The Official Website, as well as the Twitter account of the “Rurouni Kenshin” Musical, has issued an apology as they announced that the Kyoto Arc of Nobuhiro Watsuki’s Manga Series had been canceled on accord of the Pandemic and safety of the actors and the staff involved in the making of the musical.
The Kyoto arc Musical of Rurouni Kenshin will be a continuation of the 2016 musical of the Rurouni Kenshin series. The musical was written and Directed by Shūichirō Koike, who had written the 2016 Musical of The Rurouni Kenshin as well as the Stage Play for the same. The cast for the musical had also been decided, and pictures of the actors in their costumes had also been teased. Still, the announcement claimed that Shūichirō Koike, along with other Sponsors regarding how to progress with Musical amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic. After long and careful discussion, they have concluded that it’s more sensible to cancel the project as the music would not have delivered the ideal “Rurouni Kenshin” this fall.
ミュージカル『るろうに剣心 京都編』に関しまして、誠に遺憾ながら全公演を中止させて頂くことと致しました。開催を楽しみにお待ち頂いていた皆様には多大なるご迷惑をおかけすることとなり、深くお詫びを申し上げます。詳細につきましては公式HPをご覧下さい。https://t.co/oaz7qwcn9M pic.twitter.com/0rJk8TUfjm
— ミュージカル『るろうに剣心 京都編』公式 (@rurokenstage) August 28, 2020
The musical was originally set to be performed from the 3rd of November to the 15th of December in the IHI Stage Around Tokyo.
About The Manga | Rurouni Kenshin
Written and illustrated by Nobuhiro Watsuki, “Rurouni Kenshin,” is a Japanese manga series that was serialized in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen JUMP back in 1994 and ran for a good five years ending in 1999. With a total of 28 volumes released, the manga was one of the most popular manga of all time.
The story follows a former assassin, Himura Kenshin, who, after taking part in the Bakumatsu War and killing a huge number of people, became overwhelmed with guilt. He decided to become a peaceful wanderer and renounce his violent methods and go on a journey to atone for his sins, but this becomes very difficult for Himura Kenshin when his past catches up to him, and he needs to pick his sword up, but this time it’s to protect people important to him.
Different Adaptations | Rurouni Kenshin
The Manga series has received multiple adaptations, both Live-action as well as Anime. The Anime Adaptation, which aired from 1996-1999, was Directed by Kazuhiro Furuhashi while the animation was handled by Studio Gallop (from episode 1-66) and Studio Deen (from episode 67-95). The Live-Action Film Trilogy was released in Japan from 2012 to 2014, with the titles Rurouni Kenshin, Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno, Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends. The movies were very interesting and surprisingly well made.
