Title: Rurouni Kenshin: Restoration, Volume 2
Author: Nobuhiro Watsuki
Distributor: Viz Media
American Release Date: January 7th, 2014
Format: Viz Sig Manga
Genre: Action, Adventure, Shonen
Publisher Age Rating: T (for Teen)
Personal Review Rating: B
Life after the Meiji Era has come with many perks, such as amazing new foods. But though some things change, the way of the swords remains as the art of killing.
Synopsis:
Being a swordsman has most definitely gone down in popularity. Even old samurai families who were once wealthy aristocrats are now poor civilians verging on the brink of bankruptcy. One such family, the Sanjo family, is almost to the point of having to sell of their daughter, who is now a waitress at a popular modern restaurant. Yahiko used to live next the Sanjo family, and was even close friends with the daughter, Tsubame. It’s had to believe that in three years, they lost all of their wealth, but Yahiko plans on saving Tsubame from being sold off. However, there is a very powerful “unscrupulous merchant” who will either end the Sanjo family, or save it. Yahiko has to decide if he will save Tsubame, or sell of the Kamiya Dojo.
Meanwhile, there is a murderous madman out to get Kenshin. He seeks the ultimate thrill one gets when they defeat their enemy. Simply killing people is not enough. He needs to get to Kenshin. Kenshin hears about the man, and decides that he will need to seek him out, and end him quickly.
Commentary:
This release is essentially a rerelease of the original Rurouni Kenshi. There are some changes, but Watsuki is basically just going off of the feedback from the first series. There is nothing wrong with that! Rurouni Kenshin is one of those series that will last a long time. It’s an easier read, but, if you look a little deeper, there are many layers and complexities that can make the story more engrossing. This being the series’ second time around, it’s become even more solid as a story. The characters have some new sides to them, and they almost feel more relatable. That said, Rurouni Kenshin has some problems. The restoration that happened during the Meiji is an interesting period of time, but it doesn’t make a good setting for a story like this. Most of the main characters are still too attached to the past and instead of the good guys fighting the bad guys, it’s more like the protagonist fighting modernization (in their thoughts).
Overall Grade: B
Rurouni Kenshin has always been a fairly solid series, and with this being the rebuild, it’s only become stronger.
