*WARNING* Spoiler Questions on Kenshin OVA's
Ah, Kizu, Thank you for the kind comments about my collection. I hope your new site’s up soon, so I can gaze upon your RK lovelies once again! 
Transmission of syphilis by other means is possible, but very rare (excepting of course, congenital syphilis, and that would only threaten Kenji, who seems fine). The only other likely way is via contaminated blood.
The donated blood supply is routinely screened for it, even though the bacillus is destroyed at the temperature at which the blood is refrigerated for storage. It was a threat during “field” donations, but those are no longer performed, at least in most countries. I think the last documented case of syphilis via blood transfusion occurred in China in the late 1970’s.
Theoretically, Kenshin could be infected by someone’s contaminated blood entering an open wound. But how likely is that, when everyone was so surprised at Kenshin’s tiny cut from Kiyosato? He was certainly cut up badly in the Forest of Barriers, but I think the temperature would have killed any bacillus outside of a body.
Was he wounded in the skirmishes leading up to and including Toba-Fushimi? Doesn’t look like it from the scenes we are shown until he’s receiving the Sakabatô from Arai Shakku. After that, he’s “wandering” and we don’t know what kind of skirmishes he’s getting into, but when he meets up with Kaoru, his reflexes seem as sharp as ever. So even though he’s not killing anyone, its doubtful he taking many wounds himself.
There’s plenty of bleeding on both sides once we enter the Kyoto arc, but if Kenshin were infected at this point, he would be in the highly symptomatic first and second stages of the disease while under Megumi’s care, instead of when he was on his own, when he would have probably stoically ignored any personal pain and suffering. Also, we know Megumi is familiar with this disease, and although she may have had some issues with Kaoru, I can’t see her letting her walk blindly into that! But in its long dormant phase, only a blood test would have let Megumi know.
Tomoe is the most plausible source of the infection. She is out drinking, unchaperoned…when Kenshin brings her back to the Kohagi-ya, Okami euphemistically says she isn’t running a “tea-house”, and when Izuka tells Katsura she was likely sold into prostitution by her impoverished family, he easily believes him (not that that would have bothered Katsura, since he married a geisha). She was a desperate woman throwing away everything in search of her revenge.
But…
Do I think Watsuki set her up and planned to have her give Kenshin a disease? Of course not! He already said they didn’t even ask him before they killed Kenshin off. To me it looked like Watsuki was setting Kenshin up to be the cute, funny, little old arthritic guy that the town kids can’t believe was once the Great Swordsman of the Bakumatsu, while his wife runs after him, scolding him for forgetting to take his extra-warm Haori on a cold day like this. But who knows???
This is where the disconnect comes in. The first OVA, Tsuiokuhen, is almost entirely taken from the manga, with a few tweaks here and there, but the second, Seisouhen, is part recap, part drastically condensed Jinchuu arc, and part new material, not from Watsuki. I think the studio wanted to go out with a big, dramatic END, but they didn’t want a person to defeat him….
Very few mangaka control their own creations. It’s much the same with American comic book artists as well….just ask Stan Lee about Spiderman!
I’ll have to look for that back issue Shounen Jump. Thanks for the heads-up. I’ve only seen that work in Japanese.
Wow, that Watsuki Shinsengumi arc sounds great!
I don’t think one should give up hope. Money is still being made off Kenshin (they’re even translating the novels). So I think I’ll go with the old Hollywood adage: “You’re only really dead when the box-office is bad.”
Kittens! Belated congrats on that wishlist cel of yours!
I remember that thread about ultimate dream cels from a couple years back, where you listed that very scene! How great is that to get it!
My last manga (vol 28 ) just has “Meteor Strike” and a little Buso Renkin as an extra. The last chapter(act 255) has an older Yahiko get the sakabatô, but it’s not the cute little story of him going to that other dojo and saving the little kids. Maybe I got a bum edition?
I read that interview in an American Animation magazine; it was right before Watsuki appeared at a big convention…Comicon maybe? It might have been a reprint, but it was all over the place for a while. Gosh that was a long time ago, but I bet I can find it.
People were reeeeealy mad back then;
it was as if someone had killed their good friend.
Transmission of syphilis by other means is possible, but very rare (excepting of course, congenital syphilis, and that would only threaten Kenji, who seems fine). The only other likely way is via contaminated blood.
The donated blood supply is routinely screened for it, even though the bacillus is destroyed at the temperature at which the blood is refrigerated for storage. It was a threat during “field” donations, but those are no longer performed, at least in most countries. I think the last documented case of syphilis via blood transfusion occurred in China in the late 1970’s.Theoretically, Kenshin could be infected by someone’s contaminated blood entering an open wound. But how likely is that, when everyone was so surprised at Kenshin’s tiny cut from Kiyosato? He was certainly cut up badly in the Forest of Barriers, but I think the temperature would have killed any bacillus outside of a body.
Was he wounded in the skirmishes leading up to and including Toba-Fushimi? Doesn’t look like it from the scenes we are shown until he’s receiving the Sakabatô from Arai Shakku. After that, he’s “wandering” and we don’t know what kind of skirmishes he’s getting into, but when he meets up with Kaoru, his reflexes seem as sharp as ever. So even though he’s not killing anyone, its doubtful he taking many wounds himself.
There’s plenty of bleeding on both sides once we enter the Kyoto arc, but if Kenshin were infected at this point, he would be in the highly symptomatic first and second stages of the disease while under Megumi’s care, instead of when he was on his own, when he would have probably stoically ignored any personal pain and suffering. Also, we know Megumi is familiar with this disease, and although she may have had some issues with Kaoru, I can’t see her letting her walk blindly into that! But in its long dormant phase, only a blood test would have let Megumi know.
Tomoe is the most plausible source of the infection. She is out drinking, unchaperoned…when Kenshin brings her back to the Kohagi-ya, Okami euphemistically says she isn’t running a “tea-house”, and when Izuka tells Katsura she was likely sold into prostitution by her impoverished family, he easily believes him (not that that would have bothered Katsura, since he married a geisha). She was a desperate woman throwing away everything in search of her revenge.
But…
Do I think Watsuki set her up and planned to have her give Kenshin a disease? Of course not! He already said they didn’t even ask him before they killed Kenshin off. To me it looked like Watsuki was setting Kenshin up to be the cute, funny, little old arthritic guy that the town kids can’t believe was once the Great Swordsman of the Bakumatsu, while his wife runs after him, scolding him for forgetting to take his extra-warm Haori on a cold day like this. But who knows???
This is where the disconnect comes in. The first OVA, Tsuiokuhen, is almost entirely taken from the manga, with a few tweaks here and there, but the second, Seisouhen, is part recap, part drastically condensed Jinchuu arc, and part new material, not from Watsuki. I think the studio wanted to go out with a big, dramatic END, but they didn’t want a person to defeat him….
Very few mangaka control their own creations. It’s much the same with American comic book artists as well….just ask Stan Lee about Spiderman!
I’ll have to look for that back issue Shounen Jump. Thanks for the heads-up. I’ve only seen that work in Japanese.
Wow, that Watsuki Shinsengumi arc sounds great!
I don’t think one should give up hope. Money is still being made off Kenshin (they’re even translating the novels). So I think I’ll go with the old Hollywood adage: “You’re only really dead when the box-office is bad.”Kittens! Belated congrats on that wishlist cel of yours!
I remember that thread about ultimate dream cels from a couple years back, where you listed that very scene! How great is that to get it!My last manga (vol 28 ) just has “Meteor Strike” and a little Buso Renkin as an extra. The last chapter(act 255) has an older Yahiko get the sakabatô, but it’s not the cute little story of him going to that other dojo and saving the little kids. Maybe I got a bum edition?
I read that interview in an American Animation magazine; it was right before Watsuki appeared at a big convention…Comicon maybe? It might have been a reprint, but it was all over the place for a while. Gosh that was a long time ago, but I bet I can find it.
People were reeeeealy mad back then;
it was as if someone had killed their good friend.-
Entwadumela
- Newbie
- Posts: 16
- Joined: Sat Mar 24, 2007 10:00 pm
Wow, this is turning out to be a very educational thread 
For a person who is just starting out on Kenshin, there are some very enlightening stuffs here.
Irmgaard-
Are you in the medical field or a history major? You are pretty thorugh with STD's (no offense intended . . . he,he,he) and timelines.
I hope this thread goes on, its very omoshiroi (interesting)
.
E
For a person who is just starting out on Kenshin, there are some very enlightening stuffs here.
Irmgaard-
Are you in the medical field or a history major? You are pretty thorugh with STD's (no offense intended . . . he,he,he) and timelines.
I hope this thread goes on, its very omoshiroi (interesting)
.E
-
Entwadumela
- Newbie
- Posts: 16
- Joined: Sat Mar 24, 2007 10:00 pm
-
kizu
- Kuwabarakuwabara - Oh My God!
- Posts: 724
- Joined: Mon Sep 11, 2006 1:28 am
- Location: Chicago, IL
- Contact:
^__^ Thank you! I should have it up in a couple of weeks. I'm anxiously waiting for a couple of cels which is why I've not provided a link. ehehehe... I didn't know you look at my gallery too. It is nice to know since I always look at yours.
Anyway Irmgaard, what you said is very informative. I should really re-watch the OVAs again... It's been a -while-. With this new perspective I'm sure it will be more interesting. However I'm so afraid to watch sometimes as watching makes me want to get more cels... which isn't a problem. Money is! LOL...
Also I pulled up my copy of Shonen Jump and yes it is Sept 2006. Yahiko was cool and was a very nice story too.
Ah I am not really a manga or comic person, RK, Kaze Hikaru and PMK were the only graphic novels I could get into. Sometimes I leech info off my friend who knows a lot more about comics and manga than I do. But I see what you mean.
Cheers!
AND YAY FOR KITTENS TOO!!!
Anyway Irmgaard, what you said is very informative. I should really re-watch the OVAs again... It's been a -while-. With this new perspective I'm sure it will be more interesting. However I'm so afraid to watch sometimes as watching makes me want to get more cels... which isn't a problem. Money is! LOL...
Also I pulled up my copy of Shonen Jump and yes it is Sept 2006. Yahiko was cool and was a very nice story too.
Ah I am not really a manga or comic person, RK, Kaze Hikaru and PMK were the only graphic novels I could get into. Sometimes I leech info off my friend who knows a lot more about comics and manga than I do. But I see what you mean.
Cheers!
AND YAY FOR KITTENS TOO!!!
My Cel & Sketch Gallery: http://hajimenokizu.com
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ZombieBunny
- Kishin - Fierce God
- Posts: 439
- Joined: Thu Jan 19, 2006 5:41 am
