Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal (1999) is a prequel of sorts to the Kenshin we have seen in many TV shows and films. It has stood the test of time since its 1999 release.
Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal (1999) was on my radar for a long time. I went on to watch the 1997 show, Rurouni Kenshin. And I figured it was time to watch the film then. I haven’t seen the live-action adaptations of Rurouni Kenshin yet, but I definitely plan to watch them as well. Apparently, those are some of the best live-action anime adaptations there are.
Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal (1999) is an incredible prequel to an already great story. We always knew Kenshin was a bloodthirsty monster of a samurai, but we didn’t get to see much of that backstory told. The manga doesn’t tell this story till later in the series.
This time, we get to see him as a child and a teenager and see his first love. The film is so cinematic and extremely creative in how the story is told. There are multiple things that stood out to me that I’ll probably remember for a long time.
Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal (1999) can be watched as a complete feature film, but it is also broken down into a couple of 30-minute segments as a miniseries. But I would recommend watching it all at once for the full effect.
One of the many things I love about Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal (1999) is the extremes that are shown on both sides of love and hate. When there are scenes where Kenshin is fighting, and you see the bloodthirst in his eyes, you see all of the gory details of a fight. They don’t skip out on anything.
Then, on the flip side, when we see him fall in love, it is both extremely beautiful and heartbreaking. I’m really drawn to characters with well-written arcs. One of my favorites is Thorfinn in Vinland Saga, and I believe they took some inspiration from Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal (1999) as well.
In Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal (1999), we see Kenshin start as an extremely merciless killer.
He’s an assassin and doesn’t want anything else in his life besides being a killer. But one thing leads to another, and he has to shack up with a woman, Junko, as they are both on the run. Junko, whom he had previously saved in a fight, had an interesting relationship with him beforehand.
But once they have to stay in a cottage together for a couple of seasons, they begin to fall in love. I don’t want to go into more details as their relationship has some pretty interesting terms, and it gets incredibly deep really fast.
Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal (1999) has a true crescendo, and I was definitely on the edge of my seat in the final scene. I heard so much about this, and I absolutely loved the TV show, so my expectations were sky-high, and this might be one of the first times in a while that my sky-high expectations were definitely met.
I felt it absolutely has the right to be as popular as it is and have such good ratings as it does. It is absolutely beautiful, and anyone with an interest in samurai, love, or just great storytelling should check it out. It’s also great because you don’t have to watch the show to really understand it. It obviously makes it more important and more interesting, but it’s a prequel.
You learn more about the backstory without having to know a ton about things that are going to come later.
Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal (1999) is definitely a great example of how a prequel can be done, and it reminds me of Yakuza 0, where they show how a character becomes the icon they are when we first see them.
For example, in the first Yakuza game, you see Kiryu already as a legend in the Yakuza. But in Yakuza 0 (which came later), you see how he became that icon. It’s a cool way of giving a backstory without it being in the first installment of the story.
In the Rurouni Kenshin television show, Kenshin is already pretty well known for his acts. But in Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal (1999), we see how he became the icon and notorious assassin. We also get to see how he became the loving character he is today, wanting to renounce all the violence he committed.
The show is about a samurai trying to move on from his dark past, and we start to see a little bit of that at the end of the film. The way evil turns to love in the film is something truly beautiful, and I absolutely love it when this happens. The film offers a lot of hope for a character that has been adapted in so many different ways over the years.
I think it’s absolutely deserving of all the praise it’s gotten, and I hope more people watch it.
Unfortunately, it is hard to find a place to watch it, as it’s not available on any streaming services right now. I went on eBay and bought it on DVD for about $20. I’m sure it might pop up on Crunchyroll or another streaming service; there might be a Blu-ray or 4K remaster of it, as many older anime have gotten.
But it’s absolutely worth every penny to watch it. There might be other sites where you can find it, as it is a very popular film. The film was also adapted, along with the rest of the story, into a feature film on Netflix, so if you want to experience the story in live action, you can watch it there. The dub for this film, which was released in the late 90s, is pretty good.
The dubs weren’t always the best for anime, but this one is pretty good, I have to say. Last but not least, I have to praise the music, as Rurouni Kenshin media has always had great music, and Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal (1999) is no different. The movie fires on all cylinders and definitely gives you everything you could want in such an intense, beautiful story arc.
