More Rurouni Kenshin sequel news!

And then they were 10. The Juppongatana (Ten Swordsmen) prove to be a formidable foe for Kenshin and his allies in the sequels Rurouni Kenshin: The Great Kyoto Fire and Rurouni Kenshin: The End of a Legend. 

As 2014 is ushered in more and more EXCITING Rurouni Kenshin news have been spreading like wild fire (coughs - Fire! Fire! Fire!) We'll definitely be seeing a lot of those in the two sequels slated to be released in the summer of 2014. 

Just last night specific dates of when the movies will be released have been announced. 

Rurouni Kenshin: The Great Kyoto Fire will premiere in Japan on August 1. 
Rurouni Kenshin: The End of a Legend will premiere in Japan on September 13.

But before we go celebrating remember that the first Rurouni Kenshin movie was also slated for an August date in Japan but was only released in the Philippines in December. This was due to the fact that the local Warner Bros. distributor in the Philippines "did not have the rights" to release Rurouni Kenshin here but Pioneer Films took the reins and were finally able to get the rights in December. You can read more about that in my past blog posts here. 

The first Rurouni Kenshin movie was a surprise success earning $647,922 according to the 2012 Philippine Yearly Box Office, you can refer to it here. That is why I'm sure having the sequels distributed in the Philippines should not be a problem this time around. However, the question is will loyal fans have to wait months like last time? An earlier release date is definitely an effort against piracy and as I have always said if you are a fan you should support the franchise by catching it in cinemas. You cannot compare sitting back in front of a big screen and enjoying a movie from watching it in front of your laptop. 

While the big question of when will the sequels be released in the Philippines have not been answered (we all have to be like a true Samurai and practice the virtue of Patience) we can enjoy all these teasers that are being released online and here are just some of them. 

A 34 second teaser trailer of the sequels, 

aside from Kenshin Himura's lighting fast sword skills we also catch a glimpse of new movie characters Aoshi Shinamori and Shishio Makoto. 

Scourged (literally) Rurouni Kenshin Movie Posters 

As if the excitement to the sequels were not enough, the promotion team for the movies took it to the next level by actually burning old 2012 Rurouni Kenshin movie posters and pasting them on 2014 announcements. You can check out the making of the movie posters here. Just watching the making of these posters have made me admire the patience and creativity of the Japanese even more. I mean instead of just printing a whole new set of posters they actually invested the time, effort and resources to bring a unique flare to the posters by making each one of them special; since each of the posters had to be burnt one at a time. 

Aside from the trailer and the movie posters, photos of new characters both the good, the bad and the ugly have been getting the fans fired up. 

Here are some character stills have been keeping cyberspace a buzz with excitement. 

The Bad and the Ugly. Probably one of the most bad ass villains in manga and anime history, the translation of Shishio Makoto from the animated series to the big screen is without a doubt one of the most anticipated by fans who grew up cowering to this mad man's insane plans of domination and his firm belief in the law of nature: 'The strong shall live and the weak shall perish'. 

His burnt skin covered in bandages has been the stuff of nightmares of fans and probably the costume and design team of the sequels who impressively got the prosthetic and effects of burned skin, making handsome young actor Tatsuya Fujiwara unrecognizable in costume.  

The Bold and the Beautiful. While we see less of her cleavage in her movie version, half Pinay (Yes! She is half Filipina) Maryjun Takahashi will be playing Yumi Komagata, Shishio Makoto's dearly devoted arm candy. I just love her mole in the photo and look at that smile-it has a million secrets. 

Aside from releasing amazing character stills, photos from a very well known scene in the anime have also been teasing fans. You can see below the Soujiro (played by Kamiki Ryunosuke)-carriage-chasing scene which reveals why a even a pretty boy can be so deadly. 

New character still of Yosuke Eguchi as Hajime Saito. 

While I may have had some mixed feelings about his portrayal of the former Shinsen Gumi captain due to his rather big ears and in my opinion lack of smoking; this character still definitely adds 100 Wolf Fang points! 

Fans know he has some great scenes in the Kyoto arc so we'll definitely be seeing a lot of his swagger in the upcoming sequels. 

Did you guys know that Saito Hajime actually existed? He was a Japanese samurai of the late Edo period. He was the captain of the third Shinsengumi unit and was one of the few who survived the many wars of the Bakumatsu period. The real Saito and anime Saito even share the post Tokugawa name Fujita Goro. 

The photo below is believed to depict the real Saito Hajime. Okay so now I know where the big ears come from :P   

Meet the new Yoshi! Kaitoo Oyagi will be replacing Taketo Tanaka as the hot headed but hilarious student of the Kamiya Dojo.

I was initially sad when I heard that Taketo Tanaka will not be reprising his role as the annoying but lovable Yahiko Myojin. Tanaka gave an impressive performance of the adopted pupil of the Kamiya Dojo in the first movie. He will be replaced by Kaito Oyagi as seen in the photo above.  

If you are paying close attention you will be able to tell that this still was already in the 'carriage chase' scene with Kenshin and Soujiro above. This man is Toshimichi Ookubo who was a major official in the Meiji government as well as an Ishin Shishi leader and a samurai. (Yes! A real Samurai!) All I can say is you guys have to watch out for that carriage chase scene :P 

Because truth is stranger than fiction. Now this is one for the history books since Toshimichi Ookubo actually existed! Among those titles I already mentioned earlier to which he really was, he is also regarded as one of the main founders of modern Japan. You can read more about him here but if you don't want any spoilers I suggest you avoid the part that says 'In Fiction'. 

The creator of Rurouni Kenshin, Nobuhiro Watsuki has said in his notes that in creating Ookubo's character he actually borrowed some elements and inspiration from Abraham Lincoln, the President of the United States.  

    

Another historical figure in the sequel is Ito Hirubumi who will be brought to live on the big screen by actor Yukiyoshi Ozawa as seen in the photo above.

Just like Kenshin, Hirubumi was a Choshu samurai and he was also a four time prime minister of Japan. Although I can't really remember him in the anime series, any clues any one?   

I know I've already blogged about other character stills here but since this blog post is shaping up to be a summary or collection of Rurouni Kenshin sequel news please do indulge me dear readers as I present the stills again. 

If you've seen them already consider them as an addition to your Rurouni Kenshin teaser experience. :)  

Tao Tsuchiya will be playing fan favorite Oniwabanshu member Misao Makimachi. I'm still hoping to see her in more 'blue' so I can really associate her with the character. An attack-now-and-think-later kind of woman, she jumps and runs on roofs and has her own kick ass fighting skills but is just really searching for love and her place in the "Oni gang" 

Speaking of love, another reincarnation fans are waiting to see on the big screen is that of Oniwabanshu leader Aoshi Shinamori, who will be played by Yusuke Iseya. 

It would be interesting to see how the writers will bring Aoshi in the story since he is supposed to have already been included in the first movie, since his character first makes his appearance in the Kanryu-Opium arc. 

Did you know that Aoshi's character is also based on another historical figure? Rurouni Kenshin author, based Aoshi on Hijikata Toshizo who was the deputy leader of the Shinsengumi. Watsuki decided on adding the bangs or the fringes since he did not want readers of the manga to think that Aoshi was 'wearing a rug or something'. Watsuki has later said that drawing Aoshi's bangs 'were a pain'.

And it seems that the bangs are still a pain even to the movie version of the character since I really can't decide whether I like them or hate them but this of course is all based on the still above. We will all have to wait and see how everything plays out in the movie since fans know of a big fight scene that includes Aoshi. :)

A fan favorite, as evidenced by his high spots in polls, Soujiro Seta is bound to bring the girls screaming as he makes his way on the big screen and is brought to life by Ryunosuke Kamiki. 

The right hand man of Shishio Makoto, there is more to Soujiro than his deceptive sweet smile. Don't get on his bad side since you'll never be able to out run him :P 

Okay, here is something I did not know, Soujiro Seta is actually loosely based on a real life child prodigy, Okita Soji who was the captain of the first squad of the Shinsengumi. The name of the character, Soujiro Seta actually originates from Okita Soujiro which is the name that Okita had in his earlier years. 

Considered as a child prodigy Okita Soji already displayed advanced sword fighting skills at the age of 9 and even defeated a master swordsman at the age of 12. Legend has it that this master swordsman underestimated his young opponent. 

Not to be confused with the Okita Soji who makes an appearance in the Rurouni Kenshin OVA's it is important to note that Soujiro Seta to which the character is based on is not introduced in the story yet. 

Okay, so this has gone on longer than I originally thought but I'm already in too deep all of these Rurouni Kenshin sequel news as well as unearthing historical inspirations for the manga, anime and movie that I will just go ahead and tell you about the historical inspirations for our beloved protagonist Kenshin Himura. 

The character Kenshin Himura is actually based on Kawakami Gensai who was a Japanese samurai of the Edo period. He was a highly skilled swordsman and was one of the four most notable assassins of the Bakumatsu period. 

Kenshin's Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu (Flying Heaven's Honorable Sword Style) is loosely based on Kawakami Gensai's Shiranui-ryu, fighting styles which are both characterized by using high speed attacks. 

As the months' to the movies' release would draw there would definitely be more exciting news on the movies' development such as who will be appearing in the soundtrack and more trailers of course!

Here's to hoping that the Philippines will not have to wait for another four months before watching the movies in cinemas! 

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