Netflix has seen some major success in recent years with live-action anime adaptations, with the Straw Hat Pirates planning to return to the streaming service with their second season next month. Unsurprisingly, One Piece is far from the only anime franchise that is walking down this live-action road. In a surprise update, an anime series that has received little to no updates following its first season is set to return with a live-action adaptation of its own. Even more surprising, said adaptation won’t be arriving on Netflix like Monkey D. Luffy, but is planning to arrive on another streaming service.
Videos by ComicBook.com
HBO Max has announced that it is planning to create a live-action adaptation of Song of the Samurai, originally debuting under the title Chiruran: Shinsengumi Requiem. The original manga series debuted in 2010, garnering thirty-six volumes and ending in 2023. While an anime adaptation was created in 2017, it only received one season with twelve episodes to its name, meaning there is plenty of material to explore for this upcoming series. With HBO Max planning to host this live-action adaptation, anime fans won’t need to wait long to check out this new take on Chiruran. Song of the Samurai will arrive on May 9th and might see serious success when it lands on the platform this summer.
Samurai Are Invading HBO Max
Warner Bros, in preparation for this live-action anime adaptation, shared a breakdown of Song of The Samurai, “SONG OF THE SAMURAI is a live-action adaptation that translates this deep legacy to the screen. Set in Kyoto at the end of the Edo period, the story depicts the intense and passionate lives of the Shinsengumi – the iconic samurai force that defended Kyoto in the final years of Japan’s shogunate – through spectacular action and a bold interpretation based on historical facts. The story follows street brawler Toshizo Hijikata (Yuki Yamada), who finds a new kind of family in Isami Kondo and Soji Okita. Hijikata and his comrades in the Shinsengumi forge a bond of loyalty – tested by betrayal, illness, and war – as they fight not only their enemies but their own ideals.”
If you’re unfamiliar with this anime property, you might have heard of another franchise that has become popular in recent days, from Chiruran creator Shinya Umemura. The mangaka is also responsible for Record of Ragnarok, the anime story that features the war between the gods and mankind as they fight for the future of the world. While Ragnarok hasn’t announced a live-action adaptation, we could see this battle of the gods one day finding its way to this medium as well. As for the return of Song of The Samurai’s original anime following its initial arrival in 2017, that seems less likely as LandQ Studios and Crunchyroll have never hinted at the series returning for a second season since its finale.
What do you think of this fresh live-action anime adaptation arriving this May? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Most Viewed
-
Courtesy of Cartoon Network -
Image Courtesy of A-1 Pictures
