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In 2012, the Rurouni Kenshin film was a huge hit, debuting at No. 1 in 329 theaters across Japan, and eventually grossing over 3.1 billion yen. With the success of the first release, two more sequels are scheduled to be released next summer. The next two full-length films are titled Rurouni Kenshin: Great Kyoto Fire and Rurouni Kenshin: Legend's End, respectively.
At the announcement of the new film's production, fans expressed their excitement and speculations: "The first one was great so I'm excited for the sequels!," "I wonder who will play Aoshi Shinomori..," "I want to know who will be cast as the 'Ten Swords'!" It appears that there was much curiosity surrounding the cast list for Great Kyoto Fire, which was a popular part of the series when originally released as a manga.
Official press releases have already indicated that Tatsuya Fujiwara will play the part of Shishio Makoto. A more recent announcement has revealed that Yūsuke Iseya will play the part of Shinomori Aoshi, and Seta Soujirou will be played by Ryunosuke Kamiki.
Shinomori goes after Kenshin to protect the fate of her companions. Seta is Shishio's subordinate who is a naturally gifted swordsman on par with Kenshin.
Iseya has starred in the television dramas Shirasu Jirō (2009) and Ryōmaden (2010), both directed by Keishi Otomo. We can surely expect a solid performance from the actor in what will be his third "Team Otomo" production.
On the other hand, Kamiki's most recent performance as a high school student in The Kirishima Thing, left something to be desired. Let's hope he's ready to show us his hidden "fighting spirit" in this film.
Other casting choices include Min Tanaka as Kashiwazaki Nenji or "Okina," Kazufumi Miyazawa from the band The Boom as Ōkubo Toshimichi, Yukiyoshi Ozawa as Itō Hirobumi, Kaito Oyagi as Myoujin Yahiko, Maryjun Takahashi as Komagata Yumi, and Ryosuke Miura as Sawagejō Chō.
Shooting has already begun for the new films as they plan to film on location across Japan, including Yamagata, Nagano, Kyoto, and Kumamoto. They plan to bring excitement with these new films to rival the previous release, as fans expectations are high. Director Otomo is shooting for a film of a much greater scale with innovative action and realistic drama that is sure to be a success.
Source: AnimeAnime
Source article written by Yushi Makari
© 2014 Rurouni Kenshin Great Kyoto Fire/Legend's End Production Committee