Rurouni Kenshin is an epic samurai manga (that’s a Japanese comic book) first published in 1994 and the subsequent anime (that’s Japanese animation) adaptation. Last year, a live action film was made in Japan based on the early chapters of Rurouni Kenshin. The film was successful enough for a sequel to be commissioned; in summer 2014 that’s exactly what Japanese audiences will get, and they have a trailer to prove it.
The story (of the manga, anime, and film) follows Kenshin Himura, a retired samurai living during Japan’s Meiji period – a time when the country began to modernize, and incorporate aspects of western civilization. Kenshin was once a feared warrior with a body count known as Battosai the Manslayer, but he’s since sworn to never kill again – giving him the distinction of fighting with the dull side of his sword. Of course, Kenshin’s past catches up with him, and he finds himself using his over-the-top swordplay to protect his loved ones from threats old and new. The anime version of Rurouni Kenshin is notable for airing in the US as part of Toonami – Cartoon Network’s anime-heavy programming block that introduced many American children to anime for the first time, thus creating a whole generation of otaku (anime nerds).
The upcoming film, according to twitch, will adapt the manga’s well-loved storyline known as the Kyoto arc – the last part of the anime to be aired in full on US television. In the original story, Kenshin and his comrades must stop the bandaged madman, Shishio Makoto from overthrowing Japan’s government.
Takeru Satoh played Kenshin in the first film, and will reprise his role in the sequel. Tatsuya Fujiwara – who starred in another manga-to-film adaptation as the protagonist of Death Note (2006) – will play Shishio.
Check out the trailer below:
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