commanding qualities. By the first Japanese compilation, he thought that the character worked and many female Rurouni Kenshin readers identified with Kaoru. At the time, Watsuki had not decided if Kaoru would be Kenshin's love interest. Although he wanted to design Kaoru "more cutely" and to be "more fashionable", he toned down those qualities and made her poor and "down-to-earth". The artist described her ponytail as "de rigueur" for a girl practicing kendo. According to Watsuki, he enjoys drawing Kaoru but filling in her hair is "sometimes a pain." At the end of Rurouni Kenshin, Kaoru received a new hairstyle. Watsuki felt that Kaoru would look odd without her ponytail, but her original hairstyle did not look maternal and he changed it for the ending. When female readers asked Watsuki if Kaoru was a strong fighter, he called the character "quite independent for her age" who could "hold her own" against the local dojo masters and compete at the national level (although she is weaker than Kenshin and Sagara Sanosuke). Watsuki said that in volume seven the series took on a more adult tone, influenced by the shōjo manga he was reading at the time. During the series he considered killing Kaoru off, deciding against it in favor of a happy ending for a manga aimed at young readers and influenced by the previous story arc's upbeat ending. However, he thought the storyline then lost its main theme (revenge); readers praised and criticized the twist. Watsuki apologized to his young audience for the dark chapters suggesting that Kaoru was dead. Miki Fujitani (who voices the character) said in an interview that in the OVA series Kaoru is brave and very different from her original version whose characterization has been felt closer to the calm Yukishiro Tomoe. Watsuki described Tomo Sakurai's CD-drama voice as "not too airhead-y," "not too high" and "not too low." Reception Kaoru has been popular with Rurouni Kenshin readers, placing fourth or fifth in every popularity poll. Kaoru merchandise includes plushes, keychains and sweatbands. Manga, anime and video-game publications have responded positively to Kaoru; in T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews, Carlos Ross called her a "spirited girl". Kaoru and Kenshin's relationship ranked eighth in About.com's "Top 8 Anime Love Stories", with Katherine Luther calling it a "classic romance." Rebecca Silverman of Anime News Network was disappointed by Kaoru's lack of development in the series Rurouni Kenshin Restoration. SciFi.com liked