“Wonderful night”(“Migoto na yuru”)
“Nice night”
The title here is that of the third season of Rurouni Kenshin 2023 It was officially announced at the conclusion of the second period. Obviously this isn’t surprising, but it’s still a very important moment in anime history. Because it actually means that the “Jinzhou” arc has been confirmed. Kyoto won’t take up two full courses, so unless S3 is one course – which seems highly unlikely since that would be too few to finish Kyoto – we’re finally getting Genchu.
Those who are not familiar with the history Rorokin You won’t get what it means to those who love it. The closest thing I can compare it to is when “Chimera Ant” was confirmed. As much as it did in 2011, the wait seemed endless Hunter x Hunter The adaptation was (better than this, as good as it is), so Chimera Ant was covering old ground in a new (albeit cool) way. As great as Kyoto is, and Lidenfilms has developed into this fantastic adaptation of it, we’ve already seen it in anime form. It has been inexplicable that Jinzhou has remained maladapted for nearly three decades, but it seems that this will finally change.
When that will be is anyone’s guess, but I don’t imagine the wait for S2 will be more than 18 to 24 months. In the meantime, we have this ending to discuss, and of course the rest of this arc to look forward to. Kyoto was not naturally designed to have a stopping point, so this version had to make a stopping point somewhat. They did not significantly change the plot to do this – the differences in this episode were mostly minor and varied in style. The dialogue was added and the characters were assembled in a way that led to the classic “calm before the storm” ending, and that worked well for me.
The main event here is that Hoji takes it upon himself to act – without permission from the boss. It is undeniable that Haughey is a man of principles – you can object to those principles but not to his devotion to them. He can speak for Japan but he supports it, so it’s fair play. He had already sent out those duel invitations – to Kenshin, Saito, and Sano. The duel in question is to be the Ten of Swords (shouldn’t they really change that name at this point?) versus the Three Friends. Or so the challenges say, but Hoji has other ideas.
Fearlessly, the loyal dog defends his actions before his master. With Rengaku gone, the Juppongatana becomes Shishio’s greatest asset in his quest to conquer Japan. They would have a massive numerical advantage if all nine of them fought the Kenshengmei trio. But since Ken and Seto are at least stronger than most of them, they would probably lose at least a pair (more) of the Ten Swords. So the duel will only be between the strongest – Shishio, Sojiro, and Usui. The other five will go to Aoiya and exterminate everyone there, in retaliation for their interference and to thwart any future resistance.
The logic is very sound. But this kind of initiative is not part of Shishio’s modus operandi. Shishio’s response is to throw Hoji under the bus. He blames him for the Great Fire of Kyoto being a diversion, and Hoji accepts that. In fact, this makes sense, because anything that undermines absolute loyalty poses a major threat to the group’s chances. Hoji doesn’t just accept the false accusations he makes (I always thought he was kind of an “M”). This is enough to convince Shishio of his resolve, and he adopts Hoji’s plan as his own.
Part of Hoji’s reasoning here may be that Shishio and Kenshin’s tendency to think similarly might make Shishio’s plans very easy to decipher – something that may not be the case with his plan. But Kenshin is not oblivious to the possibility of Aoiya attacking him due to his absence – he says the same thing to Yahiko in the climax. He rejected Okina’s suggestion of a farewell party, declaring that he would go to sleep early instead. Before that, Kenshin makes another trip to visit Hiko, and we are not privy to most of their discussions.
This is where most of these additives come in (Megumi isn’t in Kyoto yet in the manga, for starters). In a sequence found in the manga, Kaoru joins Kenshin on the roof under the stars while the latter explains the impossible balance he must achieve in using… Amakiru Ryo no Hirameki Against this enemy – to avoid becoming a murderer again without giving up his life. But soon Yahiko joins them, scolding Kaoru for not holding the bull by the lips. Eventually, the whole gang joins in, and Yahiko is horrified to hear that Ken has no plans to take him to the duel. But Kenshin diplomatically assures the boy of Aoiya’s need for protection (and actually, that’s not a lie).
In fact, this scene is largely faithful to the manga (as was the case in the 1996 version). The key is that the anime replaced it with the showdown in Shishio’s hideout, cleverly realizing that it worked better as a finale for the season. It’s one of many good decisions this adaptation has made this season, which actually improved the flow of the story at times. As much as the focus should be on Jinchuu, Kyoto can never be the anti-climax – it remains the best arc in the series, one of the best in shounen, and as compelling now as the day it was published. When Season 3 arrives, all the pieces are in place to deliver Lee’s triumph.