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Ok, now for the
actual storyline: first of all, I put the story into chronological order
(because after the opening scene of Kenshin meeting Hiko, it jumps forward
to Kenshin killing as Hitokiri, and the story of how he came to be there
is shown in flashbacks during the first ep. Considering that the first
time I saw it, it was in the form of an extremely-lowquality fansub,
I was rather lost. I hope this makes more sense.
So, here we go:
It opens at night, and we see a very
good-looking man (ok, it's Hiko <g>), first sitting and drinking
sake, then walking off (he always carries a very huge sake jug), accompanied
by an internal dialogue about the violent times. Cut inbetween are scenes
of bandits attacking a slave caravan, slaughtering both slavers and
slaves alike.
A young 6year old boy named Shinta tries
to pick up a sword and protect 3 other slavegirls, but they throw themselves
in front of him, letting themselves be killed to protect him (the last
one to die implores him to live). Just as a bandit is about to kill
Shinta, Hiko walks up, and very very casually cuts down all the bandits.
He tells Shinta: "I suppose it was fate
that led me in this direction tonight. I have avenged their deaths.
Bearing a grudge against these men will not bring your loved ones back.
Be thankful in the fact that you survived."
Then he walks away, leaving Shinta kneeling
between the corpses of the bandits, slavers and other slaves.
When Hiko comes back to the site later
(next day, I think), planning to bury the bodies, he is shocked to find
that Shinta has buried them all already, both the bandits and the slavers
and other slaves, and erected wooden crosses for all of them, with the
exception of 3 graves - the ones of the girls who tried to protect him
- which all have a stone on top.
Hiko wonders about him burying both
the bandits and his loved ones, and Shinta tells him that they were
slave traders he had been sold to after his family had died of cholera,
but after they died, they were no longer bandits or slave traders, just
dead bodies.
Hiko pours sake over the stones for
Kasumi, Akane and Sakura (the 3 girls) to honor them - Shinta had only
met them the day before, but he had wanted to protect them, but had
failed, because he was too young and weak. (Hiko: "It is unfortunate
to enter Nirvana without having tasted good Sake, so this is my tribute
to them")
He then introduces himself to Shinta
as Hiko Seijuro, a swordsman. He tells him that Shinta has failed to
protect something very precious, and that he will carry the weight of
their lives with him forever. Now Shinta has to learn strength to support
himself, and to protect others.
When Shinta tells Hiko his name, Hiko
says "Much too delicate a name for a swordsman. From now on, your name
will be Kenshin [ken - sword, shin - heart, so "Heart of Sword"]"
Hiko is going to teach him his forte
- Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu (the principle of which states "The sword of Mitsurugi
should be wielded for the people of the world. For the protection of
the weak."
Hiko's training is pretty brutal, but
apparently very effective, and Kenshin is focussed on it completely
(Hiko comments that Kenshin is so pure, he sometimes seems like a simpleton).
Hiko's
view on sake: "Cherry blossoms in the Spring, and starry skies in the
Summer. The Autumn brings the full moon. The Winter brings the snow.
These things make Sake taste good. If sake doesn't taste good to you,
then there is something wrong with you."
However, Kenshin eventually wants to
leave the mountain before his training is finished - he can't stand
to sit on the mountain discussing philosophy while people are killed
by the disturbances every day. He argues that since Hiten MItsurugi
Ryu is to be used to protect the people, they have to go and join the
fighting.
However, Hiko calls him "baka deshi"
(stupid pupil) and says that if he wants to do anything about the disturbances,
he will have to join one side or the other, and he will be used by those
who hold the power. Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu is the most powerful swordform.
Sowrdsmanship is a method of murder, not matter what pretty words you
decorate it with. It's killing some people in order to protect others,
murder some to save all. If Kenshin leaves the mountain, he will live
a life of murder under the direction of men who write their own justice.
If he throws in his lot with them, Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu will make him
a mass murderer.
Kenshin acknowledges this, but still
wishes to protect those who are suffering - he wants to be their saviour,
and thus he must leave the mountain.
Hiko tells him that he is stupid, and
tells him to go. Turning away, he muses that Kenshin is so pure that
he has no other choice but do this foolish thing.
After leaving the mountain, Kenshin
joins up with the Kihei-tai that is just being formed. Katsura is just
visiting with Takasugi (the founder of the Kihei-tai), and sees Kenshin
there, and immediately offers Kenshin a place at his side ("I am going
to be straight with you. Are you willing to kill people? There is nothing
pretty about this. I will need you to kill people for me. In order to
create a new world, we must first destroy the old one. It is not pleasant,
but it needs to be done. You told me you wanted to use your skills to
protect people. I am asking you if I can borrow those skills. For the
new world, can you kill?"). Kenshin agrees ("If there is a new world
that can be created by my sword, a world where anyone can live peacefully
and without fear... If my arm can create that world, I will serve as
Heaven's justice. I will kill.")
[if I read the kanji correctly, 'Heaven's
Justice' is what's written on the pieces of paper that are left behind
on the bodies of the people that are killed by Kenshin, and thus presumably
on all bodies killed by the Ishin Shishi]
Takasugi tells Katsura that he will
give him the boy (who was the most prized member of the Kihei-tai),
however, the boy's soul will be destroyed by this work - so in return,
Katsura must swear to never draw his sword again. He agrees.
[Takashi, btw, suffers from Tuberculosis]
1864, Kyoto (Kenshin is 14, later 15):
We see a government official walking
home at night with 2 bodyguards, who're chatting - the younger, Kiyosato,
will be married next month. He is working as a bodyguard to gain status,
so that his future wife will be happy.
Then Kenshin appears out of the shadows
- he has come to kill the official. He quickly dispatches both the older
bodyguard and the official, and then attacks Kiyosato. Kenshin tells
him to surrender, but Kiyosato refuses (all the while thinking: I can't
die. I can't die yet. I can't die now). However, after one last exchange
of blows, he falls to the ground, and after one last vision of his fiancee
("to..mo...") dies. However, he *did* manage to actually mark Kenshin
- a cut on Kenshin's left cheek.
Next day, Kenshin
and Iizuka (another Ishin Shishi) report to Katsura Kogoro. Katsura
wants Kenshin to attend next night's meeting as his aide, but Kenshin
refuses ("I am your hitokiri. That is the only way I can serve you").
(about 4 or 5 months later):
While Iizuka is passing Kenshin information, they see a squad of Shinsengumi
(containing both Saitoh and Okita) passing by, and watch the reactions
of the people on the street (they clear off to the side, rather frightened
- people do not like the Shinsengumi). After they're gone, Iizuka smells
perfume (white plum) and draws Kenshin's attention to a young woman
standing on the street, who's very beautiful but rather remote-looking.
The cut on the cheek that Kenshin got
from Kiyosato all these months ago is still bleeding occasionally, and
Iizuka comments that there is a supersticion: If a wound is made by
the sword of someone with a strong hatred, that wound will not heal
until revenge has been exacted.
Meanwhile, Katsura and Miyabe Teizo
(who favors the more radical side of the Ishin Shishi) have been getting
more and more at odds - Miyabe and his group are planning some sort
of major disturbance in Kyoto, whereas Katsura thinks that they should
wait and see what happens.
Katsura, meanwhile, is worrying about
Kenshin, because he will start to feel divided inside - one part of
him will be his true self, and the other will be a ruthless killer.
Meanwhile, during a rainy night, the
beautiful, plum-scented woman that we saw a few scenes earlier
is sitting in a restaurant, drinking sake, while Kenshin is being attacked
by a ninja (a member of the Oniwabanshuu). He eventually kills him on
the roof of a building, cutting him in two, lengthwise, causing blood
to spray all over the street, and to hit the woman,
who is by then walking down the street. Kenshin lands on the street
in front of her, and stares at her. She says "You, remarkably, made
it rain... rain of blood..." and then collapses.
And the wound on Kenshin's cheek is
bleeding again.
Kenshin catches her, and takes her to
the inn where most of the Ishin Shishi are staying. Since there is no
room free, he has to take her to his room. (He did contemplate killing
her, btw, since she saw him kill, but her collapse kinda made him forget
about that). The woman, whose name is Yukishiro Tomoe, apologizes for
being drunk the night before. Kenshin arranges for her to be able to
stay at the inn, since the innkeeper needs help with dealing with all
the Ishin Shishi members staying at the inn. (the innkeeper, a woman,
comments to herself: "Perhaps this woman is bringing softness to his
eyes"). Tomoe says
that she has no family, and is a 'lost cat'.
When Iizuka teases Kenshin about having
Tomoe stay in his room that night (asking him how she tasted), Kenshin
nearly draws his sword at Iizuka.
Meanwhile, the Ishin Shishi realize
that they most likely must have a spy among them (because of the Oniwabanshu
who tried to kill Kenshin. Since only a very few select members of Katsura's
Clan know about Kenshin's existence...)
Meanwhile, Katsura and his associates
have been trying to find some background on Tomoe, to see if she's trustworthy,
but haven't been able to find anything. They think that most likely,
she's the daughter of an old, poor samurai who sold her into prostitution
and after that, she drifted to Kyoto - not an uncommon occurence at
the time.
Katsura and Ikumatsu, his favorite geisha
(I think he ended up marrying her after the Bakumatsu) talk about Takashi,
and the fact that due to his tuberculosis, he can't be with Uno, his
consort. Katsura compares him to a brandished sword - no one can deter
him from his way. Ikumatsu comments that if Takasugi is like a brandished
sword, then perhaps Uno could be a sheath for him.
The Shinsengumi are by now realizing
that there is a very very skilled assassin out there (who has also been
killing larger groups of Shinsengumi with apparent ease).
Kenshin, btw, doesn't sleep on his futon,
but sleeps sitting up against the wall, cradling his sword.
One night, Katsura comes by to talk
with Tomoe, tells her about his friend, who is a good man, but sometimes
uses very brutal methods to achieve his goals, and about the fact that
this friend has a sheath who stands with him, and keeps him from slashing
too wildly. Katsura then asks Tomoe to be Kenshin's sheath - because
Katsura's role in Kenshin's life is to drive his passions and make him
kill, and a killer who is so driven can often cause tragedy unintentionally,
thus Kenshin needs a good sheath to hold him back.
Soon after that Miyabe goes ahead with
his plan to upset Kyoto. At the time, a festival is going on, so the
city is crowded with people. The Ishin Shishi have been passed a message
that if they have anyone special in Kyoto, they should get them out
of the city before nightfall. That night, Tomoe asks Kenshin to go out
with her, because she does not want to be lonely by herself. The go
to a bar to drink sake together. Kenshin remarks that the sake tastes
good to him, which it has not for a very long time...
They talk about Kenshin killing people,
and Tomoe says that he says he kills people to make others happy, but
that she doesn't think that it makes Kenshin very happy. He replies
that people die every day, and he doesn't choose his targets at random.
Tomoe says that he judges people's right to live and die, or rather,
that he entrusted that decision to others whom he follows regardless
of how he may feel. Kenshin replies that knowing more about the people
that he kills would disrupt his concentration. He does what he does
to create a better world, and that's all the justification he needs.
At that point they're interrupted by
Iizuka, who tells them to come immediately, because Katsura is in danger
- later that night, Miyabe's clan plans to burn Kyoto to the ground,
and afterwards, they want to move the Emperor to Hagi, and reinstate
the government. Katsura is opposed to the idea, and tries to talk Miyabe
out of it, but their ties have been cut, and even worse, the whole thing
has probably been leaked to the Shinsengumi. Kenshin should go to the
meeting immediately - it's at the Ikeda Inn.
Meanwhile, the Shinsengumi are gathering
around the inn, and start attacking, and killing/arresting most of the
people at the meeting. Miyabe is there, and commits seppuku.
One the way to the inn, Kenshin runs
into Shinsengumi. When he tries to send Tomoe away, she tells him that
a sword needs a good sheath, and that she wants to see his work with
her own eyes. She does.
Katsura, who was not at the meeting,
sends Ikumatsu, his geisha, out of town, and prepares to leave himself.
On the way, he runs into Kenshin, and tells him that Kenshin and Tomoe
need to leave Kyoto at once as well. Katsura has a house prepared for
them in Otsu, where Kenshin and Tomoe will ive as husband and wife so
that noone will suspect them. They are to wait there until Iizuka
brings them a message from him.
(note: in the manga, Kenshin and Tomoe
marry for real).
Kenshin and Tomoe live in the house
for several months, growing plants and living a very domestinc life.
Via Iizuka, they received supplies that enable Kenshin to pose as a
medicine maker, and some money to pay for their expenses. They occasionally
travel to the next village/town to shop, but otherwise live alone at
the house (it's about 1 or 2 hrs by foot away from the town).
However, Kenshin still sleeps sitting
up next to the wall, cradling his sword, and Tomoe often is awake at
night, writing in her journal.
Still, Kenshin says that the sake tastes
very good to him.
Meanwhile, the Ishin Shishi have lots
of problems because of the burning of Kyoto - revolutionaries were forced
out of a lot of cities that used to be sympathetic to them, and many
were forced to commit ritual suicide.
Tomoe and Kenshin talk occasionally,
slowly growing closer. During nights, when Tomoe is writing in her journal,
she looks sad and confused, remarking that Kenshin is very kind when
he's not killing people.
More time passes, and the season turns
into winter, and we learn that it's Iizuka who's the traitor, and who's
currently setting up Kenshin to be killed. One of the persons at the
meetings of these Shogunate people is a young boy, and his name is Yukishiro
Enishi...
Some days later, Enishi
goes to visit his older sister - Tomoe. Tomoe learns that Enishi followed
her to Kyoto shortly after she left their home. He tells her that he's
now working for the Shogunate, and is now here to help her get rid of
that awful assassin. Tomoe tells him to go home (and he is *very* unhappy
with that, because "he stole your happiness. He deserves what he will
get"). Still, Enishi tells her where the Shogunate's people will be
waiting for her.
More time passes, and Kenshin and Tomoe
talk more.
Tomoe: "You seem so happy right now."
Kenshin: "Is that so?"
Tomoe: "If your life had taken another route, you could have been content
living like this, working your field, eating the food you raised with
your own hands."
Kenshin: "I've been thinking since we arrived here. I was trained in
the teachings of Hiten Mitsuguri Ryu. I was taught to live in balance
with the world around me. I wanted to create a new world for those who
do not have power. I wanted to insure the safety of the common man.
But now I realize this was a misguided idea. The best thing I can do
is live here, and create life instead of destroying it. I've never known
peace until now. It is only recently that I have understood what that
word means. Living here, walking to the village, and coming home with
you. It made me realize how horrible my life as an assassin really was.
There's one reason I've learned this essential lesson. It's you. You
are the one who showed me this new way to live."
Tomoe: "May I tell you something?"
Kenshin: "Yes."
Tomoe: "My father is an employee of the Shogunate in Edo. He is neither
a skilled swordman nor a statesman, but he is a kind man. My mother
died while she was giving birth to Enishi. That's why I'm both a sister
and a mother to him. He's a sweet little brother. We were never wealthy,
but we always lived happily. I was engaged to be married late last year.
I'd known my fiance since we were children, and he was an envoy for
the Shogunate. My brother was very jealous, but otherwise everything
was going smoothly. Shortly before the wedding day, my fiance was killed
in the streets of Kyoto. When I heard the news, I couldn't stay in Edo
any longer. Tragedy often causes people to think the wrong thing. So,
I came to Kyoto. Trying to escape the pain of what my life had become.
That's when I met you. That is the kind of woman I am. I am sorry. I've...
You... "
Some days later, snow has started to
fall. It's the day before Tomoe is supposed to meet the Shogunate people.
She is sitting, thinking: "He died in an unfamiliar place, and my happiness
vanished with him. I couldn't hold on to the happiness that was right
in front of me. It was my fault. It was my fault, because I never told
him how much I loved his as he was. When he died, I almost went insane
with hatred. I had to hate someone. So I plotted with others to bring
about your destruction. I am that kind of woman. And yet, you say...
You say you will protect me...
"He was the son of a Shogunate employee much like my father. I had known
him since childhood. Neither a skilled swordsman, nor a clever statesman.
But he was such a kind man, and he tried to hard at everything he did.
I always loved that about him. He asked me to marry him, and I was so
happy my heart nearly burst. But in my bliss, all I could do was stare
wide-eyed at him. I couldn't let him know how happy I was. Maybe it
was my fate. Maybe I am unworthy of happiness."
Kenshin and Tomoe spend that night together, and
Kenshin tells her that she was right in telling him that he could never
be happy living an assassin's life. But still, he can't stop killing
yet. The new world will come soon, and once it has arrived, he will
seek ways to protect people that will not involve taking lives, and
also look for a way to atone for the terrible things that he has done.
If Tomoe is with him, he will be able to become a new man. He will protect
her, and will make sure that she is happy.
That night, Kenshin sleeps on the futon,
with Tomoe.
In the morning, before Kenshin wakes
up, Tomoe dresses and leaves. ("This man destroyed my happiness. Then,
he replaced it with a new one. Farewell. Farewell to you, my second
love.") All she leaves behind is her blue shawl.
By the time Kenshin wakes up, Tomoe
is gone, and Iizuka arrives at the house, telling him that he has found
the traitor: It's Tomoe, and she's meeting with her conspirators in
a cottage on the mountain. He tells Kenshin to go there and kill her.
When Kenshin doesn't believe him, Iizuka tells him that he has evidence
- Tomoe's journal. He also tells him that Kiyosato, the man who left
that cut on Kenshin's cheek, was Tomoe's fiance.
The scar on Kenshin's cheek begins to
bleed again.
Kenshin sets out to follow Tomoe, carrying
her blue shawl with him.
Tomoe meanwhile arrives at the cottage,
where her brother is watching from some trees, very happy to see her
(because, once the hitokiri is dead, surely his sister will come back
home with him again).
The leader of the Shogunate people tells
her that they only used her to get Kenshin to fall in love with her
- she is his weak point now. Kenshin is on his way to the cottage now,
knowing that the woman he loves has betrayed him, so his mind must be
in turmoil. That will prevent him from fighting with his true power.
That was their goal the whole time. The leader also chides her for falling
in love with Kenshin - after all, she is betraying Kiyosato's memory
- but says that it's in the nature of women to be weak. Then he leaves
to wait for Kenshin outside, to finish him. Tomoe, back in the cottage,
has a vision of Kiyosato, who's smiling at her.
Meanwhile, on the way to the mountain
cottage, Kenshin is attacked by a number of men who have been hiding
and waiting for him - they manage to hurt him considerably. Still, he
manages to fight them off, and doggedly continues on his way to the
cottage.
He arrives there, very hurt, losing
quite a bit of blood, and nearly totally exhausted. He and the
Leader fight, but Kenshin is clearly losing. As they prepare for the
final exchange of blows, Kenshin's thoughts are: "I killed many men
for the sake of the weak... But because of that, you lost your happiness.
I took away everything that was important to you. Without even knowing
that... I fell in love with you. I made promises, but I am not fit to
protect you. And then... I... You... "
As they are running at each other, Tomoe
runs out and throws herself between them, pushing aside the dagger the
leader is aiming at Kenshin (which is Tomoe's dagger, btw). However,
as a result, she gets cut clean through from shoulder to the middle
of her rib-cage by Kenshin's sword (the tip of the sword also cuts the
leader, killing him as well).
Kenshin holds a dying Tomoe in his lap,
who, with her dagger, cuts into his cheek, completing the cross-shaped
scar. Her last words are 'Goman nasai, anata...", then she dies.
While Kenshin continues holding Tomoe
in his arms, Enishi, still standing hidden under the trees, stares at
the scene in shock.
['anata' literally means 'you', however,
when a wife uses it to adress her husband, it's a term of endearment.]
Sometime later: Kenshin is sitting in
their house, next to Tomoe, who's dressed in a white funeral kimono
and lying on their futon. Kenshin: "Tomoe, I've lost you. Now I understand
the depth of your suffering. You were living with a pain like this.
It must have been hard for you. You must have hated me. But in the end,
you protected me. You allowed me to live. But now you are free from
your pain. You will never suffer again. I will continue to shoulder
this burden. It will serve as my atonement for what I did to you. For
all the people who died protectig me, and those whom I have killed.
It will be difficult, but I will be all right. I have lived a hard life,
but I can still remember the warmth of your love. You taught me that.
Hopefully... I will... I know I must say goodbye to you. But for now...
For now, let me stay a while. We are together. For now. Tomoe."
Shortly after this, Katsura shows up
at Kenshin's home, and offers his condolences. He also tells him that
he has found the real traitor, and trained a new hitokiri (cut to Iizuka,
who's being killed by a shadowy figure). This new guy will handle all
the assassinations from now on, but even so, the Ishin Shishi still
need Kenshin - they are being hunted down by the Shinsengumi and the
Bakufu.
He also tells Kenshin that he had been
worried that his life as an assassin would destroy Kenshin's humanity
and has asked Tomoe to be a sheath for his rage, and that he believes
that she can still serve that purpose for him.
Kenshin tells him that he will lend
his sword to Katsura's cause, but only until the battle has been won.
Kenshin doesn't know if he will then give up his sword or not, but he
will definitely never kill again.
Katsura also realizes that he has been
wrong - Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu wasn't meant to destroy the old era, but
it should be used to protect the new one.
Kenshin leaves to go back to Kyoto,
burning the house and Tomoe's corpse as he leaves.
What follows are scenes of the the various
battles during the Bakumatsu, including duels that Kenshin has with
both Okita and Saitoh
of the Shinsengumi.
He still sleeps sitting up, cradling
his sword close, but he kept Tomoe's shawl, and during the night, you
see Tomoe's ghost sitting
behind him, holding him close.
After the Ishin Shishi have won, Kenshin
leaves Kyoto, leaving his sword behind.
The movie ends again with Hiko, who
comes by the field where Kenshin as a child buried the bandits and the
slavers. He finds another cross added, and Tomoe's shawl tied around
it.
The
End.
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