My Rurouni Kenshin Journey

Got this Rurouni Kenshin Movie Poster coz of the blogging I did. :)
January 2013. 

My Rurouni Kenshin Movie Review (2012) here. 

I wouldn't say that I am the biggest Rurouni Kenshin fan (that would be so against Kenshin's principles) but what I know is that I am a true and genuine fan and let me demonstrate that through this essay/blog post - I can't promise that this is going to be a short one just because I have so much to say - okay so let's start with this - I'm 28 now and married; I've been a fan of Rurouni Kenshin since I was in High School and as our High School Batch President likes to remind us that was well over 10 years ago - so I've pretty much been a fan of Rurouni Kenshin for a good 13 years-and still counting! 

I remember watching the series (over and over again) on local TV - first the English dubbed version on Studio 23 then on AXN. Kids this was during a time where online streaming was not possible yet, everyone who wanted to watch a series, actually watched it in front of a TV. 

There have been so many late nights where in my siblings and I would stay up and talk about the latest Rurouni Kenshin episode. We'd make our own Shishio Makato impersonations (really bad ones) and do that scene were he bites Kenshin in the neck :P 

I remember that HBO even showed the first animated movie - and I watched that too. I cried over the OVA on DVD - ugly sobbing crying just because it was so damn heartbreaking.

My first jamming in a band was covering Judy and Mary's Sobakasu - if you are a true Rurouni Kenshin fan you'd know this song. Way back in High School, again about 13 years ago!  

Years may have come to pass but my love and admiration for the wandering samurai has always been there and it's not going anywhere! 

This is me during the DVD launch of Rurouni Kenshin in Odyssey.
Blog post here. March 2013.

When news of a live action movie version hit the Internet I took to the blog and wrote updates on the movie constantly. I wrote a blog post on Kenshin Himura's battle to get to Philippine Shores, practically documented the whole bit and I will go out and say it even if Warner Bros. Philippines were not the official distributor of the first film in the Philippines, they are definitely making it up to all the fans by bring the cast and director here. I mean never in my wildest dreams would I ever think that this would be possible. 

When you say Red Carpet Movie Premiere - you think Hollywood, Singapore but never, ever - Manila but now, scratch all that because we are having our own Rurouni Kenshin Red Carpet Movie Premiere in Manila! Woot! 

Like I said in a post before - this is a testament to the power of the fans, people didn't think that the Rurouni Kenshin movies would ever be shown here, so much so that people were already planning to resort to piracy but behold it has come to be the highest grossing Japanese film in the Philippines. When the first movie came out, lines were long, cinemas were full people had to wait for four hours for the next screening.    

Long story short it was a success story nobody predicted but deep down in the hearts of the fans, we all knew that it would be a big success and with all the buzz the second movie and the Manila premiere are creating and the fact that the actors are gonna be here! This is over the top crazy! 

It is history in the making and I want to be a part of that. 

This is me at the Warner Bros. Rurouni Kenshin display
during Toycon 2014.

I am writing this blog post as an entry for a Warner Bros. Philippines contest to win tickets to the premiere. Now I believe in honesty and I try to be as honest as possible in all of my blog posts and with that intention I am revealing that I have won passes to the Red Carpet Procession thanks to SM Cinema, I am eternally grateful for that but I was informed that the passes are just for the Red Carpet Procession and not the movie. That is why I am writing this blog post and hoping to win this contest, since I do want - really badly those movie invites to see Kyoto Inferno on Aug. 6. 

Am I the biggest Rurouni Kenshinn fan? - I can't say that but I can say that I am a genuine fan who encouraged and fought for the movie, I asked family, friends and strangers to sign online petitions when the movie's fate was still uncertain. I supported it when it first came out (watched it in the movie house - 3 times) and I got an original copy of the DVD when it came out too. Do I believe that I deserve those movie passes for August 6 - Hell Yeah! 

This is me during my second time catching the movie. December 2012. 

When news of the Manila Premiere hit the web, I was afraid I wouldn't get passes for the movie, being that I knew it was going to be super strict. As a blogger, we get invites to premieres no problem but for this one, I knew I wasn't a big time blogger to get one and my heart would ache every time I knew that the days were coming nearer and here I was - no movie passes. 

I know I already have Red Carpet Procession passes and I am very grateful and will definitely make the most out of that but I can never forgive myself for not trying to win movie passes. I saw comments of people complaining that the contest was just announced on Saturday and the deadline was on Sunday the next day, they were complaining of how short the time was to join but if you were a true fan you would jump at any opportunity given and that is me right now, jumping at this opportunity and hoping and praying to be part of this momentous event. 

Rurouni Kenshin has always been part of my life - and I want to be there in the cinema for the movie screening on August 6. I want to be there when history happens and this is me trying, praying and shooting for the stars. The odds may be against me but Kenshin has faced greater odds too and he succeeded. (^^x