Rurouni Kenshin, Vol. 18: Fall From Grace (2000)
Review by Dindrane
Film:
DVD:

Original Story by Nobuhiro Watsuki
Directed by Kazuhiro Furuhashi

Features:

• Liner Notes
  
• Dub Outtakes
  
• English and Japanese audio
  
• English subtitles
  

Dindrane's Anime Warnings:

• scary swordplay
• a bit of angst
• conflicted loyalties and sadness

Rating: 13+

Anamorphic: N/A

My Advice: Buy it.

Fall From Grace brings the Shimabara/Christian saga to a close, and contrary to Eliot, it ends with a bang, not a whimper. Shogo and the army finally meet in a no-holds-barred battle royale, but Elsten has arranged something that just might save some lives--Kenshin and Shogo will duel to decide the fate of the soldiers. But Kenshin is still blind, so even though Shogo is still wounded himself, is this really a fair fight? It should be especially interesting as both men are masters of the same fighting style, but have never yet mastered the final move--maybe today is the day? Will Misao be able to reach them all in time?

The characterization and plot are as strong in this disc as I've seen Rurouni Kenshin be, which is saying a lot. Elsten continues to be a very intriguing and enlightening character, while Kenshin has grown so much in some ways that he's also very likable and endearing. Sanosuke and Sayo...what can you say? You'll just have to watch this disc to see the fruits of their recent past showing up in their actions and reactions. Beautiful. Even Shogo, the "villain," is more complex than you might think; he's not simply some power-hungry madman. In the vein of Ashram in Lodoss War, Shogo is actually fighting for something. While Kenshin is still Our Hero, it lends something deeper to the plot to understand where Shogo is coming from.

The final episodes on the disc are a nice balance with the early ones, containing as they do a bit of humour, as the bridge episodes between sagas often do. It's nice to see the heroes taking a well-earned relaxation, and it's a good break for the viewers too, allowing us to process all the action, growth, and revelations that we've just seen in the Shimabara Saga.

The extras are similar to the other Rurouni Kenshin discs, meaning that we have here some more outtakes, which I always love to see on anime discs, and some more liner notes. While the outtakes are entertaining, the liner notes here are just so good that it's hard not to get excited about them the most. Why not, after all, use your entertainment as an opportunity to really learn something? So many fans claim to know all there is to know about Japan from anime alone, forgetting that anime is fiction and not meant to be history or scholarship, but the liner notes are a good way to point out what is real and what is not. I hope other production companies take a cue from Fall From Grace and include extensive notes like these.

The audio and video were both quite strong on this disc. Neither the Japanese nor the English language track evinced any problems, such as distortions or crackling. The video was just as good, with clear colors and very little cross-coloration or other problems. The art is very vibrant and clear, with each character having a very personalized look. The scenes between Kenshin and Shogo are particularly well done, with real cinematography going on here. The scenes are a perfect balance between tense and beautiful, with the tension of the battle superimposed over breathtaking scenery.

Overall, this disc is a marvelous continuation of the Rurouni Kenshin storyline. It offers fruits for action fans, historical fantasy lovers, and viewers who just like character-driven stories with solid plots and beautiful artwork. The characters change and encounter enough that they never get dull, and the plots are complex and surprising, but actually make sense, with internal continuity and logical progression. The humour is actually funny, and that alone is worth the price of admission. If you're new to the Rurouni Kenshin universe, this disc might confuse you a bit, coming in as it does at the end of a story cycle, but just watch the final couple episodes, and that will give you a taste of what's to come.