Shin Kyoto Hen

Rurouni Kenshin: Shin Kyōto-Hen
Director	Kazuhiro Furuhashi
Composer	Noriyuki Asakura
Studio	Studio Deen
Episode Count	2

Rurouni Kenshin: Shin Kyōto Hen (translated as Rurouni Kenshin: New Kyoto Arc) is a two-part OVA which retells the Kyoto Arc through Makimachi Misao's perspective. The plot and events taking place in the OVA differ largely from those shown in the original anime and the manga. Noriyuki Asakura reprises his role as composer, making rearrangements of tracks previously used in the 90s anime soundtrack.

Part I was released on December 17, 2011 and titled Rurouni Kenshin: New Kyoto Arc: The Cage of Flames, which was selected from a fan suggestion, ran at Tokyo's Cinema Sunshine Ikebukuro theater and Osaka's Cine-Libre Umeda theater for one week only. Part II, Rurouni Kenshin: New Kyoto Arc: The Chirps of Light, was released on June 23, 2012 and ran for three weeks in ten theaters.

Aniplex of America announced at Otakon 2011 that they were in "negotiations" for the English language rights to the films. Aniplex released Part I on DVD and Blu-ray on March 21, 2012 in Japan, while Part II was released on August 22, 2012. In 2013, North American licensor Sentai Filmworks released both films together on DVD and Blu-ray, compiling them together onto a single disc.

Differences from the Original

The OVA features a completely rewritten storyline, changing, shortening and omitting numerous events from the manga:

• Okina is already aware of Kenshin's encounter with Aoshi before his arrival in Kyoto. In the manga, Okina only finds this out through Kenshin himself.
• Sanosuke meeting Anji and learning Futae no Kiwami is omitted from the OVA.
• Misao finds out about Kenshin and his past as Battōsai through Okina and goes out of her way to search for him in order to ask him what happened with Aoshi. In the manga, Misao travels by herself in search for Aoshi and meets Kenshin by chance. She finds out about his past identity much later.
• The Shingetsu Village sub-arc is drastically shortened in the OVA. Kenshin is already aware of Shishio's presence in the village and goes head on to his hideout along with Misao and engages with Sojiro. The characters of Senkaku, Eiji and the villagers are all omitted. Saitō meets with Kenshin later.
  • During their conversation in the village, Shishio mentions to Kenshin that his sword was made by Shakku. In the manga, he mentions this during their final duel at mount Hiei hideout.
• In the OVA, Misao carries a messenger pigeon. After Kenshin breaks his sakabato, she decides to send the pigeon to Okina in order to get information about Shakku's whereabouts. In the manga, it is Kenshin that requests Okina about Shakku's and Hiko Seijūrō's whereabouts when he arrives in Kyoto.
• Kenshin's reunion and training with Seijūrō is omitted. Instead, in the OVA, Kaoru and Yahiko happen to find his house and stay there for some time. Seijūrō later learns that they are Kenshin's friends, saying that "he has finally obtained what he once lacked with the sword". Later, Yahiko relays to Kenshin what Hiko has told them: "Through the sword, you must touch your opponent's heart". This idea and lesson that Kenshin learns is different from the manga, where he learned he needs a will to survive in order to master Amakakeru Ryū no Hirameki.
  • The idea of touching opponent's heart through sword acts as one of the main themes in the OVA. It's a concept seen in the manga with Hiko Seijiro touching Fuji's heart, seeing him as a true warrior and not a mere brute.
• The final act of the story happens during the Great Kyoto Fire instead of mount Hiei duels and Aoi-ya ambush.
• Jūppongatana:
  • Hoji, Saizuchi, Kamatari, Henya and Iwanbo are omitted from the OVA. Because of this, the rest of the members are never called Jūppongatana.
  • Usui gets killed off early by Shishio in a duel, whilst in the manga he is killed much later by Saitō in a mount Hiei duel.
  • Fuji is nowhere near the Kaiju size he is in the manga. He also carries a wooden log acting as a shield, whilst in the manga he only carries a sword.
  • Anji sees Shishio as someone to worship, as a "light" in darkness. In the manga, he's allied with Shishio only out of shared interest of destroying the Meiji government, he doesn't see him as a godlike figure.