Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Reflection DVD

Before Kenshin Himura became the wandering rurouni of the Meiji era, he was the Hitokiri Battōsai — the most feared assassin of the Ishin Shishi during the final years of the Bakumatsu. Orphaned young and trained from childhood in the lethal Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū by the swordmaster Hiko Seijūrō, Kenshin threw himself into the revolutionary cause with absolute conviction. The OVA traces his transformation from idealistic young fighter into a cold instrument of political killing — and the appearance of Yukishiro Tomoe, a quiet, composed woman who becomes his companion in hiding after a mission goes wrong. Their relationship deepens into something neither anticipated. What Tomoe is hiding, and what it costs both of them, is the wound at the center of the cross-shaped scar Kenshin carries for the rest of his life.

Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal is a four-episode OVA prequel to the TV series, produced by Studio Deen and directed by Kazuhiro Furuhashi — the same director as the main series — with a screenplay by Masashi Sogo and a score by Taku Iwasaki that is widely cited as one of the finest in anime. The OVA operates at a register entirely different from the TV series: dark, unhurried, and deeply tragic, with animation quality and cinematic framing far beyond the television production. It is consistently ranked among the greatest anime ever made.

Originally released in North America by ADV Films on VHS and two DVD volumes under the title Samurai X: Trust & Betrayal; a Director's Cut DVD edition — compiling all four episodes into a single two-hour film with new animated sequences — was released in 2003. The original ADV volumes retitled the episodes "Samurai X: Trust" and "Samurai X: Betrayal"; the Director's Cut restores the original Japanese title cards. 

Notable Staff & Voice Talent

Director: Kazuhiro Furuhashi (Rurouni Kenshin TV series, Hunter x Hunter 1999)
Screenplay: Masashi Sogo
Original Manga: Nobuhiro Watsuki
Studio: Studio Deen
Music: Taku Iwasaki (widely praised as one of the finest anime scores produced)

Japanese Cast:
- Mayo Suzukaze as Kenshin Himura
- Junko Iwao as Yukishiro Tomoe (Cardcaptor Sakura, Ceres Celestial Legend)
- Sho Hayami as Kiyosato Akira / Udo Jin-e
- Akira Ishida as Saitō Hajime (Gokudo, Slayers, Now and Then Here and There)
- Yoshito Yasuhara as Hiko Seijūrō XIII

English Dub Cast (ADV Films):
- J. Shannon Weaver as Kenshin Himura
- Lara Cody as Yukishiro Tomoe
- John Gremillion as Hiko Seijūrō XIII

DVD Features (Original ADV 2-Disc Release)

- Episodes split across two volumes (Trust / Betrayal)
- ADV Films Previews

DVD Features (Director's Cut Edition, 2003)

- All 4 Episodes Compiled into Single ~2-Hour Film
- New Animated Sequences
- Restored Original Japanese Title Cards
- ADV Films Previews

Spoken Languages: English & Japanese Audio, English Subtitles

Edition Details

Japanese Title: るろうに剣心 -明治剣客浪漫譚- 追憶編 (Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuioku-hen)
Runtime: ~~120 Minutes (Complete OVA, 4 Episodes)
Director: Kazuhiro Furuhashi
DVD Release Year: 1999–2000 (ADV Films Original 2-Volume Release); 2003 (Director's Cut Single-Disc Edition)
Original Release Date (Japan): January 20 – September 22, 1999
Publisher: ADV Films (released as Samurai X: Trust & Betrayal)
Rating: 16+
Region: Region 1 (U.S. / Canada)
Genre: Historical Drama, Action, Tragedy
Themes: Bakumatsu Era, Hitokiri Battōsai, Origin of the Cross Scar, First Love and Betrayal, Prequel to Rurouni Kenshin TV

Media assumed VG+ unless otherwise noted.