Product Description

Nineteenth century Japan: a land torn by rebellion and civil warfare; small bands of soldiers roam the land, seeking to overthrow the tyrannical Tokugawa Shogunate. Enter the young orphan Kenshin, trained as a fighter by the master swordsman Hiko. Kenshin's desire for peace is at odds with his brutal life, and the tension seems unreconcilable until he meets a mysterious woman named Tomoe. The enigmatic Tomoe's actions may show Kenshin that another life can exist for him, or may instead conceal a destructive secret. Samurai X: Trust & Betrayal Director's Cut follows the progress of the rebellion against the Shogunate and the complex evolution of Kenshin's and Tomoe's involvement, and reveals how Kenshin received the distinctive cross-shaped facial scar that gives the film its name.

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Director Kazuhiro Furuhashi has recut the four-episode Samurai X OVA into a seamless feature that serves as a prequel to both Samurai X: The Movie and the light-hearted TV series. The action unfolds in 1864, at the beginning of the revolution against the Tokugawa Shogunate that culiminated in the Meiji Restoration. The orphan Shinta is transformed by master swordsman Hiko into Kenshin, an assassin who believes he is using his sword to bring about a better world. When he and the mysterious Tomoe hide from the intrigues of Kyoto in a remote mountain village, Kenshin finds peace, raising crops and savoring the passage of the seasons, but this tranquility cannot endure. Furuhashi choreographs the characters' inner conflicts as skillfully as the epic sword fights, infusing them with an elegant sensuality. In either format, Samurai X OVAs capture the violence and poetry of samurai culture in a story of exceptional emotional depth. (Rated 17 and older: violence, alcohol use, mature themes) --Charles Solomon