Many thanks for sharing this. Appreciate your effort!Disappointed with the Tomoe casting, so I have nothing else…
(BTW If you don't mind talking about idols, I'm gonna share what I think cause I'm too passionate about the topic. Hahaha, sorry.
It's no secret that Johnny's has been loosing their influence for a while. This has allowed many drop-dead-gorgeous actors to get the roles that would have previously gone to the true idols. Thus, a new generation of very beautiful but not necessarily skilled actors emerged.
So while Ryo is not a singer his looks were the main reason behind many of his roles. The same is true for Mackenyu or Yamaken.
Just like true idols, though, young actors sometimes grow to be quite skilled (which happened to Ryo, for example). The question is, have Mackenyu and Arimura grown enough so that their beauty rivals their skills?
And I'm so strict with Mackenyu (who indeed looks very convincing in the promos so far) because while he had several serious projects, he is still nowhere near, say, Fujiwara or Kagawa Teruyuki (even if they do have reputation for overacting). He is the main antagonist, after all, he has big shoes to fill.)
Many thanks for sharing this. Appreciate your effort!Disappointed with the Tomoe casting, so I have nothing else…
Ouch, haha, you are saying it like it is XD
Well, to be fair, Takei Emi was very young back in 2012. She also didn't have very complex role so it made sense. I know that many fans were pleased with her acting. I am personally ambivalent about her performance (she may not be great Kaoru but the script is the first to blame for this).
Arimura, on the other hand, has a very complex role. So there are more reasons to worry.
Many thanks for sharing this. Appreciate your effort!Disappointed with the Tomoe casting, so I have nothing else…
I see where you are coming from. This time all of the main roles went to the idol actors. And while Takeru improved a lot for the first Ruroken, it remains to be seen how Mackenyu and Arimura will fare.
On the other hand, Kingdom was a great hit last year and it had an idol cast. In the end, Yoshizawa Ryo even received academy award for his role there! And so many people had thought he had been casted just for his pretty face.
So I haven't given up yet. I'm almost convinced Mackenyu will shine as Enishi, and if they go with manga!Tomoe (quite and cute) instead of fierce femme fatale of ova than it will be the director's fault, not the fault of Arimura.
I'm interested in watching this but your comment about gore is making me hesitant. Is it that bad? I don't mind…
I'd say it's not terribly graphic, I was more grossed out by my imagination (like I would hear about a character that had been tortured to death and I would end up imagining the level of pain this character had felt).
There are graphic scenes but they are not 10 out of 10 graphic. More like 7. There was a scene where a tooth was being ripped out from the tortured person's mouth, for example. With blood, screams etc. But by hollywood stadards, it wasn't the worst.
People on girl's channel joke that Arimura looks so full of vitality and health, no one would believe she would…
Well, she 'sinned' a lot. She married a popular idol, and she's young, successful, and beautiful. Netizens, naturally, can't forgive her 'sins'. Jealousy is like this.
Will have a second season. Only season one worth my time?
It's 18+ show, obviously, so all I say below is adreessed to the adult (older than 18 years old) viewers.
The show was very successful. But to enjoy it, the viewer should be able to stomach sexism (like gender violence, sexual exploitation, the production crew of the show being dicks etc).
It seems to be quite problematic show, some western critic noted that an american show would not dare be as sexist, it's frowned upon. But people have different tolerance for sexism.
I must add that it's 2020 now. There are ways to make stories with explicit content without sexism and, in particular, male gaze. It's getting harder to tolerate this stuff cause it's not sixties anymote.
I'm thinking of elaiza ikeda as tomoe or even better ai hashimoto, she can be fierce and sweet when required,…
People on girl's channel joke that Arimura looks so full of vitality and health, no one would believe she would die so easily.
They have this whole argument that Tomoe should have a beauty of a 'graveyard bloom' and be cold etc. But they are convinced Arimura has the role.
Btw they nastily add that Ruroken always casted wrong actors on the roles of female characters. I can't say I agree. But wouldn't it be wonderful if Tomoe were casted just as perfectly as Kenshin, Hiko Seijuro and so on?
My faulty retelling of the featured article about the new movies in the CUT magazine:- Takeru had to be convinced…
The moral is they know it is extremely hard to adapt Tsuiokuhen/Jinchuu. They are self-aware. That makes me see them in the different light; they probably did their best and nit-picky fans like me should not come at them with pitchforks and judgement.
My faulty retelling of the featured article about the new movies in the CUT magazine:
- Takeru had to be convinced to reprise his role. The Kyoto Inferno/Legend Ends had been super exhausting for the whole crew so Takeru didn't want to agree to go through that ordeal again unless the project was worth it.
- Tsuiokuhen arc is Takeru's favourite (note that he calls it 'Tsuiokuhen' which is the title of the OVA; the title of the arc in the manga is different) so he was really worried about whether the new movies could do it justice. He was also worried about Jinchuu arc and whether it's possible to gracefully combine the two. Moreover, he knew that the plot device about Kaoru was already used in the Kyoto Inferno.
- Thus, Takeru really wanted to play Kenshin (once in a lifetime role for him) and especially to play Kenshin in Tsuiokuhen but he was reluctant to star in a poor-thought-out adaptation.
- Takeru was then successfully convinced and he now says that The Beginning is a masterpiece. The movies were shot consequently and not simultaneously due to his wish (he needed to play post-Kyoto-arc Kenshin, Battousai, reformed Battousai, and reformed Kenshin. So he wanted to at least not play them all at the same time). Nevertheless, the shooting was almost as hard and unforgiving as before.
- Takeru struggled with understanding Kenshin's emotions at the end of Jinchuu arc.
- Otomo had many reservations too. Jinchuu arc needed at least two movies which is 5 years of work. He wanted to shoot his other projects too.
- Otomo also noted that Ruroken movies are closer to pure action adventure genre and so every little detail and plot point have to be spelled out. He prefers more subtle storytelling. Tsuiokuhen is also a part of Ruroken that invites subtlety and that clashes with the needs of action movie.
- There was also a concern that Tsuiokuhen is a harsh tragedy with romance at its core. The audience of the movies expects fun action - not tragic romance. The viewers also don't necessary care about Kenshin's past. Moreover, Battousai is arguably a villain and the audience that got used to the hero!Kenshin may reject him once they see Battousai in his bloody glory.
- That's why The Final will be non-stop action and The Beginning will include the Tsuiokuhen part.
- Otomo also noted that previously Kenshin fought power-hungry villains. But now he will have to fight Enishi, someone with legitimate reason for revenge. Will the viewers be on Enishi's side at the end? That was also a concern.
- Otomo is sure that Mackenyu is a perfect casting. He said that Mackenyu would surprise everyone just like Takeru had done before.
- Enishi is Kenshin's perfect foil. So Mackenyu had to play Enishi just right to give room to Takeru's Kenshin. And Mackenyu did deliver the much needed raw emotion.
- Mackenyu worked very hard and rehearsed his lines every spare minute. He also got in shape specifically for the role.
- Everyone remained mum on the topic of Tomoe's casting. They aren't telling us, it seems.
OMG... teaser is out and looking good ~ and for some reason, my heart is beating fast watching it...lol...Still…
Casting for Hiko Seijuro wasn't revealed until the premiere of Kyoto Inferno. There is a possibility they won't reveal it's Arimura Kasumi who plays Tomoe until The Final is out. This seems bizarre (she doesn't have Masahara's star power) but now it's the most likely option.
It's no secret that Johnny's has been loosing their influence for a while. This has allowed many drop-dead-gorgeous actors to get the roles that would have previously gone to the true idols. Thus, a new generation of very beautiful but not necessarily skilled actors emerged.
So while Ryo is not a singer his looks were the main reason behind many of his roles. The same is true for Mackenyu or Yamaken.
Just like true idols, though, young actors sometimes grow to be quite skilled (which happened to Ryo, for example). The question is, have Mackenyu and Arimura grown enough so that their beauty rivals their skills?
And I'm so strict with Mackenyu (who indeed looks very convincing in the promos so far) because while he had several serious projects, he is still nowhere near, say, Fujiwara or Kagawa Teruyuki (even if they do have reputation for overacting). He is the main antagonist, after all, he has big shoes to fill.)
Well, to be fair, Takei Emi was very young back in 2012. She also didn't have very complex role so it made sense. I know that many fans were pleased with her acting. I am personally ambivalent about her performance (she may not be great Kaoru but the script is the first to blame for this).
Arimura, on the other hand, has a very complex role. So there are more reasons to worry.
On the other hand, Kingdom was a great hit last year and it had an idol cast. In the end, Yoshizawa Ryo even received academy award for his role there! And so many people had thought he had been casted just for his pretty face.
So I haven't given up yet. I'm almost convinced Mackenyu will shine as Enishi, and if they go with manga!Tomoe (quite and cute) instead of fierce femme fatale of ova than it will be the director's fault, not the fault of Arimura.
I don't know how to feel about it.
I wonder why they hid it for so long considering the casting of Mackenyu and Arimura had been in the rumours for so long.
This season promises to be phenomenal.
Nogi Akiko brings back Ayano Gou & Hoshino Gen duo to her original drama while Yonezu Kenishi writes the ost.
Cinderella reunites Ishihara Satomi and Tanaka Kei while the great director handles the great source material.
Nikaido Fumi and Kubota star in asadora of all things.
Hanzawa Naoki and Haken are back!
Kimutaku and Takumi are back for BG (who asked for this??)
Tomoya, the current it-man, has two dramas.
Tanaka Kei plays in a detective show while Hirano Sho and Nakajima Kento play in Midnight Runners remake.
Takahashi Issei and Tamaki Hiroshi play twins in dark thriller.
Wowow unites Fujiwara and Ryoma in some action thriller.
All of this sounds intriguing. I can't wait to see the special with Tomoya and Tanaka Kei as well (it's already aired).
There are graphic scenes but they are not 10 out of 10 graphic. More like 7. There was a scene where a tooth was being ripped out from the tortured person's mouth, for example. With blood, screams etc. But by hollywood stadards, it wasn't the worst.
The show was very successful. But to enjoy it, the viewer should be able to stomach sexism (like gender violence, sexual exploitation, the production crew of the show being dicks etc).
It seems to be quite problematic show, some western critic noted that an american show would not dare be as sexist, it's frowned upon. But people have different tolerance for sexism.
I must add that it's 2020 now. There are ways to make stories with explicit content without sexism and, in particular, male gaze. It's getting harder to tolerate this stuff cause it's not sixties anymote.
They have this whole argument that Tomoe should have a beauty of a 'graveyard bloom' and be cold etc. But they are convinced Arimura has the role.
Btw they nastily add that Ruroken always casted wrong actors on the roles of female characters. I can't say I agree. But wouldn't it be wonderful if Tomoe were casted just as perfectly as Kenshin, Hiko Seijuro and so on?
- Takeru had to be convinced to reprise his role. The Kyoto Inferno/Legend Ends had been super exhausting for the whole crew so Takeru didn't want to agree to go through that ordeal again unless the project was worth it.
- Tsuiokuhen arc is Takeru's favourite (note that he calls it 'Tsuiokuhen' which is the title of the OVA; the title of the arc in the manga is different) so he was really worried about whether the new movies could do it justice. He was also worried about Jinchuu arc and whether it's possible to gracefully combine the two. Moreover, he knew that the plot device about Kaoru was already used in the Kyoto Inferno.
- Thus, Takeru really wanted to play Kenshin (once in a lifetime role for him) and especially to play Kenshin in Tsuiokuhen but he was reluctant to star in a poor-thought-out adaptation.
- Takeru was then successfully convinced and he now says that The Beginning is a masterpiece. The movies were shot consequently and not simultaneously due to his wish (he needed to play post-Kyoto-arc Kenshin, Battousai, reformed Battousai, and reformed Kenshin. So he wanted to at least not play them all at the same time). Nevertheless, the shooting was almost as hard and unforgiving as before.
- Takeru struggled with understanding Kenshin's emotions at the end of Jinchuu arc.
- Otomo had many reservations too. Jinchuu arc needed at least two movies which is 5 years of work. He wanted to shoot his other projects too.
- Otomo also noted that Ruroken movies are closer to pure action adventure genre and so every little detail and plot point have to be spelled out. He prefers more subtle storytelling. Tsuiokuhen is also a part of Ruroken that invites subtlety and that clashes with the needs of action movie.
- There was also a concern that Tsuiokuhen is a harsh tragedy with romance at its core. The audience of the movies expects fun action - not tragic romance. The viewers also don't necessary care about Kenshin's past. Moreover, Battousai is arguably a villain and the audience that got used to the hero!Kenshin may reject him once they see Battousai in his bloody glory.
- That's why The Final will be non-stop action and The Beginning will include the Tsuiokuhen part.
- Otomo also noted that previously Kenshin fought power-hungry villains. But now he will have to fight Enishi, someone with legitimate reason for revenge. Will the viewers be on Enishi's side at the end? That was also a concern.
- Otomo is sure that Mackenyu is a perfect casting. He said that Mackenyu would surprise everyone just like Takeru had done before.
- Enishi is Kenshin's perfect foil. So Mackenyu had to play Enishi just right to give room to Takeru's Kenshin. And Mackenyu did deliver the much needed raw emotion.
- Mackenyu worked very hard and rehearsed his lines every spare minute. He also got in shape specifically for the role.
- Everyone remained mum on the topic of Tomoe's casting. They aren't telling us, it seems.