Chronological order of the story:
1. The Beginning (2021) - when it all started, Himura Kenshin became Hitokiri Battousai; [spoiler]Yukishiro Tomoe meets Battousai[/spoiler]
2. Rurouni Kenshin (2012) - 10 years after "The Beginning", Hitokiri Battousai reappears as Himura Kenshin and meets Kamiya Kaoru
3. Kyoto Inferno (2014)
4. The Legend Ends (2014) - when Himura Kenshin [spoiler]finally learns and masters the final technique of Hiten mitsurugi-ryu which signifies or symbolizes the end of "Hitokiri Battousai"[/spoiler]
5. The Final (2021) - they come full circle, [spoiler]Yukishiro Enishi takes revenge on[/spoiler] Himura Kenshin

It was great how they did this live-action franchise as well as how they titled each.

[spoiler]There are two arcs in these 5-movie franchise: [1] The Yukishiro arc; and [2] the Hitokiri Battousai arc.[/spoiler]

[spoiler]It all started in "The Beginning" when Himura Kenshin became Hitokiri Battousai. Then later met Yukishiro Tomoe and [accidentally] killed her.[/spoiler]

[spoiler]From "Rurouni Kenshin" to "The Legend Ends", it was about Kenshin being forced and struggling to fight Battousai from coming out again. In "The Legend Ends", it was the end of the Hitokiri Battousai arc when Kenshin finally learned the final technique of the Hiten mitsurugi style.[/spoiler]

[spoiler]--> "The Legend Ends" for Hitokiri Battousai.[/spoiler]

[spoiler]"The Final" is when Kenshin and the Yukishiro family comes full circle. Enishi witnessed when Battousai [accidentally] killed Yukishiro Tomoe. Once again, a fitting title:[/spoiler]

[spoiler]--> "The Final" story of Kenshin and the Yukishiro family.[/spoiler]

"Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning" is a live-action adaptation of the same story that the OVA"Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal" adapts, that being the backstory of the protagonist Himura Kenshin. This film has a much darker tone than the rest of the series, completely ditching the shounen staples and instead telling a fantastical historical drama set during the Bakumatsu period in Japan. Themes such as meaning, loss, romance, and guilt tell the humanity present in the characters' tales

The fight scenes here are stunning and the bloodiest they have ever been in this film series. Kenshin is a beast in the story that follows, but it's insane to see just how powerful he is when he had given himself free reign to kill. My favourite scene would be the first, which I'll leave for you to see yourself.

The sets are beautiful and build the fictional realisation of the time period with a great atmosphere. Many details adorn the environments. The music is fantastic as always.

Acting is phenomenal. Takeru Satoh (Kenshin) keeps things subtle, doing great to express the inner torment of his character. I would state the same for Kasumi Arimura (Tomoe).

My only criticism might be that the movie can linger a little too long on some of the sadder moments. It's not a major issue however.

I loved "Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning" and have a hard time truly expressing my love for the film. It's a little rough to recommend for no other reason than its chronological place and the release date. I'd say watch it after the first three films (meaning after The Legend Ends) and before The Final, the latter was produced alongside this one. The Beginning is a beautiful, poetic tragedy that will bring its viewers closer to their inner humanity.

Having watched the TV Series and OVA's I was mentally prepared for this live action. Overall I think it stands alone as one of the best live action adaptations of anime I've seen, compared to the likes of Death Note, Full Metal Alchemist, and Avatar: The Last Airbender. Despite knowing the plot, emotionally the scenes were just as powerful- some things I think could've been improved are the fight scenes and most of all the music. If they had someone to transform the old Rurouni Kenshin soundtrack to a movie-worthy cinematic soundtrack it would've been amazing. I think maybe the ending at the climax would've been the most powerful- I was literally playing the mournful tragic music in my head, the mournful woodwinds and somber brass lines were so powerful it's LEGIT ingrained in my soul. Watch the original anime, in US licensing, "Samurai X: Trust and Betrayal" When I say the fights could've been improved, I think they were industry-leading in their creativity and choreography but you could tell that some liberties were taken- I think some scenes were sloppy and should've been reshot, and for others the use of slow motion even seemed a bit sloppy. Besides that it was just the lack of weight/force in the swings etc..but I'm not sure how you could convey that properly with weapons in a safe manor. Overall though the movie hit all the right notes and really did the original source justice- I just think a little bit more and it could've been freaking amazing as the original anime.

Honestly I'm also a bit sad they didn't include when Kenshin was a kid and was first picked up by his teacher- but I understand they were short on time despite the movie being over 2 hours long. Hopefully they include those scenes when he goes to see his teacher in a later movie.