The anime fandom doesn’t mind sharing its skepticism with the world when it comes to live-action adaptations. As seen in the days gone of the comic book genre, studios have struggled to get live-action anime right, but that hasn’t stopped creators from trying their hand at it. In just a few months, Bleach will be the next franchise to get an adaptation, and its debut trailer made audiences surprisingly hopeful.
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And, thanks to a new behind-the-scenes clip, some fans are fully backing the movie thanks to its sword fighting.
Over on Twitter, fans began sharing a clip of one Bleach star practicing some very familiar choreography. As you can see below, Taichi Saotome was spotted in a new video practicing swords fighting with a trainer. The actor, who plays Renji Abarai, can be seen wearing loose-fitting pants whilst holding a practice sword.
The actor playing as renji practicing sword fighting?? They are playing miyavi in the background too #BLEACH pic.twitter.com/H25ybqUJj0
— kaachan’s cheerleader (@Stefi177) May 5, 2018
As the clip begins, fans can see the two men engage in some seriously fluid swords play. The dynamic steps pit the pair against each other at different levels, and there is even a solid floor sweep towards the end of the choreo. The whole clip is only enhanced by the fact that Saotome is listening to MIYAVI as he fights, the singer-actor who plays Byakuya Kuchiki in Bleach.
While Bleach has given fans a trailer to look over, the film has not shown off much of its action sequences. The film has championed its visual effects over its sword fights, a fact that made many concerned about how those scenes will look. However, if this choreography seen here is spotted in Bleach, then fans think they have very little to worry.
The live-action Bleach adaptation releases July 20 in Japan and has released its first full trailer. The film will adapt the first arc of the series, the “Substitute Shinigami” arc. The current cast includes Sota Fukushi as Ichigo Kurosaki and Hana Sugisaki as Rukia Kuchiki is MIYAVI, who will play Byakuya Kuchiki Ryou Yoshizawa, as Uryuu Ishida, and Taichi Saotome as Renji Abarai.
For those unfamiliar with Tite Kubo‘s Bleach, the series follows the young delinquent Ichigo Kurosaki, who had the ability to see spirits. He soon obtains the power of a Soul Reaper – one meant to usher lost souls to the afterlife – and now has the duty to defend the living world from monstrous dark spirits known as Hollows.
The manga was serialized in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump from 2001 to 2016, and was collected into 74 volumes. It has been adapted into English thanks to VIZ Media, and has sold over 900 million copies in Japan. The series was adapted into an anime by Studio Pierrot from 2004 to 2012, and has four feature-length animations, rock musicals, video games, and a ton of other merchandise.
What do you think about this live-action choreography? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics, k-pop, and anime!
