phoenix 2 The sequel of the first samurai movie has a lots of action but some unsolved plot twists. The main character, having finally found peace, he is summoned back into the world of killing in order to preserve that peace. Honestly, the girl who always gets disappointed over the non killing thing was annoying, but other than that, she wasn't in the film much. The action sword scenes were really good and the whole thing was once again a big production when it came to settings, costumes and special effects. The performances were good as well. But, my only concern was that everything seemed to just pave the way towards the third movie. So, 8 out of 10.

Demian Herrera As a fan of RK since young, (seing Trust and Betraya AKA Tsuikohen OVA, Reflection AKA SEISOUHEN OVA, the new shin Kyoto arc, the 95 chapters of the anime and the 24 volumes of the manga) i was a little exceptic on the movie. I believe its well done there's action when needs to be, but there are the dialogs that characterize Kenshin always, his reflections, his life, so you wont start with actions scenes fast in this movie. Sanosuke here its more as a buffoon, than he is normally but on the anime series he was a mix of serious character and jokes like kenshin but here they sometimes tend to overact the joke part, but he gets his serious moment and hes anger moments like in the anime/manga very often very good. SPOILERS If you seen the first movie you now that Aoshi doesn't appear so his background has changed but its very well adapted the change, the actor portraying Aoshi didn't look good for me for the part as one has seen Aoshi, but he did a good performance and the fight between him and the Oniwabanshu leader was nicely done. There's a change but a good one between the first soujiro and kenshin fight. MEGA SPOILERS The thing that shocked my most was the farewell of kenshin and kaoru it was on daylight with no cherry-blossoms, which where the characteristics that made that moment remarkable. Also people would know it would be hard but Anji's, Hiko Seijuros character wont resemble the originals, but two Japanese like that i think would be hard, and Chos's last sword as everyone would expect has changed.

A_Different_Drummer It is interesting that westerners (of which this reviewer is one) have no trouble reviewing Asian anime but (being truthful here) get a little lost when reviewing a live action film adapted from anime.I am not sure why this is, but perhaps a PhD candidate might investigate if he or she has the time? In the west, there is no problem going from animation to live action; indeed, in most cases the live action precedes the animation.In Japan however the transition is often awkward. Keeping in mind that the Japanese ALREADY have a very stylized and unique POV in their live action films (especially the older ones) then forcing the director to start with anime material only makes the end result more ... bizarre.The point is that, even if you are FANBOY for Kenshin Himura and his many adventures (yes, I confess I am) the film still feels slightly awkward by western standards.It is way overlong, and, as in the anime, it combines elements of extreme violence and extreme silliness which mix like oil and water. (Consider the performance of the actor playing Sonoske, who, in the anime, actually has some dignity. Here he is a buffoon.) Did I mention it is overlong? Kenshin does not actually touch a sword until 45:00 in to this 2:15 spectacular, To the western moviegoer, that is a long time. (I suspect it is to Asian moviegoers as well).That said, it is an improvement over the first feature-length live action Kenshin movie in the trilogy, the pace feels less forced, and every effort is made to make the baddie seem like he escaped from a Bond film. Which helps maintain interest.I realize the above is hardly a sterling endorsement. If you are fan of the character, it is worth the watch, regardless of the above comments.However, don't expect closure. There is a third instalment to the series aptly named "The Legend Ends" and no doubt a proper review will require including that as well...

ctowyi When I watch Japanese movies about samurais, ronins and ninjas, swordplay and kungfu are never the reason. Japanese sword fighting just CMI - it starts with a physical pose, one powerful swipe and the man is down and forever out. How interesting can that be? But the Japanese puts more effort into the foreplay and the aftermath of the fights. The motivation for the fight and the consequence are always examined in keen details. Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno does that as well and I am glad to add that it ups the ante on the sword fights. My knowledge of the universe of Rurouni Kenshin is pathetic. I have only watched an episode of the anime and decided it wasn't my thing, but I do know it is a cult series and a pop culture phenomenon. I also missed the earlier 2012 film. So I really went into this like a blind Zatoichi samurai film lover and I just love it, all 139 minutes of it. First of all, this is the first part of a two parter. It feels like an elaborate setup for the ultimate Battle Royale and I am so hyped for the last part now. Thank goodness it will hit our cinemas on 2nd October. Is this a complete film by itself? No, but it works like a Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back kind of way. I know a lot of the critics' complaints are centered on which aspects - too long, too many characters, too much info to digest, and the pacing is not furious enough. To some extent I do see where the complaints come from but I really didn't mind the duration. For a layman like me, I feel the director, Keishi Ohtomo told his story with great clarity, perhaps even too much clarity. It does feel over-written especially if you already know the world of Kenshin. All the characters' motivations are clearly depicted. There are indeed a myriad of characters on screen but I never have a feeling they are under-developed to the point of detriment. Perhaps the only relationship I feel suffered is the love between Kaoru and Kenshin. Wished I had seen more of that because she looks great.There is quite a bit of exposition of past events but IMO these scenes didn't feel tagged on for people who wandered into the cinema knowing nothing of the back stories. I think Ohtomo was trying to cater to two camps of movie patrons - the fans and the curious ones like me and the wifey. With regards to the pacing, I thought Ohtomo handled it well. When things start to sag, a fight scene comes in. I absolutely love the exhilarating fight choreography and I am sure I have not seen anything like this in Japanese samurai films. For a movie that is about a cult manga, the titular characters all look and behave exactly like their manga counterparts. The clothes, intricate set designs and modern soundtrack, all tied in together for a sumptuous feast. I know I did miss out on some manga/anime references because the boisterous crowd last night was full on hyped up and laughing away. For a movie that is one week old the 90% crowd last night was superb. Finally, talking about boisterous audience, there were two PRC girls sitting in front of us. At the final scene where yet a new character is introduced, the two girls screamed their heads off and arms gesticulated everywhere. I looked at my wife feeling amused by their antics. Later on she told me who is the actor and I 'screamed' and 'flailed' my arms. It is Masaharu Fukuyama, but I know him better as Professor Yukawa of Galileo and Suspect X fame.