Rurouni Kenshin, Vol. 6

"Rurouni Kenshin Volume 6" shifts the focus back to Kenshin and Sano -- one of them must deal with a warrior who is way LESS than he appears, and the other must deal with a figure from his past. While the ultimate answer to what is up with Raijita is a bit of a letdown, the bittersweet stories about his apprentice and Sano's past losses are definitely good stuff. While out at dinner with the gang, Yutaro reveals why he idolizes Raijita -- the big guy apparently rescued him and his father from a gang of bandits. But while walking home, they're suddenly attacked by Raijita, and Yutaro is badly injured by his own master's sword. Even worse, he learns the terrible truth about his past "rescue." Now an injured Kenshin plans to show Raijita just what a deadly sword can do. And when Sano is sent out to buy somebody an ink portait, he's shocked to see a picture of his beloved Captain Sagara. Turns out the artist is Tsunan (Katsuhiro) Tsukioka, a fellow survivor of the Sekiho army, and an old childhood friend of Sano's. Unfortunately Tsukioka is determined to bring don the Meiji government on his own, and wants his old friend to help him realize Sagara's vision. There's also a bonus story: "Crescent Moon in the Warring States," in which a young farmer-turned-soldier encounters a brave legendary swordsman, and the two bond over their love for two young women with the name "Natsu." Things seem hopeless for awhile, but the brave little farmer manages to inspire the samurai to victory -- and the retrieval of his love. "Rurouni Kenshin Volume 6" is when the spotlight finally shifts over to Sano, who's become the friendly combat slacker of the local neighborhood. But the first half of this volume deals with the increasingly POed Kenshin deciding to teach Raijita a very hard lesson, and finding out that he's not nearly as scary as he pretends to be. Unfortunately, that's kind of an anticlimactic ending for this story. And along the way, Nobuhiro Watsuki mingles spiky slashing action scenes with a bittersweet subplot. And the final story is a fairly dark one, with Sano being drawn back by an old buddy, who basically wants to start a terrorist movement. But fortunately Watsuki still maintains some humor ("Something SPICY?" teases Kenshin at the art kiosk) and more fun brawling between Yahiko and Yutaro. Sano really shows how much he's grown since meeting Kenshin -- he's more clear-sighted, calm and objective. And Yutaro ends up being a surprisingly likable character, since he was an annoying little runt before this. His hero worship is based partly on gratitude and loyalty, and it ends up costing him a horrible price. "Rurouni Kenshin Volume 6" has a rather anticlimactic end for the Raijita story, but the handling of Sano and Yutaro definitely makes up for it. And the extra story ain't bad either.