This is Watsuki's debut piece of work, and it definitely makes a bright mark on his career. According to Shonen Jump, this is the best selling manga around the world - and I'm not surprised after I read the first volume. Being a debut piece of work, it's done extremely professionally and therefore to a high standard with both the storytelling and the artwork. Rurouni Kenshin first appeared in 1992 in a weekly Japanese magazine. It was finally published in English in October 2003, more than a decade after it originally appeared.

Rurouni Kenshin tells the story of what appears to be a young man as a "rurouni", a samurai who travels with no destination. We learn that his name is Himura Kenshin, a great swordsman from 140 years ago. Besides this, we don't learn much about Kenshin's past, however incidents in the first volume reveal his personality and hints at his past life which he doesn't talk about himself. He also always refers to himself in third person, showing himself as being a modest and humble person.

Kenshin meets a girl called Kamiya Kaoru. Under circumstances, Kenshin helps her retain a dojo that she runs after her father passed away and also stays to help around. This is where the tale truly begins as Kenshin and Kaoru attempt to gain students for the dojo and meet new people while doing so. The back of the book states, "Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story", somewhat giving away what the relationship between Kenshin and Kaoru could well develop into.

The artwork, especially for a debut piece, is well balanced and maintained throughout the book. Thanks to Watsuki's clear drawing, the fight scenes become alive and show Kenshin's fearsome swordplay. Rurouni Kenshin contains a fair amount of comedy as well, which is also drawn sharply. It's easy to recognise these scenes, as Kenshin is usually drawn with perfect circle eyes and humorous facial expressions.

The only problem I can find with the artwork is that of the main character, Kenshin. Watsuki's first design for Kenshin was a tall man with black hair. After that, he attempted to design the exact opposite, which came out as a girl. To make up for the girlish looks with red hair, he gave Kenshin a scar on his cheek. Somehow, you get used to Kenshin's appearance pretty quickly.

The plot is set straight away and much has been left to be revealed later on in the story. Readers will be anticipating when they can finally find out about Kenshin's history, as much of it is left in the shadow and up to us to predict. The full series is 28 volumes, and have several separate story arcs.

The book contains character and other information in between the chapters, and at the end of the book, contains a short story. If you find yourself confused with some of the words, like several other manga titles, there is a glossary in the back. Therefore, there's nothing special when it comes to extra features, but some of the information can be an interesting read.

On the whole, Rurouni Kenshin is a solid book with great artwork and a well told story. The first book sets itself up nicely for the rest of the series to follow on, and the plot is undoubtedly set to follow in terms of interest. The extra features are nothing special but still a decent read.

5/5

Originally published on www.mangaview.net