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News is being revealed little by little regarding 2014’s two-part sequel to Rurouni Kenshin, Rurouni Kenshin: The Great Kyoto Fire Arc and Rurouni Kenshin: The Last of a Legend Arc. At the end of November, a visual surfaced showing Ryunosuke Kamiki in the role of Sōjirō Seta. The visual was instantly buzzing with attention. Now, more new character visuals have been released. This time, the visuals show Yūsuke Iseya as Aoshi Shinomori and Min Tanaka as Okina. Each looks like they were pulled straight from the pages of the manga.
Aoshi Shinomori is the 15-year-old Okashira of the Oniwabanshū at the end of the Edo period who possesses skills that were passed down to him. Iseya trained intensely for these films’ action scenes, the ante to which has been upped over the previous film. “There are times during filming when my feet stop moving and I have to struggle against feelings of frustration. The action team has lofty goals, so I am giving it my all to meet them,” said Iseya regarding the role.
Directing the films is Keishi Otomo. This is his third time directing, the other two being Jirō Shirasu and Ryomaden. We look forward to seeing how the movie turns out under the direction of the reliable Otomo.
Min Tanaka, who is playing Okina, is no stranger to Otomo’s works, having also appeared in Ryomaden. The struggle of Okina, once feared as the most terrifying member of the Oniwabanshū, will surely be a highlight of The Great Kyoto Fire Arc. Director Otomo gave Tanaka his metaphorical seal of approval for being “the best 68 year old for historical roles.” Even Tanaka is striving for the role and undergoing training. On the role, Tanaka commented, “He frantically fights because he knows he is running short on time.” We also can’t wait to see his performance in the films.
Source: animeanime
