There are some points of this movie that are a bit cheesy, and I wasn't a huge fan of the caricature-ish main villain and the addition of guns (close combat is just that much more captivating).

All that aside, however, there was something just so endearing and fun about this being the first movie where we would get all our character introductions and see the gang come together, even if sometimes the storylines felt disjointed.

The main actor just KILLED it though. The transitions from hitokiri badassery to wholesome-guy-carrying-vegetables were great and the combat scenes were perfect, in terms of choreography and cinematography and sound effects. They're just so fun and satisfying to watch, and I especially loved that it was combined with hidden identity reveals.

There was a perfect balance of humor and seriousness — Sanosuke's scenes especially.