public enemy.

If you were hoping that the action would pick up where it last left off, then you would need to sheath your enthusiasm for a bit. Director Keishi Ohtomo meditates through a good half of the movie for Kenshin to find his inner strength. While these moments do not necessarily seem out of place in a samurai flick, but the emphasis placed here seems to suggest that Ohtomo is struggling with the tonal dissonance by trying to reach some enlightenment for the characters, even if the enlightenment can only reach the levels of a comic-book, rather than some holy text.

This leaves a cost to pay as many side characters are given less screen time, even though they are compensated by a few lingering shots that creeps the performance, leaving the impression that they are just undeveloped dusts to be swept aside for the sacred battleground between Kenshin and his shadow twin, Shishio. Casual viewers may not notice this, but the almost absence of the Juppongatana (with whatever screen time they have cut terribly short by Saito's blade or humoursly pounded by Sanosuke's fist) may come off as a disservice to fans who thought they would have a few moments to shine, given that they were setup in "Kyoto Inferno".

Ignoring the structural flaws though, "The Legend Ends" is still a technical flourish that is pleasant to the eyes and ears. Thanks largely again to the Ohtomo-Sato-Ishizaka combo that worked so well in "Kyoto Inferno". The battle may be less numerous than "Kyoto Inferno", but the extended length and visceral action far makes up for the numbers, and the wait it takes to get there. This time added with the tacky special effects for Shishio's burning blade (though not given much explanation), and the final fight is one of the epic moments that fans have been waiting to see.

"Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends" may end the trilogy on a high note, but it ends short of being the legend of cinematic adaptations by a directorial voice that viciously pulls against the chains of its source material.

Look Out For:

The final fight with Shisio.

Trivia:

Although there were wires used in some sequences, the wall walks done during the fight scenes were performed for real by the actors without any help from contraptions.

Best Watched With:

Fans of the manga/anime or those who watched "Kyoto Inferno".

Cinema Online, 27 November 2014