"He was already terminally ill..."
"The times were like this, and so were people's hearts..."
The two opening lines, paired with an art style that felt very much of its era, made Li Xing nod slightly.
These days, he hated those cutesy school-life art styles the most. It wasn't that there was anything wrong with them; he'd just seen so many that he'd naturally grown tired of them.
At least this art style was easy on the eyes.
As the story continued, a young boy and a group of women were pursued, and several of the beautiful women were killed. The scene made Li Xing somewhat uncomfortable, though it wasn't too bad.
It felt a little too realistic. The artist could have glossed over these scenes, but had chosen to draw them...
Next came Hiko Seijuro's appearance and the boy's rescue. Later, Hiko Seijuro learned that the boy had also buried the people who had tried to kill him.
He became Hiko's student, learned swordsmanship, left, and joined an organization...
The first episode felt a little uneventful, but Li Xing gradually got into it. For one thing, the fight scenes were excellent, with fluid movements. For another, he thought the characters were well-crafted.
But that was about it.
It seemed like an ordinary sword-fighting manga, nothing more!
When the first episode ended, Li Xing felt his interest waning, but he still clicked the link to read the next one.
He kept reading...
Little by little, Li Xing forgot that he'd started this manga intending to criticize it and pick it apart. As the story unfolded, he was simply drawn in bit by bit, his attention completely captured by the plot...
At the end of the second episode, Kenshin cleanly and decisively cut down the assassin who had come to attack