Samurai X Trust - OpusZine
- OpusZine
- Jason Morehead
- 06/30/01
- click here
Samurai X: Trust
'Samurai X' begins with the slaughter of a unarmed peasants by a group of bandits. The lone survivor is a small boy, Shinta, who is rescued by a wandering swordsman. In order to help Shinta avenge the deaths of his friends, and to prepare him for a cruel world, the swordsman takes Shinta as his student and renames him Kenshin. Kenshin wishes to use his considerable skills to make the world better, to protect the innocents... the usual schtick. However, his master warns him that his particular talent can mean only one thing. In order to make the world a better place, Kenshin will have to become a killer.
Kenshin becomes an assassin for the Choshu Clan, who are greatly impressed with the young man's skills as a swordsman. He quickly becomes the best they have, dispatching opponents with unparalleled speed and savagery. However, he does so with little feeling. He's little more than a shell of a man, and indeed, Kenshin does and says little throughout the two episodes on this DVD. He only becomes alive when he's killing, and it's apparent that it's soon going to take a toll on his young mind.
During a particularly messy incident, he meets a young woman named Tomoe, who may or may not be the former fiance of one of Kenshin's victims. Of course, both of them are ignorant to this possibility, and the audience is left to wonder what will happen when the truth comes out. Tomoe becomes a servant in the Choshu Clan, and though Kenshin avoids her and keeps an emotional rift between them, she does what she can to bridge that gap.
Meanwhile, the political machinations of the Choshu Clan are becoming more and more tenuous. Their attempts to oppose the Shogun are coming under increasing attack. And when a notorious band of warriors arrive in town to arrest and kill political dissidents, you know something bad is about to go down. Soon, all hell breaks loose, and Kenshin and Tomoe are forced to fend for themselves.
The first two episodes of this OAV mostly set the stage, introducing characters and such. Kenshin is the focus here, and his bloody lifestyle. By the end of the second episode, cracks are beginning to appear in his stony facade, and it's obvious that the constant killing is beginning to take it's toll on him. Even his masters realize that, and assign Tomoe to watch over and comfort him. Most of what happens deals with the Choshu Clan, and Kenshin's role in their attempts to change Japan. As such, it can get a little confusing and disappointing, because the truly interesting story here is Kenshin and how a young man can deal with all of the blood he's shed.
I haven't seen the last 2 episodes, but I have a feeling that there's no happy ending in sight. And I don't think there should be. This is a very, very serious film; there are no light moments or humorous incidents. Even the style of the animation, with its pale colors and slow movements, implies this. The only time the animation becomes 'active' is during the violence, with limbs getting hacked off, bodies getting split apart, and copious amounts of blood spraying everywhere. Like 'Ninja Scroll', this is not one for the kids.
I'll confess feeling a little cold towards the series, but I'm left really wanting to see how the events pan out. There's a lot of potential here, and it's built up slowly and steadily. A lot of questions are left unanswered, and though I have a pretty good idea how things are going to wrap up, I'm also expecting a few surprises.
Reviewed By Jason Morehead
Posted on Saturday, June 30, 2001 (Archive on Monday, July 30, 2001)