'Gintama' Live-Action Sequel Announces Casting Shake-Up
Jump Festa 2018 brought its fair share of crazy anime news fans have enjoyed, but this latest [...]
Jump Festa 2018 brought its fair share of crazy anime news fans have enjoyed, but this latest announcement is probably the craziest.
The second live-action Gintama adaptation, tentatively titled Gintama Part 2, is slowly coming together and its most recent casting announcement has thrown fans for a loop.
During Gintama's stage presentation at Jump Festa 2018, it was confirmed that Jiro Sato was returning to the series. But the kicker here is, Sato is going to portray a completely different character.
Jiro Sato was cast as Takechi Henpeita, the weirdo strategist, in the first film, but he will be portraying someone else in the second film. He joked that, "I will most definitely be playing Kagura," but his actual role is still unconfirmed.
While Sato is joking about his potential new role, Sato playing Kagura would be hilariously faithful to the source material's comedic and parodical tone.
The Gintama live-action film opened in Japan on July 14 and earned about $8.9 million USD in its first four days of release, and is even getting a theatrical run in the US in January. Well Go USA also has recently announced they will be releasing the first film on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD in North America on March 6 next year.
Gintama has also recently teased some kind of crossover project with fellow Weekly Shonen Jump gag manga, The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. Which is getting ready to air the second season of its anime as well.
Hideaki Sorachi's Gintama is one of the most popular manga series in Japan with 50 million copies printed since it began in 2004. It has gained fame among fans online with its balance of humor, drama, and action while still jokingly referencing other popular Shonen Jump series like Dragon Ball. Its largely episodic nature has been a hit with fans, especially when it dives into longer story arcs like the final "Silver Soul" arc.
The series has seen different forms since its initial anime run from 2006 to 2010, with a second series airing from 2011 to 2013 with sporadic hiatuses in-between, a third series running from 2015 to 2016, two feature-length animated films, a few OVAs, and even a live action film releasing in Japan last July.
Gintama Season 4 began airing on October 1 with the "Porori" arc, and you can currently find subbed episodes on Crunchyroll. The "Silver Soul" arc, which will serve as the series' final story, will begin airing January 7.