New Live-Action Rurouni Kenshin Movies Coming Spring 2021
Dabian Witherspoon
Warner Bros has announced that it will release two new live-action Rurouni Kenshin movies this spring. Rurouni Kenshin: Part I - The Final and Rurouni Kenshin: Part II - The Beginning are set for April 23 and June 4 respectively.
Rurouni Kenshin, also known as Samurai X, is a classic manga and anime series. It is the tale of Kenshin Himura, a former assassin during the Boshin War (the Japanese Revolution). To atone for the lives he has taken after the imperialists win the war, Kenshin becomes a wanderer, helping the poor and defending the weak. He vows to never kill again and carries his signature reverse-blade sword.
Soon, Kenshin develops close bonds with Kaoru Kamiya (the young mistress at her deceased father's samurai dojo), Yahiko Myojin (the orphaned son of a samurai), and Sanosuke Sagara (a former fighter for hire). Kenshin and his friends begin new adventures, finding new allies and facing powerful enemies along the way.
The success of Rurouni Kenshin in Japan began with the manga (1994-1999). With more than 70 million copies in circulation, this manga is ranked 19th in popularity in Japan. Its success increased with the anime’s initial run (1996-1998), and the anime is ranked 31st on the list of Japan’s 100 most-watched anime of all time. Its popularity soared in the United States with the anime’s run on Cartoon Network’s Toonami afterschool block in 2003.
The resurgence of the title began with the anime’s DVD box set releases in 2006 in Japan and 2010 in the United States. Now, its popularity continues to increase, adding new fans, thanks to its current availability on Crunchyroll for streaming, protagonist Kenshin Himura’s appearances as a playable character in video games such as Jump Force (2019), and the success of the first three live-action movie adaptations: Rurouni Kenshin: Origins (2012), Rurouni Kenshin II: Kyoto Inferno (2014), and Rurouni Kenshin III: The Legend Ends (2014).
The manga began in 1994 and ended in 1999 after 255 chapters (issues), and fans were disappointed when the anime ended in 1998 after only 95 episodes. Even after the anime spawned OVAs covering two arcs, Trust & Betrayal (1999) and Reflection (2001), fans still wanted more. The wait would feel especially long after the sad, but non-canonical, ending of the latter. Fans were excited about the release of the DVD box set of the anime series in Japan in 2006 and in the United States in 2010 as well as the first live-action movie, Rurouni Kenshin: Origins, in 2012.
Rurouni Kenshin: Origins loosely adapts the first three arcs, focusing on the bond between Kenshin (Takeru Satoh) and Kaoru (Emi Takei), which reflects Kenshin’s struggle to believe that he deserves redemption. Megumi (Aoi Yu) also has a tragic past that haunts her as the gangster Kanryu (Teruyuki Kagawa) forces her to make opium. Kenshin and Sanosuke (Munetaka Aoki) must fight their way past Kanryu’s mercenaries to save her. Raising the stakes, Jin-e, a former assassin from the war era, tries to force Kenshin to break his oath to never kill again.
The long-anticipated sequels Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno (2014) and Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends (2014) adapt the “Kyoto” arc in two parts. When government officials fear the increasing power of Makoto Shishio (Tatsuya Fujiwara), a former imperialist assassin who seeks to overthrow them, they ask Kenshin to form an uneasy alliance with his wartime rival Saito (Yôsuke Eguchi) to bring Shishio down. Along the way, the current leader of the Oniwaban ninjas, young Misao (Tsuchiya Tao), joins Kenshin, but Aoshi (Yûsuke Iseya), the Oniwaban’s disgraced former leader, further complicates Kenshin’s mission by challenging Kenshin to a duel to prove that the Oniwaban were the strongest fighters during the war.
The next two live-action movies, Rurouni Kenshin: Final Chapter Part I - The Final and Rurouni Kenshin: Final Chapter Part II - The Beginning were filmed as a two-part story arc. The titles may appear to be ordered improperly, but they reflect Kenshin’s backstory, which explains how Kenshin received his famous x-shaped scar as well as the popular “Jinchū” arc that concludes the manga but was not used in the anime series. The “Jinchū” arc introduces the vengeful Yukishiro Enishi, Kenshin’s dangerous new rival. It uncovers secrets from Kenshin’s past and interrupts the peaceful life that he and Kaoru have started.
Often, manga/anime fans and critics hate live-action movie adaptations. However, they have given director Keishi Ohtomo’s first three Rurouni Kenshin live-action movie adaptations stellar reviews, and they have eagerly awaited the pandemic-delayed releases of the next two installments. Originally planned for release on July 3 and August 7 of 2020 in Japan, Rurouni Kenshin: Final Chapter Part I - The Final and Rurouni Kenshin: Final Chapter Part II - The Beginning are now set for April 23 and June 4 of this year. Considering the popularity of the first three films and the franchise’s distribution by Warner Bros. and Funimation, fans in the United States should not have to wait long afterward for The Final and The Beginning to appear in theaters and/or become available on DVD and streaming services.