Beauty on the Run is the 8th episode of the Rurouni Kenshin 2023 anime adaptation.
Synopsis[]
After one of Sanosuke's friends dies from an opium overdose, a mysterious woman shows up and asks for Kenshin's help and protection. She is being pursued by the Oniwabanshū onmitsu, an elite group of ninjas under a shady businessman's orders. Who is this mysterious woman, and why is she being pursued by the businessman?
Summary[]
A mysterious woman ran away from two people chasing her. Meanwhile, Sanosuke gambles with Kenshin and a couple of friends called Ginji and Tomo while seeking Kenshin's advice. He's constantly winning and seems to be in a good mood until he learns that a friend named Yoita died from an opium overdose.
The woman on the run suddenly appears in the restaurant where Sanosuke and his friends were gambling. She notices Kenshin's sword lying beside him and jumps towards him, embracing him and asking for his help. The two men chasing her also appear and identify her as Takani Megumi. One of them tries to capture her, but is easily tossed aside by Sanosuke (who is in an especially bad mood after learning of Yoita's fate). It is learned that these two are henchmen for an underground criminal named Takeda Kanryū. Megumi is asked why they are after her, and she claims not to know what they are after.
After that, a small man appears (Beshimi), laughing and accusing Megumi of being a lying deceiver in the pretense of an innocent woman. Megumi vows to him that she will never return to Kanryū, and he throws spiral darts toward her, which hit Ginji and Tomo, causing blood to draw from them. He then tells Megumi that he will fire the next ones at both her legs. He fires away, but Kenshin blocks the darts with a nearby mat and his Sakabatō, saying that even though he doesn't understand what is happening, he cannot allow innocent people to be hurt. He and Sanosuke then punch the man in the face, knocking him out. While trying to grab Megumi to force her to answer about the situation, mysterious tiny packets drop from her pocket, which Sanosuke picks up. He has a taste and realizes that it is opium. Sano is disturbed by this and begins to suspect Megumi.
Back at the Kamiya Dōjō, Kaoru and Yahiko continue training. Kenshin and Sanosuke return home with Megumi, and Kaoru is not too happy to see her, especially after Sanosuke tells Kearu they won Megumi from the bets. Kaoru asks Kenshin about this, and he follows the lie (told by Sanosuke that they should hide the opium topic from the conversation). This causes Kaoru to start beating up Kenshin, even though he didn't do anything. Megumi begins flirting with Kenshin and tells everyone she is surprised by Kaoru's rash and unlady-like behavior. Megumi doubts that a little "sweaty" Dōjō girl like her can be Kenshin's lover. Megumi then starts sensually holding Kenshin, asking him whether or not he prefers her to Kaoru. This completely enrages Kaoru, who throws Kenshin, Sanosuke, and Megumi from the Dōjō.
Another friend of Sanosuke named Shu arrives on the street and tells them to follow him. They go to a bridge where they discover the police is investigating two murdered man: the same two thugs that were pursuing Megumi. Among the crowd, they watch three people: The same short man who threw spiral darts, a mysterious tall man with fringe-banged style hair wearing a trenchcoat, and a young man with glasses and an occidental suit. Megumi informs everyone that the man wearing an occidental suit (and using glasses) is Takeda Kanryū, a shady businessman. And that the tall man wearing a trenchcoat is Shinomori Aoshi, the Okashira (boss) of the Oniwabanshū, a group of shinobi who are working for Takeda Kanryū.
Beshimi, the Okashira, and Takeda Kanryū discover Kenshin, Sanosuke, and Megumi far away in the crowd. The Okashira asks Beshimi if they are the ones who broke his nose. Aoshi is shown not to be a henchman for Kanryū since he acts independently and clearly tells the latter not to butt into his affairs. Kanryū is okay with that as long as Megumi is retrieved. Shinomori talks with someone named Han'nya, who appears to be hiding among the crowd, and asks him if he has any information. Han'nya tells the Okashira about Megumi's location in the Kamiya Dōjō. The Okashira orders him and another of his underlings, Hyottoko, to help Beshimi retrieve her.
Back in the Dōjō later that day, Megumi informs Kenshin of Kanryū, saying that he has 60 bodyguards and, separate from them, are his most dangerous associates, the Okashira's soldiers. She tells Kenshin that these soldiers are distinct from his other bodyguards and are members of the Oniwabanshū, defenders of the Edo Castle. This group gave the command to a 15-year-old prodigy named Shinomori Aoshi (the Okashira) just before the Bakumatsu. Megumi thinks to herself that if the Oniwabanshū pursues her, even Kenshin won't be able to help her and that she must escape somewhere else soon.
Kenshin then asks Megumi why Kanryū is so bent on finding her, but she refuses to answer him, saying that it is none of his business. Meanwhile, Kaoru attempts to eavesdrop on their conversation; however, Sanosuke notices this and reprimands her, saying that her position as Shihandai (assistant master) of the Kamiya Kasshin-ryū has been dampened. She tries to make excuses, saying that she only wants to know what is happening since Kenshin and Megumi have been spending all night together in a single room.
Kenshin then comes out of the room and tells Kaoru and Sanosuke that they are dealing with the Oniwabanshū, who are probably already aware of Megumi's location. Kenshin tells Kaoru that there will most likely be trouble ahead, but that she can be assured that he will protect her. Yahiko, who has been hiding underneath the floor of the Dōjō the entire time, suddenly appears and says that now that he knows what's going on, he wants to get in on the action too, saying that he too is part of the Kenshingumi (i.e., Kenshin group, a term he just coined). Suddenly, a ginormous fat man appears out of nowhere and breaks through the Dōjō's surrounding wall.
Characters in Order of Appearance[]
- Himura Kenshin
- Udō Jin-e
- Kamiya Kaoru
- Myōjin Yahiko
- Sagara Sanosuke
- Takani Megumi
- Ginji
- Tomo
- Yoita
- Beshimi
- Shu
- Takeda Kanryū
- Shinomori Aoshi
- Hyottoko
Anime Notes[]
- There are several differences between the anime and the manga regarding the events of this episode:
- In the manga, Aoshi's hair has a combover style (that was later slowly changed to a fringe-banged style). In the anime, he has the fringe-banged style already.
- Most of the comedic elements portrayed by Kaoru and Yahiko from the manga were omitted in the anime (unlike the 1996 anime, which included them).
- The Oniwabanshū's ambush on the Kamiya Dōjō was altered from the manga to show Hyottoko's first strike.
Trivia[]
- The episode was titled after the original of Act 15.
- This episode marks the first time opium is mentioned in the anime.
Gallery[]
To be added