Musashi no Ken

*Review 2.0 on this series, my first review was rushed* Musashi no ken, I remember when I first wanted to watch this series back in 2007. At the time there were two options available. Either A) buy the R2 (for a grand total of over $600 USD) or B) get the RAW’s from some online torrent (which I might add didn’t exist) and wing it. Well Option A was out of the question (way to poor as your run of the mill college student to pay for that, let alone DVDs without subs.. ) Well, Fast-forward to November 2008 when I happened to locate a greatlypriced box set of the series, with.. you guessed it.. subs! Couldn’t pass it up and glad I didn’t. This is what I have to report: I managed to finish this series in 4 days (would have been 3 but life gets in the way) it’s been a long time since I have marathoned a series, so when it happens, I know I really enjoyed. This series has it all: action, suspense, drama, but most importantly it has substance. When you finish a series of this caliber you know you have just finished something great, something you know you will definitely re-watch down the road. The plot is intriguing and through the massive 72 episode series I can’t recall a “filler” or lack substance episode, everything was concrete and rock solid. The art is fantastic considering an early 80s series, the sound is amazing (I have lost count as to how many times I have listened to the OP and ED of this series). The real enjoyment offered by musashi no ken is definitely the characters. No character is simply placed in the series without a purpose. Each one is defined, and not forgotten throughout the series. The series combines the badass of Hajime no ippo and the amazing aspects of Major (being able to see the main character grow from a young age to an adult gradually throughout the series). This series rejuvenated my passion for Kendo that I had sadly stopped two years ago (now going 2 weeks strong back into practice). This series can be enjoyed by everyone, kendo enthusiast, anime sports fans, and general anime fans looking for a superb series that offers a great storyline and an outstanding cast. If this sounds like your cup of tea, look no further. Find Musashi no ken, and watch it. You won’t be disappointed.