New Blade of the Immortal Anime Reveals Poster, Release Window

Hiroaki Samura's Blade of the Immortal is one of the more popular action manga and anime [...]

By Nick Valdez

Hiroaki Samura's Blade of the Immortal is one of the more popular action manga and anime franchises published by Kodansha, but the series had gone quiet after the critically and commercially successful live-action adaptation release. But that's no longer the case as the series has come back in a huge way in 2019. Not only is the original manga continuing with an official sequel, but the series will be getting a new anime too.

After sharing a slick new trailer for the upcoming anime, the official website for the new project revealed that the series will premiere this October as part of the increasingly competitive Fall 2019 anime season. There's also a new poster and a rundown of the initial staff, and you can check it out below.

Streaming exclusively on Amazon Prime, the currently confirmed main cast includes Kenjiro Tsuda as Manji and Ayane Sakura as Rin Asano. The new Blade of the Immortal anime is being touted as a "complete" adaptation project, and will be directed by Hiroshi Hamasaki (Steins;Gate) for LIDEN FILMS. Makoto Fukami (Psycho-Pass) will be handling the series scripts, Shingo Ogiso (The Heroic Legend of Arslan) will serve as the character designer, and Eiko Ishibashi will be composing the music.

For those wanting more of the manga, the series made its official return in Japan last July. Titled Blade of the Immortal - Bakumatsu Arc, the sequel is written by Kenji Takigawa and illustrated by Ryu Suenobu. Set in the Bakumatsu period in the 19th century, and following the Edo period adventures of the original series, the series sees Manji take on some of the strongest warriors of the Bakumatsu era.

Blade of the Immortal was originally created by Hiroaki Samura for Kodansha's Afternoon magazine in 1993, and the series was later adapted into an anime in 2008 by Bee Train and Production I.G. The series has been licensed for an English language release by Dark Horse Comics, and even had a live-action film directed by Takashi Miike in 2017. Dark Horse officially describes the series as such, "Hiroaki Samura's Blade of the Immortal will keep you on edge! Manji, a ronin warrior of feudal Japan, has been cursed with immortality. To rid himself of this curse and end his life of misery, he must slay one thousand evil men! His quest begins when a young girl seeks his help in taking revenge on her parents' killers...and his quest won't end until the blood of a thousand has spilled!"

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