Kenshingumi has barely gotten started after Kenshin, Sanosuke, and Yahiko tear through a small army just to get to Kanryu’s front door. The army was the easy part. Aoshi Shinomori and the elite warriors of the Oniwabanshu were waiting inside. Rurouni Kenshin Episode 11 will show how a wandering samurai and a brawler will fare against some of the best warriors Japan has to offer.
Episode 11 — Savage Han’nya・Honorable Shikijo
New Rurouni Kenshin Theme Songs
That’s right, we can jam out to new theme songs. The new opening theme is “Rurou no Katashiro” by Masaki Suda and Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra.
The new ending theme is “Existence” by Kid Phenomenon. These are only TV-size theme songs and they haven’t appeared in the anime series yet. I hope we don’t have to wait too long to hear the full-length versions. “Nibun no Ichi” by Makoto Kawamoto didn’t replace “Sobakasu” as the opening theme until Episode 39 in the 1996 iteration, so we may have to wait a while.
Rurouni Kenshin: Past and Present — The Ninja of Oniwabanshu
Han’nya’s appearance has changed as much as Hyottoko’s and Shikijo’s. His appearance in 1996 more closely matches his 2023 color scheme. No real reasons are given this time, but he now has a lighter color scheme, as seen in the images above.
Rurouni Kenshin: Past and Present — The Muscle of Oniwabanshu
Shikijo has seen a change in color scheme similar to Hyottoko. His greenish skin was toned down to be more natural. Just as before, his colors were changed for the manga covers for the 22-volume kanzenban edition and 14-volume bunkoban edition.
Rurouni Kenshin: Past and Present — Kenshin vs. Han’nya
This is one of the truly epic and memorable fights in Rurouni Kenshin. It’s a great fight scene in both the 1996 and 2023 iterations. There are still a few differences that set them apart, however. The interior of Kanryu’s manor has certainly changed. Kenshin and Han’nya have their fight in a well-lit grand entryway in 2023, while their fight happens in a dimly lit hallway in 1996. Coupled with Han’nya’s muffled voice and the steam he emits from behind his mask, Han’nya appears far more demonic.
Han’nya also landed more hits on Kenshin in 1996. Kenshin was able to raise his sword during Han’nya’s backhand strike in the new episode, whereas he took the hit head-on back then. Likewise, since Kaoru isn’t around to explain how Kenshin uses the Shinken defensive stance against Han’nya’s Shinwan technique, Han’nya has to do it. I really wish they kept Kaoru in, it was nice to see her show her skills in combat. Samurai girls are always nice to see.
Kenshin’s counterattack looked far more fluid in 1996 than it does in 2023. Back then, Kenshin dodged to the side and spun around to hit the side of Han’nya’s head. In 2023, he leaped back and charged with a diagonal strike on top of Han’nya’s head.
This also changes how Han’nya’s mask breaks. In the past, only the side that Kenshin hit breaks, whereas now, it’s split in two. We do get Han’nya’s backstory in this version, however. They glossed over how his face became disfigured in 1996, but in 2023, he explains everything.
Round 2 is far shorter in the 1996 version. The match ends the same after Kenshin breaks the claws in a collision, but the 2023 adaptation gives the fight more screen time.
Rurouni Kenshin: Past and Present — Sanosuke vs. Shikijo
The scenes leading up to this differ between adaptations. Back in 1996, Sanosuke tossed Yahiko into a group of grunts, and Kaoru joined him to fight. In 2023, Kanryu tried to convince Megumi to run away with him. We really could have used that Yahiko and Kaoru fight scene. It was just better than Kanryu trying to reason with Megumi.
Shikijo was already KO’d in the 1996 iteration, as we discussed before. The fight is a lot less even than it was back then. Shikijo seems to toss Sanosuke like a ragdoll, whereas in the past, Sanosuke could go toe to toe with him. Kenshin and Sanosuke meet up with Aoshi after Han’nya is defeated, and Aoshi KO’d Sanosuke in a single hit. That was then, and this is now. Sanoske’s fight with Shikijo happens inside the manor, and as before, he grabs the metal ball like a champ.
Unfortunately, Sanosuke didn’t break the chain like he did back in 1996, so Shikijo uses it to trap his arm to deal tremendous strikes. Sanosuke does eventually break the chain, but it is later than before. It would have saved him some time and pain if he had better timing.
Han’nya had done some research into Sanosuke, which Shikijo reveals during their meeting. This research, and Sanosuke’s fighting abilities, lead Shikijo to offer him a spot in the Oniwabanshu. This obviously never happened in the past. We also didn’t get Shikijo’s backstory back then either, so this is a net gain. The fight ended with Sanosuke delivering a mighty punch to the face as before. However, he stood like a champ and kept going in 1996. In 2023, he thought about Sozo Sagara before passing out.
Rurouni Kenshin Ep. 12: Okashira・Aoshi Shinomori
The episode ends with Kenshin finally meeting Aoshi, and asking him to step aside while he searches for Megumi. Aoshi refuses, as Han’nya had done before. He tells Kenshin to ask him again with his sakabato. The two then prepare to duel. We’ll see another truly epic duel next week.
Sanosuke suggested that Shikijo duel Kenshin to recover something important that he had lost. Perhaps Kenshin is one of those anime characters that knock sense into people after a fight. In that instance, maybe he should duel one of the corrupted characters from the Fate series. The Avenger/Jeanne d’Arc [Alter] POP UP PARADE Figure is now available for pre-order.
What did you think of this week’s episode? Did you like that the Han’nya and Shikijo fight scenes were extended? Do you think Sanosuke was too overwhelmed, and it should have been more balanced? Let us know in the comments below.
Source: Anime Corner
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