Why is the OAVs more serious than the somewhat slapstick TV Series?
The OAVs were made more recently. Rurouni Kenshin finished its run on TV in Japan sometime in 1996/1997. The OAVs, I believe, were created in 1998. The animation is better because it’s an OAV, which usually contains a higher quality of animation. Why the tone is so serious? Who knows. Perhaps Rurouni Kenshin’s creator, Nobuhiro Watsuki, wanted it that way. The manga version of the “Memory Arc”, the name given to the OAV part in the manga, contains humorous moments in it. It’s a bit different in a few ways. Q: What is the Revenge Arc? A: The Revenge Arc is only in the Rurouni Kenshin manga. (An explanation why it was never animated is followed below.) The Revenge Arc tells the story of Yukishiro Enishi, Tomoe’s brother, who returns to Japan in order to take revenge on Kenshin. I’m trying not to give spoilers away here, so… basically, in the Revenge Arc, Enishi forms a group of comrades that all have something in common – to kill the man once known as Battousai. It’s a really good arc,
