Rurouni Kenshin Part II: Kyoto Inferno (2014) User Reviews

Setting Up a Battle Royale in the Third Film

[3xHCCH · 7/10 · 20 August 2014]

"Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno" picks up where the excellent first episode left off. The year is 1878, the New Age of Japan has taken over the Imperial/Samurai Age.

A ruthlessly ambitious and dangerous assassin, who was thought to have been executed in the last war, Makato Sishio, had been killing a large number of policemen. Officials seek out Himura Kenshin, the young wanderer ex-assassin with the X-scar on his left cheek, as the only possible match against Sishio. Upon receiving the invitation from the government officials and seeing the terrors inflicted by Sishio and his goons on the citizenry, Kenshin accepts the challenge and sets off to Kyoto to seek out and put an end to Sishio's mad plans.

From the first film, we still have Kenshin's friends: fencing instructor Kaoru, street fighter Sonosuke, doctor Megumi and the young boy Yahiko. We also see samurai-turned-police chief Hajime Saito.

Aside from a couple of big battle scenes where Kenshin practically single-handedly plows through entire troops of Sishio's soldiers, we also see Kenshin in several impressively choreographed one-on-one fights scenes with major supporting characters. First he had a funny fight scene with feisty little Misao Makimachi, who tries to steal his sword. Kenshin fought elegantly with Sojiro, Sishio's effeminate but highly-skilled right-hand man, which actually resulted in the breaking of Kenshin's old trusty back-bladed sword. Kenshin has a big brutal fight with the crazy blond fighter, Cho, which gained for him a new sword to continue his fight with.

Another big fight scene was between Elder, the leader of the Hidden Watchers, a group of vigilante ninjas of which Misao was a leader, and an enigmatic side character Aoiji, an ex-Hidden Watcher who was now on a singular mission to kill the Battosai (a.k.a. Kenshin). His appearance in this film is quite puzzling.

As with the first film, the cinematography, costumes and production design are all so meticulously good. The execution of the fight scenes are also so very well-done. The musical score ranged from traditional Japanese melodies to rock music during the climactic and fiery Kyoto Inferno scene.

However, this second film is clearly just a bridge between the first and a future third film. Even if this film lasted for a long 2 and a half hours, all this one did was set up a battle-royale between Kenshin and Sishio in the third and final film. Unlike the first movie, this film does not end like it could stand by itself. The ending of this one is obviously set up as a cliffhanger for bigger things to come. Fortunately for us, we will only have to wait just another more month to watch that.

Finally! Live-action catches up to Anime!

[boss-981-447297 · 8/10 · 19 December 2014]

Asian studios have been trying to adapt manga/anime to live-action for decades. They all failed.

Finally, we can call all this pre-Rurouni Kenshin. The first movie had some flaws, some unbalance, but it ultimately delivered. Now, Kyoto Inferno is a great 2nd part leading the way to The Legend Ends.

The Shishio Makoto story-arc is super long in the manga. All the Juppongatana mini-story arcs were left behind because of that. This makes it possible to condense it to 2 movies.

So, do not expect deeper character development. The movie decided to focus on the very specific attempt to bring down the government and undo the Meiji Ishin (by the way, do read about it at Wikipedia, go look for the terms "Bakumatsu", "Meiji Restoration" and you will understand better the background about Sekigahara, Toba-Fushimi, and you will feel less lost in case you don't know Japanese History).

If you watched the anime or read the mangas (which I highly recommend), you will easily feel in the gaps with what you already know. The movie stitches together several memorable scenes from the source material.

Some parts had to be adapted, of course, and I think they did a good job, specially on how they fit the Oniwabanshu. Not sure how the Aoshi story-arc will fit in the next movie.

This movie had to remove several stuff from the source material in order not to look silly in a live-action, such as the special moves, screaming attacks ("Ryuutsuisen!"). But I'm most interested in how they will fit Kenshin's mentor of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu on the next movie (in the manga he will teach him the ultimate moves, Kuzuryuusen and Amakakeru Ryuu no Hirameki). He does show up very quickly so it's going to interesting how this unfolds.

The relationship of Kenshin and Kaoru, of course, had to be diluted to the bare minimum to give Kenshin the motivation to go forward (it was already diluted in the source material).

All in all, the filmography is superb, the casting is spot on, the story adaptation was very competent to compress a very complex source material.

If you're already a fan of the series, you will not be disappointed. If you're new to the series, this could motivate you to go read the original.

Absolutely enjoyable and October can't come fast enough for the final installment

[ctowyi · 7/10 · 2 September 2014]

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.

Impressive Cast and Production. Perfect

[luis-ea-bastos · 10/10 · 14 December 2014]

I am deeply surprised. I was expecting a really bad adaptation, as it has been done before. This movie however is great. If you grew up watching the anime you will be pleased, as it brings to life the right personality of the characters. They even have that goofiness Himura always showed whenever he was surrounded by the ones he loved. But shifting right back to some cold heart determined killer that awarded him his nickname. The fighting scenes, were tremendous. None of that "shaking camera" BS that Hollywood vomits on us. Really well done.

The filming and editing are sublime. I could easily notice on one of the big fights (wont spoil it for you), the still burning ashes floating around the scene, giving me instant flashbacks to the anime. Really nice touch. And the opening scene of Shishio and Saito is tremendous.

The action is great. Himura is perfectly portrayed, with all of his goofy nuances, deep honor, shame, guilt, and killer instinct. And the same can be said of the remaining characters. Sanosuke is as obnoxious and lovable as ever. And Sojiro is perfectly depicted in his psychopath childish assassin persona.

I feel like i could show this movie to people that have never seen the anime, and they would still love it. Great work guys.

interesting

[y-melon0326 · 9/10 · 16 September 2014]

Rurouni Kenshin is composed of three films. The first film is complete in itself and others consist one story. The final film has shown since 13 September but I have not watched it yet. I'm very looking forward to it. This film is based on a manga which is popular but I have never read because I don't like historical stories. However, once that I watched the first one on TV, I have been captivated by it. First of all, casts are really good. They are very famous in Japan especially the main actor, Takeru Sato, is popular with young people because he is good at acting. In addition, I love Tatsuya Fujiwara because he is really cool. Unfortunately, his face is mostly covered with a bandage so I'm shocked.Second, I don't feel an old-fashioned atmosphere so much. I think this is because of the young actors and actresses and action scenes. My image of period films is that many people fight and a screen is overcrowded. However, this scene is fewer and one to one fight is focused which is like a hero animation.Finally, I think the structure is not good. The first one is OK but others are too long to watch. When I watched this second one, I was getting tired of it in the middle and I could sometimes expect what happen next so I hope the final film is good structure and good climax.

Gives justice to the legend that is Kenshin Himura

[plsletitrain · 4 September 2014]

I have some complaints with the first Rurouni Kenshin but this movie finally answered me. I have to attribute it to the fact that the movie already employed the most celebrated villain of Rurouni Kenshin, *drumroll* Makoto Shishio.

One aspect where the first movie failed, in my opinion, is its failed attempt at comedy. The manga/series was injected with comical scenes and lines and as much as the first one tried, it failed. However, with Kyoto Inferno, they have pulled it through. This burden mainly fell on Munetaka Aoki (Sanosuke Sagara) and fortunately, he was successful to elicit some laughs.

If there's anything which cemented this film's success as an adaptation, it would have to be on the character actors. The movie gave life to the characters which we only once saw in animated form. Even Makoto Shishio's ruthlessness, albeit covered in plaster, was very visible. Takeru Sato deserves his role. He gives out not only the Kenshin physique, he knows how to give the Kenshin aura...the playful yet skillfull Battousai. The most dangerous member of Juppon Katana (Shishio's hired assassins), Soujiro Seta, was brought to life courtesy of Ryunosuke Kamiki (probably with the most well-recognized filmography in this group). Everyone gave justice to the roles the were playing.

The movie was perfect in all its aspects. Don't take that too literally of course, but for someone who's a fan of the series, I can safely say that they did justice. They made some deviations from the source material, but they're harmless nonetheless. There's room for error but one cannot discount how the movie successfully made a good product. The soundtrack was very, very registrable and consistent that it will give the eerie feeling.

The fight scenes were well-choreographed it looked like they were literally dancing. The movie incorporates all essentials of a Rurouni Kenshin fight...from the speed, to the agility, to the technique. It had momentous fight scenes its hard to choose which one is the best.

And the best is yet to come as Kenshin Himura will still battle it out against Aoshi Shinomori, the Juppon Katana (with emphasis on Soujiro Seta), and ultimately Makoto Shishio. Kyoto Inferno left a good ending to what will be a legendary beginning in The Legend Ends.

Not the best, but still a nonetheless enjoyable adaptation of the series

[YJLcool · 7/10 · 20 November 2014]

Based on the hugely popular 1994 manga/anime historical fiction romantic action drama series, Kyoto Inferno is the second instalment of the Rurouni Kenshin (also known as Samurai X in many western countries) trilogy, which tells the story of Himura Kenshin/Battosai, a retired samurai who seeks redemption for his past killings as an assassin to topple the Shogunate government and restore power to the emperor. However, his past soon comes back to haunt him. The sequel picks up where the original left off and the story continued with the Kyoto Arc adaptation, the series' best story arc. This time, stakes are higher as Japan is facing a larger threat imposed by Kenshin's evil successor, Makoto Shishio and Kenshin struggles to stop this impending threat to the newly established Meiji government he helped to restore. Finally, fans get to see their beloved characters brought to life on the big screen again.

As the first of the manga/anime adaptation's two-part finale (Kyoto Inferno - Part 1 and The Legend Ends - Part 2), Shishio, a samurai with formidable skills equivalent to Kenshin's, declared an all-out war against the new government and he intends to bring back the old days of the Shogunate - "survival of the fittest" where the strong shall live and the weak shall die. He is joined by his the Juppongatana (Ten Swords), a group of highly skilled, elite assassins and a huge army of warriors under his command to destroy everything that stands in his way. On the other hand, Kenshin is joined by many new allies, The Oniwabanshu (Hidden Watcher ninjas), a surviving remnant of the old Shogunate's spy network in Kyoto and Saito Hajime, the current chief of police of the Meiji government who was the former Shinsengumi head (military police protecting the Shogunate).

The film benefits from the strong performances from the lead characters. Takeru Sato did a great job portraying as the reluctant and conflicted hero Kenshin, who's unwillingness to kill is constantly challenged by his desire to protect the innocent at the same time. The same could be said for Tatsuya Fujiwara as the main antagonist Shishio, who managed to create a frightful and imposing presence every time he appears on screen. The goals for the characters were clear from the beginning of the film. Yosuke Eguchi and Ryunosuke Kamiki both stand out as the icy cool chief of police Hajime Saito and cheerful young assassin Soujiro Seta (who's also one of the Juppongatana members) respectively. However, I was quite particularly annoyed by Munetaka Aoki's over-the-top performance as Sanosuke. His character was not well-handled and there was a lot of forced acting and unnecessary movements whenever he appears on screen.

Despite the numerous deviations from the source material (especially with the origin of the Oniwabanshu leader Aoshi), there's a lot attention to detail went into this movie. The character designs used for the film were as close to the source material as it could possibly be. A lot of the important manga/anime plot scenes were recreated with some minor changes to keep the core of the story intact. Moreover, what's really surprising is that the details of etiquette and mannerism of samurai or ninja was taken quite seriously in the film, which makes it feels like a Japanese period piece.

The film is filled with intensely well-choreographed, well-filmed sword-fighting scenes. Many of the action scenes were tightly choreographed and the fast paced sword fights were performed with some rather inventive moves. The depiction of the various legendary kenjutsu Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu (Flying Heaven Govern Sword-Style) techniques such as Ryutsuisen (Dragon Hammer Flash), Ryushosen (Dragon Flight Flash), Ryusosen (Dragon Nest Flash) look realistic enough on screen. The fight scene as Kenshin swiftly takes down Shishio's army from all directions in a village was truly a sight to behold. Moreover, the fight between the Oniwabanshu ninja leaders Aoshi (Captain) and Okina (Elder) makes for a great action sequence as well.

As an adaptation, it is understood that it is necessary to pay homage to many of the well-known characters in the series for the fans. This results in a lot of characters are introduced in this sequel and some of them are less developed due to the limited screen time. Although the film did well in showing Kenshin's past struggles and Shishio's dark past, the subplot of the Oniwabanshu members, especially Misao and Aoshi doesn't fit in nicely to the story. Aoshi's motivations for searching and killing Battosai was unconvincing and feels downright flat. The presence of the Juppongatana (Ten Swords) was weak as other members hardly get any screen time at all (except Soujiro Seta and Cho of course). Hopefully we'll be able to see more of these characters in The Legend Ends, the last film in the trilogy.

Overall, Kyoto Inferno sets the pieces for the final epic showdown between Shishio with his Juppongatana and Kenshin with his allies. A lot of things are being pushed off for The Legend Ends and doesn't actually conclude by the end of this film, so it's rather difficult to judge this film on its own. We'll just have to wait and see.

Rating: 7/10

http://yjcool.blogspot.com/2014/11/movie-review-rurouni-kenshin- kyoto.html

Nice movie, some good some odd changes

[pcbhb · 9/10 · 21 December 2014]

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.

Long Tease with Flashes of Delivery

[tinulthin · 7/10 · 9 August 2014]

The first live-action installment of Rurouni Kenshin judiciously cut several arcs from the original manga and anime story to deliver a tight, cohesive narrative that built up to a satisfying conclusion — even if it did reveal a few late-story secrets far, far too early. The first half of a two-part follow-up, Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno (a.k.a. Kyoto Taika-hen) suffers by failing to take the same discretion with the source material, choosing instead to mirror the manga's episodic, drawn- out build-up to the decisive confrontation between Himura Kenshin (Takeru Sato, a former Kamen Rider) and Makoto Shishio (Tatsuya Fujiwara of Battle Royal and Deathnote fame).

This film could easily have worked as a televised miniseries, with a sense of minor resolution every twenty minutes or so as a greater, unifying threat loomed in the background. But as a singular arc, Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno lacks any cohesive build or pay-off as Kenshin wanders from one seemingly arbitrary encounter to the next. A plea for help. An assassinated official. A stolen sword. A village in peril. A search for a swordsmith. A plot to burn Kyoto. A desperate rescue. An open-ended conclusion. And between each burst of choreographed violence, a ream of static exposition that would nearly send George Lucas looking for an editor.

The story partly suffers from its need to play clean-up to some first- film decisions. Hajime Saito (Yosuke Eguchi) has already been introduced as an unambiguous ally, and although he's allowed to display more badassery this time around, the film lacks the taut-wire tension between Kenshin and the ex-Shinsen Gumi leader that formed the backbone of the manga's sensational Kyoto arc (Saito's opening face-to-face with Shishio is also a bit silly, largely resembling an outtake from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom).

The film also struggles to introduce Aoshi Shinomori (Yusuke Iseya, who was interesting in Casshern back in 2004). While wisely excluded from the first film — another semi-villain would have just been too much — cramming all of his development into an expository sub-story this time around fails to do justice to one of the series' most compelling characters. By the time he faces off with Kashiwazaki Nenji (Min Tanaka), the ostensible leader of the Oniwa Banshu ninja group (translated here as The Watchers), we really haven't had time to get to know him or care about his goals.

One standout, however, is Tao Tsuchiya, who's delightful to watch as Oniwa Banshu ninja Makimachi Misao. While her attempts at anime-style spunk don't quite work, her full-throttle wire-assisted combat displaces enough bamboo to evoke positive memories of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Ryunosuke Kamiki (voice of Bo in Spirited Away and Marukuru in Howl's Moving Castle) similarly sets up an effectively creepy Sojiro Seta, though in a film crammed with so many new characters, we don't quite get to know who he is so much as simply what he does.

As for the remainder of the supporting cast from the first film, they are almost entirely cut from the runtime, appearing only during Kenshin's should-I-go-to-Kyoto quandary at the opening and then again at the end. This leaves Kenshin meandering the middle arc as an arbitrary avenger, with only an incidental connection to the travesties Shishio creates around him — and repeated scenes of women and children weeping extravagantly over dead bodies feels more desperate than driving. With Sato's portrayal of Kenshin predominantly set to glower, we don't get a clear sense of the radical shift between his carefree and killer states, and it's unclear which moments truly resonate with the reformed assassin.

The action sequences are exceptionally well-choreographed, and generally fun to watch. But with so many featuring hero-vs-the-world stuntman slaughter, tension is quickly lost. While there are fits of incidental action, there are only two big one-on-one fights for the title character, and the second, though Bourne-like in its innovative use of tight spaces, involves an antagonist we barely know and who only serves to mechanically set up the next plot point (He's also done up a little too ridiculously for a live-action villain — another area where deviation from the source material would have been wise).

Taken on the whole, the film feels like watching only the first quarter of Kill Bill Volume 1 stretched to 139 minutes. Much sound and fury, signifying little — and even a citywide battle in the penultimate arc seems arbitrary and unearned. Having gone through so many unrelated minor objectives, the stakes are unclear and the emotional investment isn't there. Perhaps this will all be put paid in the second half, promised in September. But until then, this Rurouni Kenshin feels long on tease and short on delivery.

(Disclosure: I got to play the first plummeting body in the video for One OK Rock's Mighty Long Fall, the film's closing theme.)

No Reason to Miss This Awesome Thing :D

[sukinosenze · 9/10 · 3 October 2014]

Are you Japanese Live-Action Fan?

If Yes, No reason to miss this show. This is the best live-action movie I've ever watched!

The Storyline: Great The Action Scene: Excellent (You will not see the awesome samurai fight like this!) The Music or Soundtrack: More than excellent!

and with the length that more than 2 hours, you will really enjoy the show. NO REASON TO MISS, Believe ME!

If No, then It's depend on you. Japanese Movie Style may boring for someone who never watched.

However, Let's give a chance for this one.

Going from anime to live action is ... a little awkward

[A_Different_Drummer · 7/10 · 13 December 2014]

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...

Spectacular Sequel

[claudio_carvalho · 10/10 · 18 August 2016]

The Chief of Police Hajime Saito (Yôsuke Eguchi) and a team of policemen hunt down the outlaw Makoto Shishio (Tatsuya Fujiwara), who was betrayed by the government after defeating the Tokugawa shogunate; however Shishio and his men slaughter the police officers and only Hajime survives. Kenshin Himura (Takeru Satô) is summoned by the government to help them to find Shishio in Kyoto. He refuses first, but when a minister is murdered, he accepts to go and leaves the dojo of Kaoru Kamiya (Emi Takei) and the boy Yahiko Myojin (Kaito Ohyagi), his friend Sanosuke Sagara (Munetaka Aoki) and Dr. Megumi Takani (Yû Aoi). Kenshin meets the thief Makimachi Misao (Tao Tsuchiya) that tries to steal his sakabato on the way to Kyoto and they stumble upon a boy that tells that his brother and his parents are in danger. They find the trio murdered by Shishio's men and Kenshin defeats them in the nearby village. A man called Sojiro Seta (Ryûnosuke Kamiki) contacts Kenshin and brings him to meet Shishio that asks Sojiro to duel Kenshin. Their sword fight stops when Kenshin's sakabato is broken and Shishio and his men go away. Meanwhile, Kaoru decides to find Kenshin in Kyoto and Yahiko and Sanosuke follow her. When Kenshin arrives at Kyoto, Misao asks whether he would like to go to a cheap inn. Kashiwazaki Nenji (Min Tanaka), who was the ninja Okina that worked for the Tokugawa shogunate, runs the place and teams up with Kenshin. He seeks out the talented blacksmith Shakku Arai to repair his sakabato and finds that he is dead. Arai's son Keiku does not help Kenshin, but when the evil Sawagejo Cho (Ryosuke Miura) kidnaps his baby, he calls Kenshin to save his son and gives him a new sakabato. Kenshin defeats the Shishio's warrior and he is arrested by the police. Soon Hajime and Kenshin learn that Shishio intends to burn Kyoto down and they prepare the defense of the town. Is Sawagejo Cho telling the truth?

"Rurôni Kenshin: Kyôto taika-hen", a.k.a. "Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno", is a spectacular sequel of "Rurôni Kenshin: Meiji kenkaku roman tan". The story follows Kenshin and his friends from the first film and introduces a villain more evil than in the first film. The sad moment is the unknown fate of the gorgeous and sweet Kaoru Kamiya. Every viewer and fan is certainly hoping she has survived. My vote is ten.

Title (Brazil): "Samurai X 2: O Inferno de Kyoto" (Samurai X 2: The Kyoto Inferno")

Superior to the first

[Leofwine_draca · 7/10 · 26 June 2021]

I enjoyed the first film while finding it no great shakes, a little too long-winded for its own good and very much an origin tale so awkward and clumsy at times. KYOTO INFERNO, the sequel, is much better and a real step-up, the first half of a filmic duo that offers everything you'd want from a modern samurai adventure film. The plot is similar to the first in many respects, but you don't watch action films for their stories anyway. This one's all about the visuals and they're glorious throughout, with great use of colours and particularly fire that look stunning in high definition. The action is better choreographed too and the sword fights often top tier. Tatsuya Fujiwara is one of my favourite Japanese actors and it was great to see him in a very different kind of role in this one.

A decent sequel

[wheatley-20230 · 5/10 · 23 August 2021]

The action scenes are as deft and awe-inspiring as you would expect, the speed of the sword fighting skills being just amazing. I actually enjoyed this slightly more than the first film because of the growing relationship between our hero and his lady.

Perhaps I would award higher scores if the villains were more threatening. Apologies to manga fans, but being entirely ignorant of the genre I find the comic-book villains insufficiently real to be taken seriously.

The Symphony

[OmegaWolf747 · 10/10 · 15 January 2015]

If the first live action film was a jam session, this one is the symphony. This is the one with the high production values and a much more epic feel than the first one.

It opens with a spectacular view of Shishio standing in what could be the pit of Hell and taunting Saitou by dangling his subordinates from ropes over the flames, threatening to drop them in if Saitou doesn't join him.

The first part that really stood out for me were the Shingetsu Village scene. The village was a desolate ruin and the image of the two people hanged from the large tree is chilling. The little boy who acted as Mishima Eiji did a great job portraying Eiji's grief at the brutal murder of his family. The part where Kenshin tells Eiji that he shouldn't kill his parents' murderers was handled sensitively and made my eyes well up a bit.

The other great part was Kenshin's battle with Sword Hunter Chou in order to save the life of baby Iori. The battle is face paced, brutal and action packed. The part where Arai Seiku tosses the sheathed holy sword to Kenshin and Kenshin kneels down motionless, eyes squeezed shut is riveting. You can totally see that he's battling with himself over whether or not to use the sword. Then when he unleashes the attack, everything explodes. In the aftermath, we see Kenshin walk away slowly, clearly upset with himself.

The Kyoto battle scene is awesome because we finally get to see Kaoru, Yahiko and Misao, who were often sidelined in the source material, strut their stuff and lend Kenshin a huge hand.

The ending will leave you wanting to know what happened next.

Enjoyable Samurai Action Romp

[s3276169 · 9/10 · 6 January 2015]

I'm not a huge fan of the Samurai genre. The blood, brutality and cruelty that inhabits many of the films in this genre is, at times, very disturbing. It was a pleasant surprise therefore to encounter the Rurouni Kenshin series. These films follow the Samurai formula but depart from the norm in so much as they actively downplay the brutality in favour of a more peaceful, hopeful message.

The key character Rurouni Kenshin could best be described as a reformed Samurai. Rurouni has come to see the wastefulness of taking human life, choosing, instead, to take a less lethal approach to subduing the bad guys with the blunt edge of a double edged sword. Of course, there are always a few genuinely vile villains and these are dispatched with the swords sharpened edge.

Its my understanding this is the second in the live, as opposed to animated, Rurouni Kehshin series of films. I watched the first and enjoyed it immensely so I decided to give the second a go. This film is darker and more serious than its predecessor, possessing somewhat less humour. The violence is a little more intense too and occasionally sadistic but not overly graphic. The conspicuous fight scenes, as was the case in the first outing, remain remarkably polished and exceptionally well choreographed. Especially when you consider the large scale and numbers of people involved in many of the battles scenes scattered throughout the film.

The key fight scenes between central hero's and villains are of the highest caliber and its these moments of stirring swordplay and martial skill that make this film really shine. Combine this with solid, original storytelling, good pace and some novel plot twists and turns and you have a very engaging action flick.

I watched both this film and its predecessor from end to end without getting up once or feeling in any way bored.There are subtitles, unless, of course, you speak Japanese but I found this film, like the first, so engrossing they hardly felt like any effort at all.

Nine of of ten from me.

Despite being the first of a two part sequel, it manages to be a self-sufficient, coherent story. Virtuosic.

[dgillustrations · 10/10 · 8 September 2017]

One of those rare sequels that only improves upon the promises of it's predecessor, a dynamic and sprawling adaptation of the franchises infamous Kyoto arc. THIS, and the previous film should be held in high regard, and be looked to as the gold standard of how to adapt a long running arc to film format. This film seriously trims all of the needless filler character fat from the source. What they changed turned out to be good for it. Incredible action direction once again coordinated by Kenji Tanigaki. The devotion from the actors here, as they all performed their own stunts and mastered their own choreography, is really a feat to behold. All in all, Kyoto Inferno is just as good as the first film, if not better. Despite being the first of a two part sequel, it manages to be a self-sufficient, coherent story. Virtuosic.

The same...

[jonesaby · 6/10 · 29 June 2021]

I knew what I was getting into... A pure action movie... I shouldn't have expected more especially after the first movie (which I loooved). But I must say that I'm a bit disappointed with the lack of improvement. The hero's decision to not killed was again tested by capturing the heroine... So same as the first one.. The only new thing I felt in this one was the part where the hero's sword broke... Except for that I don't think the writer's had much planned... But then again, I loved the actions and music.. And there is also one character whose plot I am expecting a different take. . Hope he has a good story arc..

Rurouni Kenshin - Heart Of Sword

[Xx_Peter_Porker_xX · 8/10 · 15 December 2014]

I am long time fan of Rurouni Kenshin and I love the 1st movie. Here are the good/bad from this movie:

+ Just like the 1st movie, character portrayals (including costumes, fighting poses, characteristics) are very correct, if you know the original story, you will immediately scream "Oh, I know that guy" when someone new appears.

+ Fighting scenes are incredibly good. The right usage of CGI mixed with practical martial arts and sword fighting techniques.

+ The right atmosphere is built up against the villains.

• Too many characters are introduced without giving enough time for development. You will totally get lost if you haven't known the original story.

• The pacing is a little bit awkward.

• Fight scenes seem less creative compared to the first movie.

• Kenshin didn't wear his trademark red shirt the whole movie.

Long and disappointing

[briancham1994 · 6/10 · 3 June 2020]

This film does not live up to the first one. Even though they are similar in length, this one feels a lot longer. As usual, there are good historical sets and actions, but I did not feel that this film was a compelling follow-up.

Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno (Short Movie Review)

[Cirene404 · 8/10 · 8 June 2019]

Positivies:

• Directing and cinematography
• Takeru Satoh
• Main cast
• Action scenes
• Story

Negatives:

• Some of the musical score
• Some of the pacing

👎last scene

[dawagasha · 7/10 · 26 July 2021]

I didn't liked the last scene because the main actor himself couldn't defeat the villan.

I watched this for the action scenes, but even expectations that low were not fulfilled.

[Harhaluulo54 · 2/10 · 16 December 2014]

The fights scenes are a lackluster, the choreography seems to be nonexistent most of the time. The villains are your average bad guys with zero depth. One guy is scaring off this 4 months or something old child just because. He would have stolen candies from him if he had had any. Villain-kun was just that evil. Main character is a moral guy who won't hurt a fly even if that fly would kill him. He respect life, yet gives so little value to his own. I really don't get this guy. Only reason why he won't fight back is *moral talk* it is wrong *moral talk* Very disappointing and very much your typical Japanese production to your okay-ish manga. I could have lived without this adaptation.

One of the best,

[jlazbuggy · 10/10 · 23 December 2019]

Without a doubt, one of the best action movies ever made. Stellar acting, great stuntwork and choreography, emotional stakes, and likable characters, it one of the greatest sequels ever made, and certainly one of the best movies ever.

Not just an ordinary action film

[margarettelora · 9/10 · 5 March 2018]

The casting, the acting, the fight scenes are incredible. By far the best fight scenes I have seen in my existence. Apart from that there is a moral lesson to learn