The OVA I choose to forget

This article plans to discuss why, I, as an individual, despise the Seihousen Ova (Reflections), due to not only it’s horrible ending, but the various contradictions it introduced and expanded upon.

The “Ending”

Rurouni Kenshin is a very generous manga (or anime). Watsuki states several times, (moreover let’s mention a free talk in Volume 22) that “manga need a clear ending”, and this is exactly how he establishes his manga, a clear and nice ending-peaceful but leaving its impact on fans everywhere. Then comes the Seihousen, years later, making up not only a sad ending, but utterly implausible! Now why is this you might ask?

First of all, if everyone recalls, the Jinchuu arc, one of the most memorable parts of the series, ended the manga. In these volumes, Watsuki not only makes Kenshin go through a total denial of his soul and ideals (after Kaoru’s death) but then miraculously pulls him out of the depths of his soul to look not towards the past, but the future. Kenshin finds his answer. He even tells Kaoru “I found my answer.” But then, in the Seisouhen, Kenshin goes off to war (a subject which I will address later), then leaves his family and child to go wander off somewhere to find his answer.

MY QUESTION: Kenshin FOUND his answer! He found it, so why in hell’s name would he leave his family, and go wander again? The excuse they give for this ridiculous change is that Kenshin is “no longer a swordsman” and that his new way of helping people is to “suffer as they are.” Kenshin knows plenty well about the world, he himself was brought up as an orphan (probably sold to slavery), from the beginning he knew the harshness. In his many lessons to Yahiko in the manga, he even reflects upon it. Kenshin knows that the world in unfair, I mean what do you think Tomoe taught him? He knew that the only way to have “peace” for the era was to kill people (a task that he took upon himself knowing the innocent lives he was taking). I don’t think that Kenshin would be stupid enough to take upon himself such an impossible task. He learned his lesson from the Bakamatsu—he saw what had happened before, and even he himself clearly realized how “right” Hiko was in this. That he cannot save the world, and Kenshin would never do something so stupid as leave the people who he cares the most about and selfishly leave Kaoru to fend for herself. He has other responsibilities. I mean for god SAKE! He could barely leave her when he went towards Shishio’s fight (one that he went to knowing full well that it was his fault Shishio was born), you think he would leave her again? If anything, he cherishes Kaoru even more and would not forget his duties to her and his son.

Personally, the only thing that I find appealing about this whole scenario is the ending theme of Kenshin’s scar disappearing. This, I believe, could happen, because Kenshin would have found his peace, but certainly not in the way that was portrayed in the Seisouhen. The Seisouhen was something Watsuki knew about, but according to his commentaries and free talks we all know, Watsuki-san loves happy endings. He wouldn’t like this retard story-line. RuroKen is about finding yourself, not finding yourself, losing yourself, and then finding yourself again. It just doesn’t make any sort of sense!!

The second point I would like to make it about the war. Why would Kenshin go off to a war? Kenshin vowed never to kill anybody, so why would he just trot to the government and tell them “Okay, I’ll go to war for you!” Kenshin would never do such a thing, and as I mentioned above he was even iffy about Shishio’s fight. It’s really ridiculous for him to accept such a thing. Also, by the story-line of the Seisouhen, the government would have grown even more powerful and corrupt by this point (if any of you know the Japanese history behind this), all the more reason NOT to go. Ken-san was past his thirties, he had other things to worry about, and he already hated fighting and blood shed. The Seisouhen mentioned that Kenshin wanted to go to help those in need, but what is the difference between this, the Kenshin we would know would probably just oppose the war altogether. He knows that in the midst of things he couldn’t be of any help, especially medically.

Speaking of wandering, the reason why he left was supposedly because he wanted to “suffer” like they did etc. It is the most ridiculous philosophy I have ever heard. Kenshin did not, in any of manga, put upon himself a self-infliction that way, he never self-inflicted himself, being all emo to suffer like they did. He CANNOT be like them, and suffer as that, he knows the world around him and knows the ugliness and beauty both. For example, if he really wanted to suffer the way others did, he would have killed himself for killing those other people. He is not dumb enough to go and self-inflict on himself pain. It just is not his philosophy throughout the entire manga. Also, Kenshin has suffered enough, he has dealt with his past demons, and he also knows well enough that he cannot save everyone. This is one of the ironies he figured out through the OVA’s, that he just simply can’t save everyone, and that Hiko had warned him of this. That at the end some side will lose, and he’ll just end up becoming a pawn making himself miserable. This brings me to the point that Kenshin does not live for other people, if he lived for other people then this philosophy for “suffering like they do” would make perfect sense. That whole theory of his life not being his own is definitely negated in the series. Kenshin lives his life for others in the beginning, of course, this is the fault he realizes later on in the series. Sure in the OVA he lived for the girls, then for the people (at least that is what he believed), and then Tomoe. The thing is though, this is addressed in the series in the form of Kenshin’s will to die and live. When Hiko teaches him the Amakakeru No Hiramiki, he tells Kenshin that the reason he reverts back to Battousai is BECAUSE he lived for OTHERS, and not for himself, that he must value his own life, and if he did not value that, it will always convert him back to the Battousai which was always his side where he cared about nothing but others, drowning himself into others’ wants, greed, and ideals. Furthermore, Kenshin never said his life belonged to others, he said in the later volumes of Jinchuu arc of the manga that his answer was to ATONE for his sins, he does not merely belong to the people he has killed, though he has a duty towards them. He must also live in the present and protect the ones who are living at the present. He finds this answer of course, after the Kaoru doll incident, where he must fight with his inner self. So hence, combined with these two facts, I must tell you I strongly believe that Kenshin does live for others, but also for himself. If he lived for others only he would not value his own life, we see his deep rooted fear of death right in front of Hiko. You cannot survive living for others.

Next thing I want to point out is Sanosuke. Sano would never let Kenshin get on that boat alone, please, that is not the case. Also, with the amount of time that has elapsed, I strongly believe Sano would be back already or at least visit. He is the travelling type, not tied down to anything in Japan, but Sano has a home as well and he would probably want to come back after like 15 years to take care of it. Especially since by this time his dad would be really old and at the time period, probably close to his time limit anyways…

In all terms, the Seisouhen was a poor representation of the the RurokKen series. All it established was a deranged ending and confused all RuroKen fans around the world. For all those SONY people, let me say clearly that I don’t support your stupid OVA, all it did was disappoint me and give the series of Kenshin a bad name. A name that you have tainted forever, but all of us who are smarter than you know better.