her character due to how Kaoru does not see Kenshin as the past murderer Battosai but instead as a kind wanderer who wants protect others. The writer also enjoyed the good actions Kaoru does like protecting Yahiko in early episodes. Megan Lavey from Mania Entertainment found Kaoru more appealing in the manga version over the anime adaptation due to that, while in both versions it is obvious that she has romantic feelings for Kenshin, in the manga she has a better understanding of Kenshin's darker persona most notably when former assassin prepares to leave Tokyo. For the final arc in the manga, Mania Entertainment felt that twist that happens shortly after Kenshin's battle with Enishi helps to show why Kaoru loves Kenshin carefully. Kaoru's Reflection OVA series version was criticized; Efrain Diaz, Jr. of IGN wrote that although some of Kenshin and Kaoru's private moments are touching, others are depressing. According to Anime News Network's Mike Crandol, Kaoru is the least visually successful character redesign in the Reflection OVA. Citing the manga version's "distinctive girlish charm", Crandol said that the staff members tried too hard to make her look like Yukishiro Tomoe. Don Houston from DVD Talk noted the controversy between the fandom as they refrained from treating Reflection as canon due to how tragic the life of Kaoru and Kenshin's family became. About.com's Serdar Yegulalp felt the romance between Kaoru and Kenshin was entertaining to watch but at the same time criticized they often acted out of character, commenting on how Kaoru lets her husband leave the house in contrast to how in the original series, Kenshin left Tokyo while still not married with her. Ridwan Khan from Animefringe praised the romance between Kaoru and Kenshin, feeling it was well developed in the OVAs and served as a fitting finale to the series. On a more negative review, Carl Kimlinger stated that Kaoru was one of the most damaged characters in the OVAs as a result of being a more stereotipycal female character waiting for her husband to come back home rather than Watsuki's original version where Kaoru would not allow Kenshin to leave or instead go with him when he leaves Tokyo to work. ABC CBN's Karen Flores praised Emi Takei's portrayal of the character in the first live-action film, stating the actress played her character just like the one from the manga and anime. However, she was