Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan - Seisou-hen

This is how the entire anime should have been imo. This style is what drew me in to watching the series in the first place after watching Trust and Betrayal. I love the more realistic way the fights are portrayed and how the atmosphere is more gritty and less lighthearted. The main series is very over the top with the way they get "power ups" and such which just doesn't work with this kind of show. The way Trust and Betrayal and this one are shown are a complete 180 to the series. Some people will like the series more ... and others will like this more, just depends on what you want from this particular story. I would recommend watching all things related to Rurouni Kenshin and decide for yourself which you like more :)

I have recently become a fan of the Rurouni Kenshin franchise and binge-watched the first two seasons of the anime within days. The writing in the 2nd season was divine! I expected more of the same with the OVAs despite having no involvement with the creator. Not what I expected! Trust and Betrayal needed the dark telling to convey how Kenshin used to be, but Reflections should have shown the happier times. He's moved past his former detached self, and seeing how his goofiness came about would have been refreshing.

Story:
If Reflections did not tie itself to the Rurouni Kenshin name, I would like this story. ... Everything is depressing, and the dialogue fits in with a soap opera. The dark color schemes should have tipped me to that.

This OVA uses flashbacks to push along the story, which I didn't mind. I like seeing old scenes re-drawn in this style.

The ending makes me eye-roll a bit. Characters that dramatically run then die in each others arms? I don't mind cheesy romance at times, but these characters deserved honorable deaths. Dying from a disease does not make anyone weak, but it felt forced. Them dying in battle or by natural causes (bombed by an enemy, drowned, sacrificed, etc) would have made better sense to me. I want to tear the love scene to shreds, but I won't touch it. I will just say I felt conflicted. I liked seeing the two of them in love, but not to that melodramatic extent. Is no happiness allowed? I wish there could have been one scene with Kenshin playing with son, and then a scene of when their relationship first became strained.

I do not like this trope I see in shounen sequels, where the dads become deadbeats and leave the kids to become filled with angst. You can be a shounen hero and be in your kids life! Those two things can be simultaneous. I would have thought better of Kenshin. Family and friends should have been very important to him.

What I did like in this special was Karou calling him Shinta, the focus on romance, and the kiss scene. I did not like anything else.

Also, I understand why they snubbed my favorite character, Saito. These were Kaoru's reflections of Kenshin, and Saito doesn't hold much relevance to her life like him. Misao's got an irritating personality so her not being in this either didn't bother me.

Characters:
I don't like the new perspectives taken on by the characters. Even in the flashbacks, they were out of character. The worst offenders are Kenshin, Yahiko, and Karou. It would not have been bad to have some humor, in fact, it could have made the story bittersweet. To see our favorites laugh only for the sad end to come would hurt more.

Karou had none of her feisty personality. I felt she would drown in her tears one day. The iconic speech Megumi gave her is what made her want to stand by Kenshin's side and not weep for him another day. I know her fighting style isn't quite comparable to the sword-fighting of enemies on Kenshin's level, but could she have not tried to fight back or escape? I guess she wanted to test Kenshin's love too during the Enishi scene.

Kenshin lives his life in this movie as if he sees the ghosts of everyone he killed. Maybe he already did, but it shows here. I don't think Kenshin would walk around in life so sullen. If anything he would probably put on a happy face not to distress anyone, except those closest to him who could see through it.

Sanosuke may have been the only one who stayed in character, but that could have been due to his short appearance.

Yahiko really matured, but in those flashbacks, he should have been more bratty.

Sound: [Concerning the English Dub]
No complaints about music.

The voice acting sounded very monotone and conveyed no emotions besides gloom. I would have picked a different actor for Enishi. I don't think that voice meshed well with him.

Art:
This style is definitely attached to realism. I like it. The anime's cartoony look would not have worked well with the tone. A mixture of the New Kyoto Arc look and this one combined would have been nice to see.

Overall:
I did not like this and don't plan to re-watch. I did like older Kenji. Despite him being a clone of his father, down to learning from Hiko. I upped the score solely for the Kenshin and Karou kiss we weren't privy to in the original series. It's just my wishful thinking, but it would have been really nice for Kenji's girl (a rehash of Kaoru) to be Aoshi and Misao's daughter.

i just want to tell you something
this is not a sequel to the manga
this didn't not happen in the manga
it is filler
it is like an alternative sequel or something like that
and the author didn't approve of this ending
so this is not the real ending of kenshin
the real ending in the not like this stupid ova
and i want to tell anyone who like the real kenshin that
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... this show was really bad that i almost hated kenshin cos of it
what's wrong with this ova
what was they thinking when they make it