I strongly prefer watching kendo over fencing because of that; the human element in fencing is essentially a technicality as far as I'm concerned as just a guy watching.
You might enjoy this video! The actual topic is the history of Aikido, but it shows some neat historical footage of, for lack of a better term, pre-Kendo Kendo. That is to say, Kenjutsu/Iaijutsu schools sparring using Kendo gear.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7yyqLyPGDk