Warner Bros. just released a couple of trailers for the live-action Rurouni Kenshin: The Final film, and the movie certainly looks interesting. They released a 31-second Japanese version, a 1:48-minute Japanese version, and an English translation of the longer version to YouTube. They also have a Global Fan Session livestream event, planned for 24 March.
But first, here’s the longer Japanese version of the trailer:
If you were a fan of Rurouni Kenshin back when it was on Toonami, seeing the live-action trailer can be a bit like being an Adam West Batman fan and watching the newer movies (Toonami’s censorship probably doesn’t help). Kenshin is definitely still the former Battousai, but this looks a bit more hardcore than the anime series. (But of course, it is a trailer, and trailers tend to head off in that direction.)
Rurouni Kenshin: The Final is the fourth film in the live-action film series; it comes after 2014’s Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends. (I guess The Legend Didn’t End Just Quite Yet.) It will come out in Japan on 23 April.
On 4 June, the prequel film Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning will come out. The Beginning will take place toward the end of the turbulent Bakamatsu, the ending of the end for the Edo period. We’ll learn how Kenshin got his famous scar.
Global Fan Session
The fact that they translated the trailer into English shows that they are apparently interested in the international market. The same goes for the Global Fan Session, which they are promoting with a bilingual web page.
Fans will be able to watch the event on Warner Bros. Japan’s YouTube channel, and they will also have links on Twitter, Instagram, and LINE. Cast members and the crew for the film will take part in the event.
They are also asking fans to submit video messages by the end of 18 March (Japan Time), and 50 winners will get to join the event on Zoom. They haven’t set a time for the event yet.