I am familiar with both manga and anime, but I am not going to knit-pick the movie in comparison to the original material. The movie was a very decent effort.
What I liked about this adaptation was the characterization. The director let each actor's own quality that connects with each character come through. They were believable, not as a 3D copy of 2D original, but as characters in a movie. Sato was pretty much a perfect choice for Kenshin. The last time I saw him was in a TV series Ryomaden in which he played an innocent youth manipulated into becoming an assassin by his mentor. (familiar theme? it's in the same era too) His almost vulnerable, gentle quality worked well there for the tragic character, and it does here as well to contrast Kenshin's dark side. Cinematography was beautiful, and I thought action scenes were entertaining. Visually it was satisfying over all.
What disappointed me was the storytelling. It had missed many opportunities where the movie could go a little deeper. Personally I'd prefer interesting dialogs/plot line over multiple action scenes. Characterization was well done, so I wish I could've seen the drama among those characters more. Lastly, music. Those dramatic tunes with chanting are so overused.
Still, it is one of the best adaptation of manga/anime, and there is great potential, should they decide to make a sequel, and I'd see it if they make one.
What I liked about this adaptation was the characterization. The director let each actor's own quality that connects with each character come through. They were believable, not as a 3D copy of 2D original, but as characters in a movie. Sato was pretty much a perfect choice for Kenshin. The last time I saw him was in a TV series Ryomaden in which he played an innocent youth manipulated into becoming an assassin by his mentor. (familiar theme? it's in the same era too) His almost vulnerable, gentle quality worked well there for the tragic character, and it does here as well to contrast Kenshin's dark side. Cinematography was beautiful, and I thought action scenes were entertaining. Visually it was satisfying over all.
What disappointed me was the storytelling. It had missed many opportunities where the movie could go a little deeper. Personally I'd prefer interesting dialogs/plot line over multiple action scenes. Characterization was well done, so I wish I could've seen the drama among those characters more. Lastly, music. Those dramatic tunes with chanting are so overused.
Still, it is one of the best adaptation of manga/anime, and there is great potential, should they decide to make a sequel, and I'd see it if they make one.