A preview screening of the second season of the new TV anime "Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story," based on the popular manga by Nobuhiro Watsuki, titled "Kyoto Uprising," was held at TOHO Cinemas Nihonbashi (Chuo Ward, Tokyo), where Saito Soma, who plays Himura Kenshin, and Hino Satoshi, who plays Saito Hajime, appeared. They talked about the highlights of the second season, which will air from October 3rd, and the behind-the-scenes of the recording.
Saito said about the second season, "From the second season, which depicts the 'Kyoto Uprising,' the direction has included quite a few gag faces. And with Misao there, Kenshin doesn't become too heavy, and I think it's very impressive that he can say 'Oro'." Hino said about the recording, "We around him (during the recording) also tried not to make any noise. It would be a shame if we had to re-record," revealing that they placed importance on the one-off serious fight even during the recording.
Towards the end of the event, Hino commented, "You've seen episodes 25 to 28, but the second season, which depicts the Kyoto Uprising, one of the most popular episodes of Rurouni Kenshin, will begin airing on October 3rd, so I hope you'll enjoy this story from a different perspective."
Saito commented, "As a fan of the original work and the series, I've been eagerly waiting to see the finished film every time a promotional video comes out. I'm very happy that we've been able to deliver it to you today ahead of the official release. As Hino said, the Kyoto Uprising is a very popular episode in the original work, with many fascinating characters appearing and plenty of action scenes, humorous scenes, and human drama, making it the ultimate entertainment. I hope you'll all support us."
At the event, video comments from singer-songwriter Kitani Tatsuya, who will perform the second season's opening theme, "Iranai Mono," and music creator Natori were also shown. Kitani said, "I wanted to make a 'pathetic song' this time. I wanted to make a song that cuts into people's weak spots, and when I thought about who I knew who could do that, I decided to call Natori-kun!", explaining how he came to collaborate with Natori. Natori said, "I'm a big fan of Kitani-san, so I was a little honoured, but I really learned a lot from him."
Kitani said, "I think this is an unexpected collaboration, but we've made a great song. I hope you'll enjoy it until the end, but by the way... read the lyrics! We put a lot of effort into writing them!" Natori said, "I think we've made a song that captures the grittiness and beauty of 'Rurouni Kenshin,' so please listen to it a lot!"
Rurouni Kenshin is a popular manga that was serialized in 'Weekly Shonen Jump' (Shueisha) from 1994 to 1999. The story depicts Himura Kenshin, who was feared as a Battousai assassin during the end of the Edo period, as a wanderer who has sworn not to kill after the Meiji Restoration, as he searches for a way of life in a new era. A new chapter, "Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story: Hokkaido Arc," has been serialized in the monthly manga magazine Jump SQ. (Square) since 2017.
The new anime will be fully supervised by the original author Watsuki, from character design to scenario, and will reconstruct the original work from the first episode onwards. The first season aired from July to December 2023. The second season will air on Fuji TV's late-night anime slot "Noitamina" and other channels from October 3rd. It will be broadcast for two consecutive seasons. A compilation of the first season, "Jomaku Tokyo," will air on Fuji TV. The first part will air at 1:25 a.m. on September 24th, and the second part will air at 2:05 a.m. on October 1st.
