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Death Note's Tatsuya Fujiwara Added to New Live-Action Rurouni Kenshin Films' Cast

posted on 2013-07-03 03:55 AEST by Crystalyn Hodgkins

Kaiji actor to play Shishio Makoto; Keishi Ōtomo returning to direct 2 new films debuting next summer

The official website for Shueisha's Jump SQ. magazine revealed on Tuesday that actor Tatsuya Fujiwara will play the former government assassin Shishio Makoto in the two upcoming live-action Rurouni Kenshin sequel films. The website also revealed that Keishi Ōtomo (Ryōmaden) is returning to direct the two new films, which will be titled Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Taika-hen (Rurouni Kenshin: The Great Kyoto Fire Arc) and Rurouni Kenshin: Densetsu no Saigo-hen (Rurouni Kenshin: The End of a Legend Arc). The films are slated to open in summer 2014.

Fujiwara previously starred as Light Yagami in the two live-action Death Note films, as the titular protagonist in the Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler and Kaiji 2 - Jinsei Dakkai Game live-action films, and as Shuya Nanahara in the two live-action Battle Royale films.

Takeru Satoh is reprising his role as Kenshin Himura for the two new films, which will cover the Kyoto arc from Nobuhiro Watsuki's original manga.

Ōtomo directed the first live-action Rurouni Kenshin film, which opened in Japan last August. The film starred Satoh and Emi Takei (Kyō, Koi o Hajimemasu, For Love's Sake/Ai to Makoto). It had its North American premiere in Los Angeles in December, and it will play in San Francisco on July 28 and August 1.

Watsuki's manga ran from 1994 to 1999 in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine, and the creator also drew the Rurouni Kenshin: Restoration retelling in Jump Square that launched in May 2012 and ended last month.

An anime series aired in Japan from 1996 to 1998 and spawned several anime film and video projects. Viz Media publishes both manga in North America, while Media Blasters released the television anime. ADV Films released two later original video anime projects and a film on DVD, and Aniplex released these three titles on Blu-ray Disc. Sentai Filmworks released the two more recent video anime series on Blu-ray Disc and DVD, which also covered the Kyoto arc.

[Via Yaraon!]

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News Death Note's Tatsuya Fujiwara Added to New Live-Action Rurouni Kenshin Films' Cast

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Death Note's Tatsuya Fujiwara Added to New Live-Action Rurouni Kenshin Films' Cast