CAA: Christian Anime Alliance

The good new is: this manga craze is growing so much the New York Times even had an article on it, specifically highlighting Rurouni Kenshin as one of the most popular series.

The bad news is: well, just see what they said about Kenshin when they summarized the manga!

The New York Times wrote:The open-ended, almost soap-opera-style story tells of Rurouni Kenshin's befriending a young woman and a little boy, and it alternates between humorous, vaguely romantic episodes and improbable sword fights. The hero is honorable, mysterious and, although he looks like a Spice Girl, basically invincible.

The rest of the article isn't anything particularly remarkable, but if you want to find it, go to Google News and type in "comics trip kenshin." (Normally, it's available only to subscribers, but if you Google, you can get around that for the article.)

Yep, I've noticed newspapers usually don't give very good reviews/descriptions about anime. Ah well, I guess that's why we have CAA.

What!!!

Feh. Well that's the NY Times for ya... Still, nice to see anime gaining yet more popularity stateside!

Librals!!!!!!!!!!!! I would think convservies would have a hard time w/ anime...But the NY times Its dispicable
On top of that calling him....a......spice..GIRL?! why I am I a moron
Hey Watsuki was trying to give him a girlsh look to be get a way form the usal sameri look and make some thing difernt and unique thats it the
New York times soul be..... forever
P.S. don't worry I was just doing it to be silly althowe I am not that impressed with them....they sould at lest see him when he goes battosai....there is nouthing spice girlsh about that... he's hot mutter mutter i can't bevlive i said that.

aculy we sould read the rest of aricel becase it talks about why some kids prever Japan stuff over the american stuff because we're jaded w/ the american ponit of view. I always thought that anime attraced ppl w/ abstract point of views.

ya shuda made this thread after the best bishie contest, kenshin might get simpathy votes

starstoryteller wrote:Hey Watsuki was trying to give him a girlsh look to be get a way form the usal sameri look and make some thing difernt and unique thats it the

Actually, from what I understand, the character design of Kenshin is based on an actual historical "hitokiri", called Kawakami Gensai, who happened to look more feminine than usual.

Kawakami Gensai
"Kawakami Gensai, one of the four great Hitokiri of the Bakumatsu, could be mistaken for a girl at first glance, but his nature was the complete opposite of his appearance]Watsuki's Character Notes[/U]
The following is quoted off of Shonen Jump's RK graphic novel translations of Watsuki:

"Himura Kenshin. Based somewhat on the actual Hitokiri,Kawakami Gensai. Sort Of. Except Totally Different. Kawakami Gensai was one of the four great Hitokiri, or assassins of the revolutionary (Bakamatsu) period. He was short and skinny and could be mistaken at first glance for a woman. Contrary to his appearance, though, he was clever and clear-headed despite being most dreaded among all of the hitokiri.
Master of an original sword-style called "Shiranui-Ryu," Kawakami is famous for felling the graet idealist Sakuma Shozan in one swing, in mid-day. Kawakami is nevertheless a mysterious figure, however, as there are no certain records of his other assassinations.
After the revolution-and unableto let go of the idea that Japan should remain closed to the world-Kawakami found himself in frequent conflict with the revolutionary government. Ultimately, he was accused of a crime he did not commit and executed in the 4th year of Meiji.
As I researched further, it began to occur to me that the story wasn't so clear cut and dried. What this hitokiri could not let go of was his duty to his fallen comrades, and to the men that he had killed. It's this that gave me the initial idea for the "Kenshin" character. As for the others, there is the selflessness of okita Soshi of the Shinsengumi and the mysterious quality of Saito Hajime...but, then again, who knows.
In terms of graphic designs, I had no real motif. The main character of my debut work was a tall, black-haired man in showy armor, so when I set out to design someone completely opposite of him, he ended up looking like a girl (heh). Not knowing what else to do, I put a cross-shaped scar on the left cheek. Now that same cross marks the spot at which the Battosai became Kenshin...or so I've heard!

(taken from the Oro.com)



More here...
http://www.sword.ne.jp/swordsmen/bushi/gensai.html

Spice.....GIRL?!?!?! KENSHIN A SPICE GIRL?!?!? This is....this is...despicable! Oh, and a soap opera? How is it like a soap opera? Oh, I see, because everyone KNOWS how many SWORD FIGHTS there are in soap operas! This is a disgrace!

I am suprised at how wrong they made the review.

*GASP* I...I... I... x_x ::passes out from shock::
There is only one thing to do when people as ignorant as these say something like this.....
.....
......
.......
........
LAUGH HISTERICALLY AT THE STUPIDITY OF IT ALL!!!!!!

::looks over and sees everyone staring at her::
HA HA HA!!!! ::can't help but collapse into laughter once again::
Yeito

I'll bet they'll get some nasty letters from Kenshin fans.

Hey now, guys! Everyone's entitled to their opinion!

.......unfortuanately, theirs appears very, very, VERY wrong.

SPICE GIRL?!!?!??!?!?! Just because he's got long hair doesn't mean that he looks like a SPICE GIRL.

This is ridiculous...*joins in with other people who are going Battousai on the New York Times*

o__O Spice Girl =/= Kenshin. Exclamation point.

If they're gonna be all sarcastic and "dur hur he looks like teh Spice Girl!!2" about it, then...ehhhh. Phooey on them.

I'll live with it. Ppl will always be bigoted towards something they're not familiar with or understand.

Spice Girl was perhaps not one of the most appropriate terminology to use but oh well, I wonder how much the writer really knows about Spice Girls anyway.

Who runs the NYT? *Glances over at bedroom where the broadsword, katana, caneknife, machete, dagger, and saber are lying on the bottom bunk.* How about I walk into their office with all that...then....I go Battousai. Mwhahaha....

Seriously, tick me off enough, and I get similarly close to what Kenshin is like when he's the Battousai. And I'm TICKED right now...

....sorry, you have to admit that Spice Girl comment got a laugh out of some of you, right? I can see it now - otakus nationwide unsubscribing to the NYTimes because of this article.

hehehe, that's funny... I wonder which spice Kenshin would be? Maybe they were referring to his great cooking skills? lol.

Hm...what is their address? I'm sending a letter. Seriously, I am...they deserve pain and bad comments.

<Sarcasm (For the sake of non-reality)>Ooo....let's find Saitou, Sano, Kenshin, Aoshi, Shishio, Jine, all the Juppongatana, and some other strong Kenshin people, and sick them on New York...heh...let's get Vash, too.>

Yes, Destroyer-dono, let's BOTH go Battousai. ^^x

....sorry, you have to admit that Spice Girl comment got a laugh out of some of you, right? I can see it now - otakus nationwide unsubscribing to the NYTimes because of this article.

HN! You're not a Kenshin fan, so sure you laughed, but I, as a devoted Kenshin fan, do not think that article was funny. > <x

Come on, what did we expect? The majority of people still see manga as a past time for nerds who live in their mother's basement and spent all their free time rigging up computer viruses.

Sad very Sad, I can actually sorta see how a non-anime fan like the NYT writer would think Kenshin like a spice girl.

It shows how little they care. I honestly think that the guy who wrote the article only read the back of the book or something like a short review. No way anyone, anime fan or not, could read it and liken kenshin to a spice girl. What next, Sano being like Michael Jackson?

I wouldn't go battousai, I would go all Zanza on them. Weapons are too hard to smuggle in. (see avatar. . . )

A Kenshin fan should have written that review...hn...(I've got to stop saying that, though it's catchy. Hn. Hn. HN!)

Ah,go Zanza, yes! Though the zanbato's broken...oh well...but still Sano's got his fists.

Y'know, Sano is kind of like Michael Jackson...JOKING JOKING!!!! *ducks as Xavier swings his fists at me*

Aku Soku Zan!
Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu!
Ten Ken!!

*whack whack whack*


*The offending NYT writer discovers the true nature of Ruroni Kenshin, but a little tad too late*

CAA members are finally satisfied and glomps their heroes. ^_^

Siigggh....if only

Heh...we could call Kenshin Swordy Spice.

::runs from sakabatou-wielding fangirls/boys::

Rai

dang, I'm getting out of here before someone gets a little happy-go-lucky with their sword and I loose a limb.

Raiden no Kishi wrote:Heh...we could call Kenshin Swordy Spice.

::runs from sakabatou-wielding fangirls/boys::

Rai

Xavier249 wrote:Sad very Sad, I can actually sorta see how a non-anime fan like the NYT writer would think Kenshin like a spice girl.

It shows how little they care. I honestly think that the guy who wrote the article only read the back of the book or something like a short review. No way anyone, anime fan or not, could read it and liken kenshin to a spice girl. What next, Sano being like Michael Jackson?

I wouldn't go battousai, I would go all Zanza on them. Weapons are too hard to smuggle in. ]

Forget smuggling, we'll just walk in! Let someone try to stop us! Also, I'm not going to be wielding a sakabatou, I'm going to be using two kodachis, a katana, a bokken, and a pointy stick!

That just ticks me off calling Kenshin a spice girl, then the show a soap opera.