There is no denying the prestige behind the name Rurouni Kenshin. For decades, the series has been a favorite with anime fans, but its shine dimmed over the worst kind of news a few years back. Following news of the series creator’s arrest in Japan, Rurouni Kenshin has faced an uphill battle with fans, and now its new star is addressing the whole situation.
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Over on social media, Howard Wang reached out to fans after taking up the role of Rurouni Kenshin’s titular lead. “To address the elephant in the room: Yes, I’m fully aware of the crimes of the author, and I do not condone or support those action in any way,” the actor shared. “As such, a portion of all my earnings for Kenshin are being donated to charity.”
As you can see, Wang’s latest donation was sent to Child Rescue Coalition, and the sum donated was nothing to scoff at. If you are not familiar with this group, the Child Rescue Coalition is a global organization dedicated to protecting children from predators and rescuing those who are already being abused. Covering 98 countries, the coalition most certainly fights against the kind of crime committed by the creator of Rurouni Kenshin.
After all, Nobuhiro Watsuki found himself on the global stage in November 2017 after reports confirmed he’d been investigated for possessing child pornography. Police found DVDs with illicit footage on them in Nobuhiro’s Tokyo office, and his form was then raided by police as well. After being charged, the creator of Rurouni Kenshin was sentenced in February 2018 with a fine of about $1,500 USD. At that time, many fans were outraged by the paltry sentence given the charges laid against Nobuhiro, and Rurouni Kenshin has struggled to regain much standing with fans stateside after this controversy.
Of course, the IP has continued on. Nobuhiro is still working on Rurouni Kenshin as the story’s Hokkaido Arc is ongoing. Despite being shelved temporarily in 2017, the Hokkaido Arc has been going strong since its return in June 2018. When Rurouni Kenshin confirmed this sequel was getting an anime, the English dub brought Wang in to oversee its lead. And now, the actor is using his platform to combat the very crimes Rurouni Kenshin’s creator committed.
Have you checked out the latest installment of Rurouni Kenshin? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as onย Twitterย andย Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCBย to share your take!
