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Rurouni Kenshin 25th Anniversary Exhibit Previews Exclusive New Manga Draft

A new exhibition will commemorate the 25th anniversary of Nobuhiro Watsuki's Rurouni Kenshin manga this year, and the exhibition's Twitter account previewed the rough layout draft for a new manga that Watsuki is drawing exclusively for the exhibition. This manga, titled "Sakabatō Shogeki" (Reverse-Blade Katana: First Bout), recounts the first time Kenshin Himura encounters and wields the reverse-blade katana.

The new manga serves as an epilogue to the Rurouni Kenshin manga chapter "Act 081 Shakkū's Wish."

The exhibit will run at Tokyo Dome City's Gallery AaMo from January 22 to March 7, and then move to the Kyoto City Kyocera Museum of Art's Higashiyama Cube venue from April 23 to June 6.

Watsuki's manga ran from 1994 to 1999 in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine. A television anime series aired in Japan from 1996 to 1998 and spawned several anime video projects and an anime film. Viz Media published the original manga and the two-volume Rurouni Kenshin: Restoration reboot manga in North America, while Media Blasters released the television anime. ADV Films released the two Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal and Rurouni Kenshin: Reflection video anime projects and the Rurouni Kenshin: The Motion Picture anime film on DVD, and Aniplex later released the three titles on Blu-ray Disc. Sentai Filmworks released the more recent Rurouni Kenshin: New Kyoto Arc video anime series on Blu-ray Disc and DVD.

The manga is inspiring a live-action 'final chapter' film series. Rurouni Kenshin Saishūshō The Final, the first of the two films will open in Japan on April 23, while Rurouni Kenshin Saishūshō The Beginning, the second film, will open on June 4. The films will have an original story that will differ from the story in the manga. The first film will center on the story from the manga's "Jinchū" arc, which features Kenshin's conflict with the mysterious weapons dealer Enishi.

The first live-action Rurouni Kenshin film opened in 2012 in Japan, while the first two sequels opened in August and September 2014. The films collectively grossed more that US$160 million internationally. Funimation screened all three films in United States theaters in August, September, and October 2016, respectively.

The Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal and Rurouni Kenshin: Reflection video anime projects adapted the same story arcs from the manga as the two upcoming live-action films will.

Source: Comic Natalie