# Rurouni Kenshin Live Action



## Bloody_Inferno (Dec 18, 2011)

One of my favorite anime/manga series of all time gets the live action treatment 13 years after the series came to an end. Took them long enough. 

Watch The Live Action RUROUNI KENSHIN Teaser

Live-Action Rurouni Kenshin Movie Set Photos


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## Sicarius (Dec 18, 2011)

looks pretty good.


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## Iamasingularity (Dec 21, 2011)

Meh, I`ll tell you guys how it is when it comes out.
I don`t think it can ever top Zatoichi though. That movie is 
a goddamn classic.


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## Cheap Poison (Dec 21, 2011)

Oh god....

I am so scared.....

But that didn't look too bad. I am curious though, it seems like there is a lot of scenes during the revolution but i also think i seen Sanosuke.
Mhhhhh

Any info on what it is going to be about?


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## Static (Dec 23, 2011)

duude the teaser looked awesome!!I fucking love rurouni kenshin(especially the OVA's).


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## Alberto7 (Dec 23, 2011)

Hooooly crap! I am SO looking forward to this. Rurouni Kenshin is one of my all time favorites. I literally just finished it about 2 days ago for like 5th time . I don't get tired of watching it.

The set photos look amazing, and the teaser looked pretty good! I am really excited for this one


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## glassmoon0fo (Dec 26, 2011)

I love Kenshin dearly, but you know how you have an awesome movie that a mediocre sequel just ruins? That's my fear here. I havn't seen a live action adaptation of ANY anime that didnt make my penis soft.


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## 7stringsofdoom (Dec 26, 2011)

Honestly, the few live action adaptions of anime I have seen have all turned out to be pretty damn awesome, so I have high hopes for this one. As long as it's not American-made, it'll be fine

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to finish watching the Kyoto arc for the 7th time.


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## glassmoon0fo (Dec 27, 2011)

Either I havn't seen the right ones or we have completely different definitions of "awesome" . Care to enlighten me?


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## Bloody_Inferno (Dec 27, 2011)

glassmoon0fo said:


> Either I havn't seen the right ones or we have completely different definitions of "awesome" . Care to enlighten me?


 
I'll have to generally agree here. Though there were some sleeper hits that did alright. IMO Gokusen and Nodame Cantible live actions were better than their anime counterparts. Casshern and Death Note movies weren't too bad for what they were I guess (the latter still not as good as the anime), and I quite enjoyed Bloody Monday's drama series. Haven't seen Gantz yet...

But yes I generally agree with your first post. And I've seen too many of the live action adaptations that I wish I didn't see like Devil Man, Initial D or GTO (seriously, German Suplex or GTFO ) and others I best not remember...


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## 7stringsofdoom (Dec 28, 2011)

I actually thought GTO was awesome. Then again, I have a soft spot for anything Onizuka related. The Arakawa and Detroit Metal City adaptions were alright, seeing as it's hard to transfer anime humour to a live action setting without being absolutely unfunny. Hopefully we won't need to worry about any of that with the new RK movie.


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## Bloody_Inferno (Dec 28, 2011)

I forgot about DMC, that was quite enjoayble too. 

Judging from the trailer, it looks like Jin-e Udo's in it so I'm guessing the setting is right where the manga/anime begins in the Tokyo arc. 

Release date is August 25 2012 in Japan, they're planning for an international release and make a full series eventually as well.


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## Static (Dec 28, 2011)

it would be awesome if it was about the shishio arc the last battle was pure win.


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## Bloody_Inferno (Mar 25, 2013)

Bumping this up as I've finally seen it... and it's pretty damn good! 

Among the better anime to live action adaptations the actors really steped up to their characters here. I remember Takeru Satoh playing Koyuki in the Beck live action, but did an exceptional job playing Kenshin and his dual personas. Youske Eguchi (Goemon) almost steals the show by playing a dead on convincing role as Saito Hajime. Also having Genki Sudo in the movie is a plus in my book.  The action scenes were done very well too and successfully captures the spirit of the manga/anime battles. 

It's not completely anime accurate, but in this case who cares? It's a great film on it's own and highly recommended for fans of the Kenshin series and samurai films alike. 

Also a sequel is also in the works.


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## Alberto7 (Mar 26, 2013)

^ No way! I can't wait for the follow-up!

And yeah, I had forgotten to mention it here, but I also got around to watching it a while ago. It's so good seeing a chunk of your childhood brought to life in such a good way. My favorite character interpretation was Jineh's by far, but the rest of the characters also excelled in their roles. They nailed it with Sanosuke's character as well. I love how they made Kanryuu even more despicable than in the manga or the anime. Like Bloody_Inferno said, it's an awesome watch for anyone, however, I do feel that it's oriented more towards the anime's fans.

Also, something that I found interesting about the movie (SPOILER ALERT!):


Spoiler



That weird character who was never introduced, and who felt to me like cross between Aoshi and Hanya. He wasn't bad at all, I actually quite enjoyed him, but it caught me a little off guard, as I was expecting the same progression as in the manga and the anime. I actually would have preferred it if Aoshi himself had had a role in the movie, as I really, really like his character. Oh well, it was still good for what it was!


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## Bloody_Inferno (Mar 26, 2013)

Alberto7 said:


> ^ No way! I can't wait for the follow-up!


 
Otakultura! -Be Otakultured!- : Rurouni Kenshin Film Sequel Announced

It's not much info but still... 



Alberto7 said:


> ^ (SPOILER ALERT!)


 


Spoiler



I thought the same about the unofficial Aoshi/Hanya crossover and he was cool for the film. Though considering that they will be making a sequel, there's a high chance that it'll be based on the Kyoto arc, meaning there's still room to introduce Aoshi as a new character. Keep in mind that even if it's not mention in the film, Kanryu's ninja henchmen are the only link to the Oniwabanshu, so that's even more possibility to bring on Aoshi or even Misao into the mix. 

Of course everything I said is only speculation after all...


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## Bloody_Inferno (Jan 21, 2014)

Oh hello there:

New Live-Action Rurouni Kenshin Sequel Image Previews Juppongatana - News - Anime News Network

This is gonna be sick!


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## Alberto7 (Jan 21, 2014)

^ Oh, you bearer of good news. I literally got chills down my spine after seeing the picture, and after seeing how incredibly SPOT-ON the costume designs look. What's more, IT'S TWO FRIGGIN' MOVIES. Not one, but TWO of them. My fanboi gonads are about to explode.

Also, Inferno, you absolutely nailed it with your predictions. 

I really cannot wait for this. 

EDIT: okay, so I really like how every one of the characters look, but I can't keep my eyes off of Min Tanaka as Okina, and can't get over how perfect Maryjun Takahashi looks as Yumi.


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## Sofos (Jan 22, 2014)

Alberto7 said:


> can't get over how perfect Maryjun Takahashi looks as Yumi.



I completely agree. Honestly, it's been so long since i watched RK that I forgot who Yumi was, and as soon as I saw the picture I knew EXACTLY who it was. Perfection.


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## Bloody_Inferno (Jan 22, 2014)

Alberto7 said:


> What's more, IT'S TWO FRIGGIN' MOVIES. Not one, but TWO of them. My fanboi gonads are about to explode.
> 
> Also, Inferno, you absolutely nailed it with your predictions.


 
 So it should be two movies. The Kyoto arc is so rich in story and importance that it would be near impossible to compress into one film. Kinda like the Death Note films. Speaking of which, Tatsuya Fujiwara playing Makoto Shishio is excellent. 

Also, I wasn't expecting to nail my predictions. Imagine my surprise...


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## Alberto7 (Jan 22, 2014)

Yeah, even with two films I don't expect it to be able to fit everything exactly as in the original tale, but it should be enough time to fit all of the most important details, fights included. I really can't wait to see how they handle the fight against Soujiro (one of my favorites). In general, I really can't wait to see the fights against the Juppongatana.

And yeah, having Light Yagami do Makoto Shishio was the selling point when trying to make my sister excited for this film, too.


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## Bloody_Inferno (Feb 3, 2014)

And here we go!


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## Alberto7 (Feb 4, 2014)

Aaaannddd time to read the manga again.


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## Alberto7 (May 1, 2014)

I'm screeching and squealing in excitement. Seriously.


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## Alberto7 (Aug 3, 2014)

So, my university is hosting the Fantasia International Film Festival again this year. This is the result:







I'm super excited!  I'm going to the second (and last) showing though, as the Western premiere today (Saturday) was quickly sold out. Can't wait!


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## Alberto7 (Aug 8, 2014)

Ok, so I know this is my fourth post in a row, but whatever...  I just came back from watching the film.

Oh my God, it was glorious.

The first half hour or so is just a liiittle bit convoluted while setting up the story and explaining as quickly as possible all the historical and political contexts. Then again, that's expected, as the story had to be compressed from 30-something 24-minute episodes to a couple of 2 and a half hour feature films. For someone who has read the manga and/or watched the anime, the whole movie will have a slightly rushed feel, but they did VERY well with what time they had (which were 139 minutes, no less!  A satisfyingly long fangasm), and it also provides with a fresh and interesting new take on the story. There were quite a few major changes to the original story. However, these aspects of the original story that were modified feel as though they were very mindfully chosen so that they wouldn't give the impression that a different tale was being told. For example, they (spoiler tags ahead, although it's not a very important spoiler)


Spoiler



break off any connections that Aoshi Shinomori had with Megumi Takani and her involvement during the first film with the Oniwabanshu, but fill in that gap with enough substance to redeem themselves, making an exciting new twist to the story while they're at it.



Also worth mentioning is how detailed the film is. Not only is stage production amazing and super detailed, but there are little treats to fans of the series everywhere. Characters truly do look like the real life counterpart to the anime and manga ones.

Even with all the changes and very fast pacing (from the perspective of a long-time RK fan anyway), however, I feel like it was very well put together. Solid film. And man, the village scene that occurs before Kenshin arrives in Kyoto... shit was rough yo. And those battle scenes!!  I was squealing like a girl.

I'd give it a 9/10. Seems to be doing well so far on IMDb (9.1/10 based on 48 ratings), though those scores tend to settle at a lower score once some more ratings come in.


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## OmegaSlayer (Aug 8, 2014)

So it is cool. 
Good.
Al, do you feel it is better than the first one?


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## Alberto7 (Aug 8, 2014)

Admittedly, I haven't watched the first one in quite a while, but I don't remember being as excited about it after having watched it as I was about this one. It has a ton more action, better acting, a more diverse setting, and more characters. Also, it was longer, which is appreciated when you're trying to cram so much story into a feature film. I would say yes, it is better, but I can't say for certain until I watch the first one again, because I don't remember it all that well.


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## MoshJosh (Aug 8, 2014)

where do I watch this? I used to watch the sh*t out of RK 10 years ago and would love to catch this, is it on DVD?


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## Alberto7 (Aug 8, 2014)

The first one you can buy on DVD from Amazon, but this second one came out barely a week ago. The second one (which is the first part of the Kyoto/Shishio arc) has just been released. I went to watch the second (and last) screening of the Western premiere and possibly the only showing for now, so we'll need to keep an eye out for any other future screenings and/or DVD releases.


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## OmegaSlayer (Aug 8, 2014)

So you saw an English dubbed version or was it subbed?
Sorry for all the questions


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## Alberto7 (Aug 8, 2014)

Haha no worries dude. It was English subbed with the original, Japanese audio. The subs were pretty good and effective, although they did get rid of honorifics and slightly changed the meaning of some words and phrases (the ones I understand anyway, which are very few) to suit a Western audience with little to no knowledge of the Japanese language. Sadly, Kenshin's charming "oro" still remains untranslatable, making it somewhat long-winded to explain to someone who isn't familiar with the word.


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## OmegaSlayer (Aug 9, 2014)

Alberto7 said:


> Haha no worries dude. It was English subbed with the original, Japanese audio. The subs were pretty good and effective, although they did get rid of honorifics and slightly changed the meaning of some words and phrases (the ones I understand anyway, which are very few) to suit a Western audience with little to no knowledge of the Japanese language. Sadly, Kenshin's charming "oro" still remains untranslatable, making it somewhat long-winded to explain to someone who isn't familiar with the word.



I wonder how many non Kenshin fans would go to see the movie 

I think Kenshin is the only live action from a manga that I had the interest to see.
(I would see GTO drama though  )
Not because of the manga, but because real people make fantasy stories look dumb 
It's same with Marvel and DC stuff for me.


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## Alberto7 (Aug 9, 2014)

Well, I did take a friend of mine who isn't a Kenshin fan. He did watch the first live-action film the night before going to watch this one, and he said he liked them. He said it was "different," but that he really liked the films. He also mentioned that he's interested in checking out the source material.

The thing about _Rurouni Kenshin_ is that it has an accurate historical setting and relatively (key word, "relatively") believable characters. A live-action really suited it, and it was just a matter of time until we got one (though it did take an awfully long time).


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## pdbeaton87 (Dec 20, 2014)

Bump.

I've been in Japan for 4 years now, I've never watched the anime series but came across the first Live Action Film on one of my flights from Japan back to the US. I fell in love with the first movie. After my vacation in the US when I flew back to Japan I had to watch it again! I believe this was about a year, year and a half ago.

Anyways, around August time this year I went to see a film with a Japanese chick that I had been seeing and noticed the big display that they had for the new Kyoto Arc movie. Man, I was filled with excitement! Haha!

Long story short, I still haven't seen it yet...As the only place that they were showing the movie with English Subtitles was up in Roppongi, Tokyo at like 9 or 10pm maybe even 11? I can't quite remember..Now I am left waiting for it to come out on DVD...


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