The hugely popular Jump manga "Rurouni Kenshin" depicts the protagonist Himura Kenshin's struggle with the sins he committed in the past and his growth through meeting new friends. It is renowned for the complexity of the story and the depiction of the passionate battles between those who uphold their own ideals of justice, and is still popular with many fans today. But did you know that there is more to enjoy than simply following the story of this moving blockbuster? In this article, we have compiled some funny little tidbits that you should know to enjoy "Rurouni Kenshin" even more! With the announcement of the final chapter of the live-action film, the Rurouni Kenshin community is getting even more excited, but there are many ways to enjoy "Rurouni Kenshin" other than simply enjoying the story, so be sure to check them out.
"Gianism"
Have you ever heard of the word "Gianism"? Gianism is a word that refers to a greedy way of thinking that relies on force to take everything for yourself, just like the words of Gian, a character in the nationally popular manga Doraemon, "What's mine is mine, and what's yours is mine." It's a word that's quite well established among anime fans, but did you know that it actually started with Rurouni Kenshin?
Gianism originated from Rurouni Kenshin! ?
In Rurouni Kenshin, when the protagonist Kenshin's best friend Sanosuke Sagara makes a similar remark to Giant, Kenshin points out that the remark is "Gianism," which is thought to be the first time the word "Gianism" was used. It's strange to think that a word related to the nationally popular manga Doraemon was born from Rurouni Kenshin.
Is Kenshin reading Doraemon!?
This scene makes you want to ask "Is Kenshin reading Doraemon?" because of Kenshin's crazy remarks.
Fun that isn't tied to the time setting!!
Rurouni Kenshin is set in the Meiji era, so it's obviously not the time when Doraemon was published, and Kenshin couldn't have read Doraemon, but the fact that the story can be developed flexibly without being bound by the time period is what makes Rurouni Kenshin so interesting, isn't it?
The hidden intentions of the author
So what is the point of adding this kind of humor? At first glance, it may seem like they just threw in something they thought was funny without any thought, but there is a hidden ingenuity of the author behind this.
Disadvantages of Serious Manga
This is the effect of making the reader see the story from a bird's-eye view, like a skit. If the story continues to develop in a serious way, like a battle manga, the reader may become overly empathetic with the protagonist, which can lead to the disadvantage of not being able to properly receive the message the author is trying to convey.
Ingenuity for showing the story from a bird's-eye view!!
However, by including small details like this here and there that bring us back to reality, the story can be shown from a bird's-eye view without immersing the reader in the work. By suddenly including a story that is not appropriate for the Meiji era, the reader is brought back to the real world and encouraged to face the work from a bird's-eye view. This expression makes good use of the author's intention that if the reader views the story from a bird's-eye view in this way, the reader will be more likely to receive the message the author wants to convey.
The dubbed version is fun! !
Furthermore, there are more ways to enjoy Rurouni Kenshin than just watching the Japanese version. Did you know that we can enjoy it even more by watching the dubbed version that is available overseas?
Technique names unique to Japan
Naturally, Rurouni Kenshin is set in Japan during the Meiji period, so there are many words that can only be expressed in Japanese. By dubbing words that can only be expressed in Japanese overseas, difficult words unique to Japan end up being read as they are in broken overseas Japanese, which makes it hard for us to help but feel strange.
Misheard words are fun! !
However, in recent years, this overseas dubbed version has been uploaded to a video sharing site, and it has attracted attention as "overseas broken Japanese is actually funny!!"
"Futaenokiwami!!"
The most famous of the many misheard lines in Rurouni Kenshin is probably Sagara Sanosuke's "Futaenokiwami". In the Japanese version, Sanosuke coolly pronounces it as "Futaenokiwami!!", but in the overseas dubbed version, it is pronounced as "Futaenokiwami!!". It seems that many viewers can't stop laughing at the strong habit and it has become a habit.
"Gatotsu, Zero Star Il!!"
Following "Futaeno Kiwami!!", Saito Hajime's technique "Gatotsu Zero Style" is said to be one of the two most interesting dubs in the overseas dub of Rurouni Kenshin. This is also pronounced very coolly in the Japanese version, but in the overseas dub, it is pronounced "Gatotsu, Zero Star Il!!". Why is Zero Style the only one pronounced "Zero Style"?
There are also many interesting videos! !
On video streaming sites, many funny videos are uploaded that combine these extremely unusual pronunciations.
In the anime version, Kenshin dies of "syphilis"! ?
Did you know that Kenshin dies of syphilis in the anime version? Since Rurouni Kenshin is currently being sequeled to the Hokkaido Arc, many people don't know that there is an episode in which Kenshin dies.
What is syphilis?
So what kind of disease is syphilis, the disease that kills Kenshin in the anime version? Syphilis is a disease that is transmitted through sexual intercourse. Although there are now some established treatments, at the time it was a terrible disease that would almost certainly kill you if you contracted it.
The protagonist dies from a sexually transmitted disease! A ridiculous ending!
And in the anime version, Kenshin is infected with syphilis and dies. The shocking ending of the anime version of Rurouni Kenshin depicts the unexpected death of the protagonist of a Jump manga from syphilis, a sexually transmitted disease.
Kaoru also dies
Syphilis can be transmitted through sexual intercourse, and Kenshin's lover Kaoru also contracts syphilis and dies. Even though Rurouni Kenshin is a somewhat serious work, it is a ridiculous ending in which not only the main character Kenshin but also Kaoru loses her life.
OVA
However, the shocking ending in which Kenshin dies of syphilis was depicted in the OVA, which is an episode unique to the anime, so it is difficult to claim that it is the mainstream interpretation.
It is a parallel development to the Hokkaido arc!!
Rurouni Kenshin's Hokkaido Arc is currently being serialized, and the story progresses differently from the ending of the anime version. This also means that the Hokkaido Arc as written by the author himself and the ending depicted in the anime are parallel developments.
The Hokkaido arc should be considered the main story
The ending of the anime version is quite sharp and highly acclaimed, but since the Hokkaido arc was written by the original author himself, most fans consider this to be the main story.
It doesn't suit me, but it's good!! A masterpiece that will remain in anime history!!
And above all, Rurouni Kenshin is famous for the fact that its opening music, "Freckles," is still very popular.
The overwhelming masterpiece "Freckles"
"Freckles", the first opening theme of the anime Rurouni Kenshin, not only sold 1.2 million copies, but is still popular enough to rank high in the anime song popularity rankings.
It doesn't fit the image of Rurouni Kenshin at all! ?
This song "Freckles" was born when my manager suddenly told me that I had been chosen to write the opening theme for an anime, and I had to write it in three days. In addition, I didn't have a clear idea of what kind of work it was, so the melody ended up being the complete opposite of the image of Rurouni Kenshin.
Still a strong support
However, perhaps due to the gap between the melody and the song's lack of compatibility, "Freckles" became a hit, and is still a strong anime opening theme song.
Easy to sing at karaoke!!
"Freckles" has a good rhythm and is easy to sing, so it is recommended for those who are looking for a song to sing at karaoke. It is a song that is especially easy for women to sing, so if you are a woman looking for an anime song to sing, please give it a try! ! !
Summary
What did you think? This time, we introduced some small tidbits and trivia about "Rurouni Kenshin". Of course, it is fun to enjoy the story purely, but that is not the only way to enjoy anime and manga. In addition to "Rurouni Kenshin", there are many other animes with such small tidbits, so please check out the works that interest you.
