Last year, the live-action film adaptation of Rurouni Kenshin was one of the highest grossing movies in Japan for 2012. Based off the manga by Nobuhiro Watsuki, Rurouni Kenshin follows Himura Kenshin, an assassin from the Bakumatsu era, who wanders to repent for his sins in the new and peaceful Meiji Era. However, ghosts from his past continue to pose danger to this present peace, and to the friends Kenshin has made along the way. In order to fight these menaces, Kenshin must once again become the Hitokiri Battousai, the legendary manslayer, and fight a two-fold battle: one to defeat his enemies, and another to defeat the killer within.
With such a great story line, we really shouldn’t be all that surprised that this month’s Jump Square announced a sequel. What we can be surprised for is the fact that Kenshin is getting not one sequel, but two! The two films will collectively cover the fan-favourite Kyoto Arc, which included the Great Kyoto Fire and Legend’s End stories. Personally, I think Shishio Makoto is one of the greatest manga villains of all time, so I am so excited to see how director Keishi Otomo will portray Kenshin’s successor. The first movie is set to come out next summer, so keep a look out!
Takeru Sato will return again as Himura Kenshin, along with the rest of the crew. I really enjoyed the performances of mostly everyone, although, to be honest, I was a little disappointed with the live-action’s rendition of Sagara Sanosuke. While I didn’t care too much for him in the manga, for some reason Sanosuke became my favourite character when I watched the anime. I’m not saying that Munetaka Aoki did a bad acting job, because I thought he performed very well. It’s just that the live-action character of Sanosuke made him appear dumber and more for comedic relief than I think the manga and anime did.
What did you think of the first Kenshin movie, and are you excited for the sequels? What do you want to see happen, and what do you think can be done better? There’s a forum that poses the question of what’s the best live-action film, so check it out, give your opinion, and see if Kenshin makes the list.
Source: @manganewsjapon
"Kenshin" to become a trilogy with two live-action Kyoto Arc movies
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