Arguably the most well-known element of Japanese culture and history is the samurai. Wielding a katana while maintaining allegiance to the honor code of bushido, they are known for their honor skill and skill at fighting. As such, many manga and anime have references to these swordsmen, whether it be for comedic purposes or to serve as a piece of historical fiction. With how many of these samurai stories are out there, what makes one stand out from the rest? What are the elements to make a successful samurai story? Trust and Betrayal answer those questions with ease, making for an enjoyable OVA series that aims to tell a story of romance and violence in under 2 hours.

The year is 1864 and rebellion has bubbled against the military government of the Tokugawa shogunate. In the midst of this action is the protagonist Shinta, renamed as Kenshin Himura, who is an excellent assassin who’s wish is to protect the innocent. Despite his brutality against his targets, Kenshin is a soft-spoken man whose cold exterior hides a rather caring individual. The OVA oversees his development by having him interact with characters that serve as guiding forces. Seijuurou Hiko and Kogoro Katsura are leaders to Kenshin, recognizing his strength as a swordsman through training or missions but worry about his ferocity. Tomoe Yukishiro serves to balance out this very nature, as her role is eloquently described as being the “sheath to his sword”. Other characters introduced in the series serve as a way of providing more strength to Tomoe and Kenshin. These minor characters are successful as their behaviors and reasons are believable, tying in directly with the central plot without interfering with the story’s focus. All of this encapsulates a drama that flourishes, a story that tells of the prices paid for good ideals.

The story itself, despite the ominous title, is rather standard. Tales such as this have been told in older manga such as Lone Wolf and Cub. Though the “trust and betrayal” is the key element in the tale, it is not as explicit as one may believe. This is because the series is more inclined to show rather than tell. Dialogue blocks are still present, but they play a subservient role to the atmosphere the show develops. It is this silence that often speaks more than the characters themselves. Yet despite this atmosphere, the show never feels swallowed by lethargy. The pacing of the show is perfectly matched to all the key scenes, making the action build the viewer’s adrenaline and allowing the sensual portions to burn slowly yet gracefully. The OVA plays out like a string arrangement, adjusting tempo to draw out the emotions of the piece.

Speaking of music, the score for the OVA is superb. Though it is sparse, they are all wonderful instrumentals that serve the animation well. Perhaps the moodiest of these is “Quiet Life” by Taku Iwasaki, a beautiful string piece that only adds to the wistful feeling of the series. The seiyuus (save for one I’ll mention later) all adhere to the emotional qualities of the show very well. Sound director Shouji Hata should be very proud of his work on this OVA. The studio behind it is Studio DEEN, one that has a bit of infamy behind their production quality. Despite this, the OVA’s animation is well done. I adore the look of cel animation and it’s done very well here. The desaturated colors and painted backgrounds are wonderful and add to the serious tone of the show. Though the animation is well done, the overall visual appeal stems from the various editing tricks that DEEN have done. Rotoscoped imagery and filtered images are present at times in the show. This allows DEEN to avoid having to animate these scenes while avoiding a stylistic clash. Sometimes DEEN’s editing tricks don’t always work, like when a strobe effect is used to emulate quick action, but for the most part they are successful.

There are a few minor problems I have with the show. As focused on pacing and presentation as the show is, I can’t help but feel some cuts were a bit erratic in the first half of the show. Scenes could often be interrupted by other moments that were occurring or by flashbacks without much lead in. It is to be expected, as the series wishes to promote a more subtle narrative while keeping good pacing. Still, it can lead to some confusion early on when organizing characters and events within time. The second problem I have is another contradictory issue – the voice acting of Kenshin. Kenshin’s design and character (at least, in this OVA) is designed to be soft-spoken and rather cold. As a result, the seiyuu Mayo Suzukaze plays this role to a tee. However, these limits to Kenshin’s range hinders the character during more critical moments, taking myself away from proper immersion into how the character feels. Again, this is more minor, as for the most part the acting is fine. The visual qualities of the character more than make up for this, so Kenshin’s current state of mind is expressed even if the voice doesn’t seem to match.

Overall, I give this show a 7/10. I must admit that I was more indifferent starting out, but over time the series’ qualities began to enthrall me. If you’re a fan of samurai stories or historical shows in general, I recommend this title. I also recommend this show if you are looking for something a bit more atmospheric. This is a series that had a lot of love put into it, wanting to show the artistic integrity of the Rurouni Kenshin to its fullest. I can definitively say DEEN succeeded with their mission.

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