I haven't watched any of parts of this movie but I watched this one and it seems to be classic action movie. Storyline was good too . Great fighting scenes with sword and some good plot twists too. Definitely go for it.

As a big fan of the masterpiece that is the "Tsuioku Hen" OVA (which is what this movie is based off of) I must say this movie falls a bit short compared to it. That doesn't make this a bad movie at all. More of an entity on it's own as there are quite some difference between the two.

The differences go from actual cut content, new scenes made for the movie, scenes that should be at the end put in the middle or in other locations and the pacing/the way the story get's told, etc. So in a way the story will be different, but yet the same.

Some of these changes are fun and exciting, but others left me scratching my head wondering why they did it (as the movie is about the same length as the OVA).

That being said I didn't expect/want a copy of the OVA, but it does take away from some of the relationships and character building. For example: the subtle push and pull dynamic (that slowly leads up to something beautiful) Kenshin normally has with a certain individual now feels stoic and more of a necessity for the most part.

The action scenes are crisp and well choreographed, but miss the gore and are not as graphic as the OVA. Which imo shouldn't be your focus. Instead it should be the beautiful and gritty story.

The acting is like the other Kenshin live action movies a.k.a. Good and the occasional dramatic anime overacting fitting to the character who it is paired to.

All in all the movie is the lesser of the two, but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable. It is still worth the time you will spend watching it.

I enjoy martial arts though more the artistry and finesse than gore and bloodshed. But what I really liked here was the powerful yet gentle love story and the two leads' heartbreaking depictions of that love. But when I researched and found out more about the author, I was done.