Rurouni Kenshin, Vol. 2: The Two Hitokiri

Okay, I am an avid Kenshin fan so this is highly biased. now that that is out of the way, here it goes. Kenshin starts off with the battle between Zanza and continues on all the way through the fight against Kurgosa (the Blak Hat) until we meet Megumi-dono and Sano (formerly known as Zanza) and Kenshin kick the butts of those persuing her when she enters into the gambling hall where they are situated.So MUCH content.So that's 9 CHAPTERS or Acts, as they are known in the manga.GREAT fighting scenes and emotional pull.A BIG PLUS is that they keep the Japanese honorifics. -san, -chan, -dono, -sama.As well as certain parts as the Hiten Mitsurugi style (with translations below it)Battousai, Hitokiri..... It even provides a glossary for historical events that took place in japan; since this IS a Historical Fiction series.AND.....The drawings are very well done, normally in manga you can see some over exaggerate figures. Faces that are slightly warped, and such but in here they are very nicely done.While Kenshin's appearance it diff than in the anime that is because his character is continually being devloped and you'll recognize him as he is in the anime in the next book or one after.WOW, it even get's better in the art section as it goes along, and that is an awesome bonus.I think the translations are okay as metioned and I love the fact that they kept everything intact, from the comments of the Watsuki to the Character background that is intertwined in the manga.The best, EVER!

Would not have bought this if I didn't love this manga. What else can I say? I can't think of anything more annoying than this stupid insistence on writing a review tho.

Rurouni Kenshin is fun, epic and informative about Japan during the Meiji era. I may be new to collecting manga, but Rurouni Kenshin has won my heart and I will definitely be buying more! Plus, for $.50 a book, who could complain?

The product shipped quickly, and in great condition. As for the story of RK... One of only a few Manga that I would allow my children to read... Mild violence, yet the protagonist tries to avoid such confrontations, and only commits for a just cause, extremely little in the way of adult material, one of only a few mange that the women are drawn with clothes on. Very enjoyable.

The story of Rurouni Kenshin continues in volume two of the eponymous series. Here Kenshin, living his quiet life at his new home with Kaoru and her recently acquired student, is dragged into new adventures when the enemy from the first volume returns with the the desire to kill Kenshin, as he is the only real obstacle to him succeeding in his goals against Kaoru.To this end, they hire who they think is a common thug named Sanosuke, and send him to kill Kenshin. The thug makes it clear he won't kill Kenshin if he can avoid it. He simply wants to fight him for personal reasons. Despite Sanosuke's honor, the men he is working for are truly evil, and intend for him to die injuring Kenshin badly enough for them to kill him.The other story in the volume is that of Kenshin forced by another Hitokiri into a match to the death. The other man, Jin-E, wishes to push Himura into a corner so that he will have to actually fight to kill. In a perverse way, this creep feels that it is a victory for himself if Kenshin is forced to do what he has decided not to do, i.e., kill someone. Only Kaoru can prevent Kenshin from this path and save him.This is the volume where things get even more interesting. Some interesting questions are raised. How far does one go in the vow to not fight if one can avoid it, and to do anything but kill? How far can one really take these vows in a dangerous world? If one must kill, can it be done morally? How far can principles go in the face of serious situations that cause for some unpleasant (perhaps even evil" actions? These are the questions presented by our Rurouni's adventures in this collection of stories.Through it all, Kenshin retains his morality. And this is not just when Kaoru saves him from going too far. The fact is that it would have been horrible for Kenshin if he had had to take a life, but he would not have actually "gone too far", for real. He had worked out how to do what is necessary without abandoning his general principles, even were he to be forced to violate them to some extent. This is not me being weirdly contradictory, as it works in the story exactly as I just described. In other words, Himura had worked out how his moral ideals functioned in a dangerous world.I think that, beyond the exciting adventures and continued (from the first volume) character bios and author commentary, that this is the best part of this volume of the Rurouni Kenshin manga. We can take a lesson here. To not break emotionally, and not descend into a moral abyss, we must work out how we deal with the world if we must do things we don't like or find morally objectionable. Those few times when it is necessary and even right to do such deeds, how do we do so? In real life, this can be anything, not just fighting or other martial matters. But a moral foundation, I would argue best based upon God's Word, is a must. In other words, we must think things over, so we are ready for every contingency.Once again, a terrific job by Watsuki. Highly, highly recommended.

I received a book in very good quality and of course the story was everything I was expecting!!!!!

awesome thank you