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Nobuhiro Watsuki To Pen New Rurouni Kenshin Manga Series

By Ishaan . December 26, 2011 . 4:58pm

Nobuhiro Watsuki To Pen New Rurouni Kenshin Manga Series

Rurouni Kenshin manga-ka, Nobuhiro Watsuki, has put his Embalming manga on hold until next fall. In the meantime, Watsuki will be penning a short Rurouni Kenshin series, set to begin serializing in Jump Square magazine in May 2012.

 

Anime News Network point out that, while Shueisha are advertising the new Kenshin series as a “reboot,” this may not be the same as the English interpretation of the word.

 

The Jump Square issue with the new Rurouni Kenshin manga will be published on May 2nd, 2012 in Japan.

 

Other Rurouni Kenshin projects slated for released next year are the live-action movie (August 25th), and part 2 of the New Kyoto Arc OVA, planned for release in summer 2012.


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  • http://tristsantithesis.tumblr.com/ Tsunayoshi Sawada

    Short? Darn, I was hoping it would be long running.

    Probably will read it to see if it is appealing, and if so will give this rurouni kenshin franchise a try. I hope it differentiates itself from Naruto, as that was a leading reason why I stopped Dragonball and Z, it felt so much like Fairy Tail, One Piece and Naruto to me, that it wasnt differentiated enough and felt like deja vu except not as good.

    • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_S2UKKIGGOA4V5EIFXAD7BQQOV4 Heehee

      Well duh, DB pretty much was the inspiration of these mangas you mentioned, especially Naruto. As for RuroKen, it’s more historical since its setting and some characters are based off of Japanese history with added Shonen Jump flair.

      • http://tristsantithesis.tumblr.com/ Tsunayoshi Sawada

        I do recall a previous discussion on the matter of Rurouni not having much magic if I recall though still retaining epic over the top moments, so maybe that is the differentiation that could be present to make it feel fresh and unique to me to keep me interested and hyped. Cant wait to experience it.

        • GVmanX

          Rurouni Kenshin doesn’t have any magic at all, just people doing somewhat superhuman acts.

          But yeah, RuroKen is great.  I definitely recommend reading it.

    • Aoshi00

      You got it the other way around, it’s like saying your grandfather or father look like you instead of you looking like them..  There are probably people who don’t like the newer works because they thought they’re too much like Dragonball.  Why do you need the entire manga to be redrawn in order for you to read it, the 28 volumes are there.  In every Rurouni Kenshin post you said you are going to give the manga a try, don’t say it, just do it.  If you’re not interested (the artwork is too “old” for you), why bother comment about it. One Piece, Fairy Tail, Naruto were all inspired by Dragonball, not the other way around. Oda and Kishimoto were all Toriyama fans.

      Hm.. this could be some shorts about the aftermath of different chars, like Soujirou’s wandering in Hokkaido-hen (which Watsuki expressed interest in doing on several occasion).. or it could be an elaboration of some parts w/in the story.. I remember Obata Takeshi re-drew a couple of shorts for Hikaru no Go as a recap before the last North Star Cup arc started..  it would be interesting to see some of the same scenes portrayed by his latest art style.

      I do like the new drawing style of Embalming.  I hope he would go back to it soon too as I’m very anxious for each volume to come out, it takes a long time alrdy being a monthly serial.. The end of vol. 6 w/ John Doe’s past was really a cliffhanger..

      • http://tristsantithesis.tumblr.com/ Tsunayoshi Sawada

        I dont think Ive ever encountered an issue in which a manga’s artwork felt or looked to old really and I never recall saying I was turned off from Rurouni Kenshin. Rather the reason why I would give this one a try is that it would be a current running series and would possibly be a great way to have a taste of the series to inspire me to give the original series a try. Surely, that makes sense? HxH given an animated update this year to inspire people of today to give the series another try, seems like this is the same sort of thing except in a manga form. 

        Its also vastly more convenient and easier to read things serializing currently then having to find ways to access older content, the years of bakuman Im still trying to read, for example, still at v8.

        • Solomon_Kano

          Not quite the same, since the goal of the new HxH anime was to give a more accurate adaptation of the manga, not necessarily to make people want to give it “another try”.

          However more convenient it may be, if this turns out to be a whole new story you may find yourself at a loss.

        • Aoshi00

          W/ HxH, the fans who followed the manga never stopped because it’s still ongoing after over 10 yrs (I can’t believe I’ve been reading it since 1998 *.*).  The new anime is a different adaptation, which is closer to the original Togashi manga in general and more fast paced, but still handled many parts differently like the first anime.  It’s quite well drawn but more cartoonish and the atmosphere wasn’t as dark as the original anime.  I’m watching it every week, the new direction is interesting, but I must say it’s a bit boring watching the same thing all over again even w/ redrawn art and new voice acting, I’ve read the manga, watched the anime, and this is just a different take of the anime again.. I hope they would go thru w/ the Chimera Ant arc eventually (which never got animated before), otherwise the new anime really doesn’t serve much purpose.. and if they re-do the Greed Island arcs because the OVAs’ animation quality was horrible unlike the original TV series.  I still prefer the more detailed char design by Goto Takayuki though..

          Old,
          http://i25.fastpic.ru/big/2011/0731/b2/5268c2dfcd4b4d184503b0c0f2df21b2.jpg

          http://a7.idata.over-blog.com/0/17/54/02/hunter-x-hunter/_image_-hunter-x-hunter-6-bis.jpg

          http://cdn.myanimelist.net/images/anime/8/19473.jpg

          New,

          http://www.alafista.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/1108048.jpg

          I don’t know how you read manga, whether you read online or buy the physical books, but I don’t think the graphic novels are that hard to locate.  Seems like the Viz Big re-releases are all available on Amazon.. If you’re indeed interested in Kenshin, I suggest you not wait for anything new (this short serial, new OVAs, or live action movie), instead why not go read the original manga that started the whole thing, to see why this was so famous, Watsuki’s art is very different now, like if you compared Kishimoto’s Naruto Vol. 1 to Vol. 58 over the course of 10 years.  Like if you first watch Star Wars for the first time, you watch the original triology and not start w/ Ep 1-3..

          http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=rurouni+kenshin&x=0&y=0#/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=rurouni+kenshin+manga&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Arurouni+kenshin+manga

          If you like things like One Piece or Naruto, you should really like DB since that’s what all the works were influenced by.

          • http://tristsantithesis.tumblr.com/ Tsunayoshi Sawada

            Aw I love the new HxH, so cool and funny, especially Killua.  Hearing that the writer takes tons of hiatus, kept and keeps me from jumping to the manga for it though, so I just follow thew new anime. 

            I ended up starting Star Wars with the episode 3 and going backwards, I usually just jump into stuff whenever, survey it and if I like it I go backwards, did the same for One Piece, starting at like episode 450 or something and then just going back after I got hooked to get what I missed. 

            Thats probably what I may do for this new kenshin though. I probably wouldnt do the OVA since, in my experience, most OVAs dont do a good job of being that friendly to newcomers to series. 

            But Ill try to track down the manga and add it to a wishlist. 

          • Aoshi00

            Well, there are still 29 volumes of Hunter and 30 shouldn’t be far behind, so even w/ the hiatus in btwn, I’m sure those would still take you a while to read. 

            The new HxH anime is not bad, it’s more well done than I expected, very good animation, one thing felt lackluster though compared to the original anime is the soundtrack, which was darker, more psychological, suspenseful, and exciting.  The new music just felt too light at times..  It’s good you finally get to experience the story of HxH, the new anime adaptation is closer to the manga both art and pacing-wise.  Togashi is a very good writer..

            Here are some Hisoka fights from the original anime if you don’t mind some slight spoilers (you would see these in the next several eps of the new anime, this week’s ep 13 was the obligatory summary ep recapping ep 1-12..), the music just doesn’t feel as intriguing or atmospheric..

            http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrOTN6TFOE0&feature=related

            http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETAglHVTMMQ&feature=related

          • KyoyaHibari

            I agree, the new anime has been rather mixed for me, I find that the quick pace is refreshing, however, the soundtrack can be a little ludicrous sometimes, and ironically, by making the anime faster paced, it has also weakened the intensity of HxH’s signature psychological warfare. Most of the brain games that are intended to be drawn out seem to be hampered over to progress the story more, but in the original anime, I loved getting caught up in their twisted trials and was on the edge of my seat to see how they would make some completely unorthodox answer or action to comply with. I’m hoping that they stop at the GI Final arc with this new anime and that Viz release both the new series and the old OVAs in due time. That way, fans of the original can have their series in tact and the new fans can enjoy the updated version, unless of course the new anime becomes darker and violent in the later arcs to compensate for the milder episodes released thus far. Hopefully after that they will make new OVAs in the vein of the old series so that the newer audience can gradually mature and acquire a taste for the ominous and intricate style of the original HxH.

            As for my thoughts on this RuroKen reboot, I’m hoping Watsuki decides to redo the Jinchu arc with reader feedback, (potentially to be adapted into an anime I hope) I haven’t actually gotten to the Jinchu arc, but from what I hear there were some complaints about the new villains being shallow cardboard characters that were only there to give some of the side characters some fights or something? I probably should pick up the other omnibuses though, I’ve watched the 1st season of the anime, I have the 1st omnibus manga and the final manga volume lol. The other possibility is if he makes a new arc altogether. I have heard rumours that Watsuki intended to do a Tokyo arc but decided to end the series with the Jinchu arc and I would love to see more RuroKen canon, it’s probably the best shonen chanbara series ever!

          • Aoshi00

            I think the new HxH anime would get dark soon too once it gets to the 4th Exam, Killua arc, and Ryodan, not sure if it would be as dark as the original (the old anime char design/art director Goto Takayuki worked on the Video Girl Ai OVAs, Please Save My Earth OVAs, Baby and Me TV series, the things the worked on were quality works).  If it ever gets to Chimera Ant, it would have to be brutal.  The new soundtrack feels underwhelming compared to the old one and not exciting, the old score makes you feel like you’re hanging to the edge of your seat, lots of tension.

            I actually go back to watch the old eps every week once I finish seeing a new ep just to compare the differences, and still prefer the old anime (I have the 4 box sets), even though they put a lot of effort in the new anime.

            Well, the Jinchuu arc has the 6 comrades, but Enishi was the main villain, their background weren’t as emphasized.. overall together w/ the flashback of Battousai and Tomoe’s death it was a good ending of Kenshin seeking redemption and his answer.. I don’t think you should listen to the opinions of others and just read to see for yourself.  What I didn’t like was the late RK art style by Watsuki as it was getting more simple progressively (especially from vol 25-28), then Gun Blaze West was even more cartoony.  W/ Busou Renkin and Embalming his art is more detailed again.  We’ll see what these short stories are about.. Personally I wish him to concentrate and put more energy on his current manga Embalming instead of being distracted to work on a side project..  we’ll see what the reception for the OVAs and live action movie are I guess, and we might one day see the Jinchuu anime, just like Saint Seiya finally got the Hades OVAs 13 years after the TV series ended..

  • Arcm

    I hope it isn’t a reboot since I thought the original to be amazing just the way it was. Hopefully, it’s only a continuation or a series of stories about kenshin before he meets up with Karou.

    The only thing that needs a reboot is the anime. I would love a
    Dragon Ball kai like Kenshin redo that follows the manga from beginning to the end with no filler.

  • malek86

    Probably just a movie tie-in of a few chapters. Trigun had one too.

    • http://talesattbokmph.wordpress.com/ Setsuryuu (TBOkmph)

      But then he waits until fall to come back to work? xD Subtle vacations? xP

      It would really be good to see a whole new arc..~

  • Solomon_Kano

    Interesting.

  • Kitestwinblades

    Keep the Rurouni Kenshin Love spreading XD So many classics making a return!

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Jan-Daryll-Palanca/100000250304791 Jan Daryll Palanca

    hooray!

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