What is your name, boy ?

“What is your name, boy?
-...Shinta
-...A name too gentle for a swordsman... From now on, your name will be Kenshin.
-ken...shin”

This words still resonnating in my head like a storm of so many strong feelings. Kenshin is “The” anime that ll always be the most important to me.  Through my eyes, there is and there will always be only one Kenshin masterpiece : The first OAV "Tsuioku Hen" when kenshin once still meant to be a seinen. I really love this treasure i found when i was 12y old, like 10 000 times much than the rest of the whole manga i read after (…disappointed despite all the good efforts given in the following story. Sorry to say that). But it's the mangaka choice I know it. No one can even dare judge a mangaka's work. Mr Nobuhiro still offered me the OAV of my life and it’s enough.
 
For those who don’t know it. It’s a cruel story, of a boy, not hero-wannabe but just a young assassin, that try to find his way through the path of violence, blood and sadness of his age. One of the *fucking rare* animated movie where kenjutsu is shown the true way (a pleasure for myself as an old kenjutsu practising) : Hands always fiting well the handle of the blade, good corpse poses, mainly earthly technics, true foot positions, very fast slashing moves/kills, avoiding the bumps between blades so only to be lethal…
Add to that a Shakespeare-like romance (i am a big fan of these complicated and torn feelings stories, also language used is always peotic), and a very powerful atmosphere pulled directly from old japan (feudal age FFS T .T) on a wonderfull music that ll make you cry faster than a kick in your balls.

I was only asking myself about drawing him dangerous with his mind focused or drawing him peaceful and with his sadness …The only thing I knew was I wanted him to be the same looking as the OAV (with really fine and straight hair, not the kenshin in the books with somekind of wtf redhair mane) I kinda regret not to have drawn him with the single scar bleeding or/and the eyes open. But I hope you will like the result anyways.