This story is about a boy named Shinta who was sold into slavery after his parents died of cholera. Bandits attempt to kill this group of slave traders and slaves. Shinta is saved by master swordsman Hiko, who changes the boy's name to Kenshin and begins training him in the Hiten Mitsurugi style of kenjutsu. By the time Kenshin is about 13, he has advanced to a very high level of swordsmanship. He decides to go off to use his sword to aid the Imperialists in defeating the Shogun, since he feels that the corrupt Shogunate is responsible for the miserable lives of the common people of Japan. Hiko warns him that war will not be as idealistic as Kenshin seems to think it will be, but Kenshin leaves anyway and is hired by Katsura to work as the Ishin Shishi's secret assassin. After beginning this life of killing, the struggle for Kenshin is to remain sane and pure of heart...not an easy thing to do when you are a fifteen-year-old who is assassinating dozens of people. Then Kenshin meets the beautiful and mysterious Tomoe...and you have to see the rest...

The character and art style of this anime is different from the TV show style, in an interesting way. The animation is high quality too. And I totally agree with the reviewer below who commented on the quality of the soundtrack: it's a beautiful, haunting score. (The song of the Last Wolves is a favorite)

Anyway, this OVA series can stand alone, but personally I think I enjoyed it even more having seen the TV show first. The TV show makes you very curious about Kenshin's past. The TV show is lighter in tone, with more humour, while the OVA is very serious and full of bloodshed. As you watch the OVA, you feel you are entering into Kenshin's memory of his nightmare past. "Trust" and "Betrayal" also make it more clear why Kenshin is so hesitant to get romantically involved with Kaoru and why he is so afraid that he will go over the edge and become the hitokiri battousai again. Kenshin is arguably the most fascinating character in anime!