Wow this was a great ending. Some authors fall apart at the end of a book or series but he didnt. Wanted to know more of what happened to some of the characters but guess ill have to wait. I dont want to spoil the ending so i wont say anymore. If youve read the otheres and are thinkin if you really should by this book dont think just do it its worth it. If you havent read the other books read them first because this is truly a great series and a classic. At the end of the book it has somje previews of his other work.

3 years, 28 volumes, and over 200 dollars later, it has all come down to this. This one, and RuroKen fans alike, must say goodbye to the hitokiri that cheered me. A sorrow for its end, but a joy in the acknowledgment that there wouldn't be another volume that needs to be spent. That's a sad thing to say but we must move on, but we shouldn't forget the memories we have for this Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story. It's not a perfect series, but in the long haul, "Rurouni Kenshin" still has heart, action, laughter, not much on the perversion and stupidity in retrospect, but plenty on the et cetera. It's interesting how the manga changed in quality since the first volume.

For the first printing, this volume includes a double-sided color poster that I'll never use. Extras aside, what disappoints me about this volume is that Viz Media didn't include the side story of grown-up Yahiko Myojin. Granted it wasn't included in the Japanese version, but that would've been a much better addition than a preview of an upcoming manga series.

Anyway, we now come into the climax that is volume 28. Kenshin and the vengeful Enishi continues their pinnacle duel for the past: one fights for redemption, the other fights for the smile of his departed sister Tomoe, because everything else about her isn't important. We all knew of the inevitable outcome this final battle would occur, it's all about how it's done. Watsuki does a great job of concluding this battle without losing Kenshin's purpose in the process or making the villain see his wrongful doing so sudden. Kenshin wants to atone for his hitokiri past, and in the manner that proceeds outside the circumstances, he manage to achieve it without making it seem farce.

Not to say that his past has been cleansed, but with the influences of his allies and his un-killing bravado, he became more accepting to his past. His ambitions have finally been reached and now he must put down his reverse-blade sword. All these times of fighting using the style of Hiten Mitsurugi have been taking a toll for his little body, so in order to live strong, he must stop fighting.

Nobuhiro Watsuki promised us "Rurouni Kenshin" will have a happy ending, and he proceed on doing so. Though it build on the consistency of characters departing, the epilogue showed a new beginning four years afterwards and has shown a sense of development for certain grown characters regarding the past, present, and future. While the times have changed, the ways that Kenshin followed will never wither.

What a great way to conclude this long-running series. There wasn't much of a reunion to speak of, but the finale showed of the main characters moving on with their lives and do the best they can for themselves; it was especially touching on Yahiko's part. Until the very end, "Rurouni Kenshin" is still one of the few shonen manga that has a deep story while maintaining this light-hearted content that'll appeal to everyone. I've grown to love the action, the unorthodox characters (except for Misao), Kenshin's mannerisms, and the concept of honor and life, along with the readings of Watsuki's obsession over Samurai Showdown and action figures. I'll miss the series, but as long as Watsuki can draw, we can expect more of him in the future: "Buso Renkin" anyone?


- EXIT REVIEW

[Reviewer's View: The Jinchu Arc]

I do have some views about the Jinchu arc; I could talk about the arcs before, but most of you have seen the anime version, either on DVD or on Cartoon Network, so there's no need. Personally, I find the whole arc to be a hit-and-miss. The arc reveals Kenshin's morbid yet surprisingly-humorous past (compared to the OAVs) as a hitokiri, explaining how he got his cross-shaped scar (which leads to an ironic reputation, no less), and how one expression-less woman changed his violent ethics into the pacifist he is now. There was a huge character point in the arc when Enishi "killed" Kaoru (which is actually a fake corpse, which most of us saw this coming), which led to Kenshin go into this motionless emo phase, reminiscing and regretting about his failures until he's back on his feet when he realizes that the past shouldn't change the good of what he's doing now, and that was before he knew Kaoru's really alive. Those were the good parts.

My biggest irk about the Jinchu arc is the main villain: Enishi Yukishiro. I just couldn't see him as a bad-to-the-bone villian; he's not as dangerous as Shishio or Saito, and I'm sure even Jin-E could've whupped him. I can understand his reasons are more personal, and while his attempts are threatening, his persona couldn't match. Then again, he's not so much a villain as he is a viral fragment of Kenshin's bloody memories. It's more bothersome when the sub-villains, some are wicked like the long-armed "Carnage"-like freak, are taken out early in the arc. When I found out about Enishi's weakness and the capture of Kaoru, the story and the pacing starts to become lukewarm as if Watsuki's doing the manga on auto-pilot. Overall, the arc may be a heck of a lot [better] than the final arc created for the anime, but it just isn't as grand as I expected. At least it brought out a great closure.