Maybe I'm the only person who liked the manga better than this. People see this as being separate from Rurouni Kenshin, because the artwork is different and it has no humor. However, if people would read the manga, they'd see how the whole story ties together. Kenshin, the sometimes clumsy, Oroing rurouni, was indeed once a dangerous assassin. He did fall in love with Tomoe., who changed his life. But this OVA changed the general tone, even though the Remembrance arc is indeed the most serious part of the excellent manga. My biggest pet peeve is the beginning. Here we have Shinta (young Kenshin) and a woman (on a horse? What?!) smiling happily. That makes no sense whatsoever especially as the OVA is so dark and gloomy. The part where Kenshin leaves Hiko is dark and gloomy, of course, while in the manga/anime Kenshin smacks Hiko with his sword in a rather silly way. Anyway, I wouldn't really recommend this to fans of the manga Rurouni Kenshin. Watch The Beginning instead. Even though it's live action, it sticks more to the manga than the OVA does.
