Rurouni Kenshin volume 7

Today's post is on Rurouni Kenshin volume 7 by Nobuhiro Watsuki. It is 200 pages long and is published by Shonen Jump. The cover has Kenshin and Saitô on it looking very cool. It is the seventh volume in the long running series. You have to have read the six first in the series to understand the story. The intended reader is someone who likes historical stories, manga, and interesting characters. There is no foul language, no sex, but some violence in this series. The story is told from third person close following different characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- The Shinsengumi--fearsome and formidable protectors of the Shôgunate. Kenshin knows them well, having done battle with them during the final days of the Meiji Restoration. One man in particular--Saitô Hajime, captain of the third unit--lingers in Kenshin's mind. Now an officer of the law and known as "Fujita Gorô," Saitô arrives on the steps of the Kamiya Dojo, challenging Kenshin to a duel that will force a reawakening of Kenshin's own past. But the confrontation with Saitô is just the beginning of something much larger, something that will involve the future of the new Japan...

Review- This is the beginning of a very long arc in the series known as the Kyoto Arc. It begins with Kenshin dreaming about the Bakumatsu and fighting Saitô. The story very quickly gets serious with a plot against the current Meji government by an enemy thought to be dead. We get to see a side of Kenshin that we really have only brushed before. Kaoru, who I love, is really just annoying in this volume. She just cries and yells at Kenshin instead of trying to help. In this volume we get introduced to my favorite character in the series: Saitô Hajime. When I watched the series many years ago I fell in love with him. He is just one of the most interesting characters in the series and a very interesting man in real life. With other characters based on real people that Watsuki uses but changes their names Saitô is the only one he does not. Because he is the coolest. The fight between Kenshin and Saitô is one of the best so far. In the end Kenshin has to go and clean up the mistakes from the government again. He leaves at the end of the volume and things are looking dark. I look forward to journey to Kyoto.

I give this volume a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this volume from my own money.