Touken Ranbu (film)

Touken Ranbu (Japanese: 刀剣乱舞, Hepburn: Tōken Ranbu) is a 2019 Japanese fantasy film adaptation of a video game series of the same name, The cast from Stage: Touken Ranbu will be reprising their roles.[1] The film will be distributed by Toho and Universal Pictures, directed by Saiji Yakumo and written by Yasuko Kobayashi. It will be released in Japan on January 18, 2019.[2][3][4] The theme song of the film, "UNBROKEN" by Takanori Nishikawa feat. Tomoyasu Hotei.[5]

Touken Ranbu
Theatrical release poster
Japanese刀剣乱舞
HepburnTōken Ranbu
Directed bySaiji Yakumo
Produced byTakeshi Date
Written byYasuko Kobayashi
Based onTouken Ranbu
by DMM Games and Nitroplus
Starring
Music by
Cinematography
  • Takeshi Tsuji
  • Eiji Mukoyama
Edited byAkira Takeda
Production
company
Distributed by
Release date
  • January 18, 2019 (2019-01-18)
Running time
105 minutes
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese

Plot

It is the year 2205. The Saniwa, a sage who has the power to animate legendary swords and bring them to life, informs one of his Touken Danshi (swordsmen) Mikazuki Munechika of the Time Retrograde's Army (TRA) plan to change history by preventing Oda Nobunaga's death at the Honnoji Incident. Mikazuki accepts his mission, but many of the saniwa's swords are away on expeditions. The Saniwa sends a team consisting of six swords left in their citadel home: captain Mikazuki Munechika, Yamanbagiri Kunihiro, Yagen Toushirou, Heshikiri Hasebe, Fudou Yukimitsu, and Nihongou. The six men travel back in time to the Honnoji Incident.

At Honno-ji temple, Nobunaga and his vassal, Mori Ranmaru, attempt to hold down the fort while the traitorous Akechi Mitsuhide and his men attacked. Seeing no way out, Nobunaga retreats to his room and commands Mori to hold down the fort. The TRA show up at the scene and attack Akechi’s soldiers. Hasebe, Fudou, and Nihongou arrive to assist while Yagen and Yamanbagiri tackle a strange individual TRA member whom Yagen notices something odd about. Mikazuki reaches Nobunaga's quarter's in time to stave off the TRA and gives Nobunaga his space to commit seppuku as the flames consume the temple. Their mission complete, the Touken Danshi return to their citadel.

They meet their colleague and caretaker of their home, Uguisumaru and a newly arrived Touken Danshi: Honebami Toushirou, older brother to Yagen and former companion of Mikazuki. However, Honebami has lost much of his memory and cannot recall his past. Mikazuki announces his intent to report to the Saniwa but dissuades the eager Hasebe from joining him, raising suspicion among the Touken Danshi. Meanwhile, news of Nobunaga’s death travels to his general, Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He grieves in a mad rage.

While the Touken Danshi relax and reflect, Mikazuki reports the success to their aruji (master), the Saniwa. While Mikazuki and the Saniwa discuss recent events, the Touken Danshi become suspicious as to why they have rarely seen their master and only Mikazuki is given an audience with him of late. Mikazuki walks in on the conversation and assures everyone that the master just wants time alone.

Nobunaga Oda awakes in a cavern with the strange TRA member. The stranger introduces himself as Mumei (No Name) and pledges the loyalty of the TRA to Oda Nobunaga, who is more than pleased to have cheated death.

Mikazuki is urgently summoned to the saniwa's room with the same news. The saniwa is worried for his carelessness, but Mikazuki insists it is his responsibility and will set things right. Both speak as if it was the last time they would see each other, aware of an event that is coming soon. The same team of Touken Danshi assemble, but Uguisumaru said their master requested Honebami to take Fudou’s place.

Uguisumaru confronts Mikazuki about the matter of the saniwa, and Mikazuki relents, sharing with Uguisumaru that he would be needed soon. Nihongou almost walks in on the conversation, and Mikazuki diverts the subject upon hearing Nihongou’s intrusion.

At the portal, Honebami wonders aloud why he was fighting to protect history as Mikazuki and Nihongou finally arrive. Mikazuki announces to the team their new mission: to assassinate Oda Nobunaga.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi returns to avenge his lord and goes after Mitsuhide, chasing the traitor to Shoryuuji Castle. Nobunaga and his new TRA army set their plans in motion, sending a messenger to Hideyoshi of his existence. The Touken Danshi split up to trail Nobunaga, Akechi and stop the messenger from reaching Hideyoshi, but not before Yamanbagiri, Hasebe and Nihongou air their concerns about Mikazuki. Mikazuki addresses Honebami’s concerns, and asks him for a favor.

Yagen and Yamanbagiri trail Mitsuhide, and bump into Mikazuki and Honebami who were trailing Nobunaga. Nobunaga attacks Akechi directly, but in a change of heart Mumei jumps between the two men in defense of Mitsuhide. Before Nobunaga could cut down Mumei, Mikazuki intervenes. He directs Nobunaga away and flees into the night. The other Touken Danshi attempt to follow, but a huge ootachi brute forces them to retreat before re-assuming control over Mumei. Akechi Mitsuhide vanishes from history.

Hasebe and Nihongou trail the messenger to Hideyoshi and cut him down, but Hideyoshi had received the letter. Despite being persuaded that the letter was fake, Hideyoshi reveals to the two that he is going to occupy Nobunaga’s castle, Azuchi Castle, and they were going with him. Yamanbagiri and Nihongou trade missives via carrier pigeon and agree to meet up at Azuchi Castle.

Mikazuki tells Nobunaga that he only wishes to escort him to Azuchi Castle safely. Nobunaga does not trust Mikazuki, given what he learned from the TRA of their interference at Honnoji. However, he accepts Mikazuki’s aid.

Yamanbagiri and Yagen are left at a loss at Mikazuki’s seeming betrayal to run off with Nobunaga. As Honebami assists them, they decide that if they must, they would stop Mikazuki with whatever it took.

On route to Azuchi, Hideyoshi takes a break with Nihongou and Hasebe. He reveals to them his plan: That he knew all along that the two were lying, Nobunaga was indeed alive and he intends to kill Nobunaga himself. The two Touken Danshi foil Hideyoshi’s attempt to assassinate them and narrowly escape.

Mikazuki and Nobunaga arrive at Azuchi Castle, with Nobunaga waiting expectantly for Hideyoshi to arrive with support. Nobunaga goads Mikazuki, insisting that his history now is the correct history. The TRA split up their forces, with Mumei protecting Nobunaga while the ootachi leaves to complete their own mission: an attack on the shields of the saniwa’s citadel. An alarmed Fudou rushes to find the saniwa lost in a bright glow, and Uguisumaru finally fills Fudou in on what is truly happening.

Hideyoshi arrives at Azuchi Castle, as Nobunaga had hoped, and starts attacking its walls while ordering his men to ‘flush Mitsuhide’s men out’. Angered, Nobunaga draws his sword on Mikazuki, who only calmly replies that history can be rewritten but Nobunaga is still doomed. The rest of the Touken Danshi arrive to find Azuchi Castle under attack. Yagen, Nobunaga’s dagger, finally recalls the corrected history with Mikazuki: Nobunaga escapes Honnoji with Mori’s help, but dies at Azuchi Castle. Mikazuki’s buried historical secret is revealed as Hideyoshi brandishes the sword of Mikazuki Munechika, a war spoil that Nobunaga gifted to Hideyoshi.

Mumei and the TRA move in to attack Hideyoshi’s men, and the Touken Danshi rush in. Honebami speeds past the rest and leaves them behind to face the rest of the enemies head on. Mikazuki leaves Nobunaga behind to fight the TRA and reunites with Honebami, who passes him a bag of items. Mikazuki prepares to leave, but Nobunaga holds Honebami at knifepoint and demands Mikazuki to escort him to safety. Mikazuki refuses, and answers that over his time of protecting history, he found much he cherishes and protecting history as he knew it protected their lives, addressing Honebami’s question. Nobunaga is not satisfied, but Mikazuki reminds him that he protects Nobunaga the demon lord, the fearsome and ruthless general that will be remembered for time to come, but that man was now begging to live and looked pitiful. Ultimately bested, Nobunaga releases Honebami and accepts his fate.

The shields of the citadel give way and the ootachi brute materializes with his army on the citadel grounds. Uguisumaru and Fudou confront them, ready for battle.

Mikazuki rejoins the exhausted Touken Danshi outside the castle but reveals that Honebami had taken their teleportation marbles and passed them to him. As Honebami returns, he informs the Touken Danshi that their master needed them urgently and sends them all back to the citadel. He confronts the enemy for his final battle.

Upon return, Uguisumaru greets the team only to find that Mikazuki was not with them. The truth is revealed: The saniwa was transferring out due to advanced age and loss of power. This put the citadel at its weakest state and the TRA had chosen to attack their home at this critical moment.

At Azuchi Castle, Mikazuki fights a losing battle. After taking repeated hits, he gives out and falls - only to be caught by Hasebe and the returning Touken Danshi. They received new orders from their master: to retrieve Mikazuki Munechika. Rejuvenated and reunited, they take on Mumei and the TRA and successfully eradicate them, as Nobunaga uses Yagen Toushirou the blade to commit seppuku successfully. As the Touken Danshi return to the citadel, a swirl of sakura petals surround Mumei and bring him along.

The team returns to assist Uguisumaru and Fudou, while Mikazuki stops the ootachi brute from directly attacking the saniwa. With the last greeting that he’s home, Mikazuki says farewell to the saniwa who vanishes in the light. Mikazuki throws the ootachi out for a final confrontation, only for Mumei to sink his blade into the ootachi. Mumei finally overcomes his possession and reveals himself to be a Touken Danshi: Kurikara Gou, Akechi Mitsuhide’s short blade that was used against Nobunaga. Altogether, the Touken Danshi finish off the ootachi brute and end the TRA’s interference.

After some time, the entire retinue of Touken Danshi await Mikazuki in the saniwa’s hall. He reveals to them their new saniwa, a little girl. Mikazuki mused to his old aruji that he now had even more to cherish and protect as the other Touken Danshi played with their new aruji in peaceful times.

Cast

References
  1. Rafael Antonio Pineda (2018-03-07). "Touken Ranbu Franchise Gets 1st Live-Action Film in 2019". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2018-10-15.
  2. "映画刀剣乱舞". eiga.com (in Japanese). Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  3. Crystalyn Hodgkins (2018-05-31). "Live-Action Touken Ranbu Film Reveals 1st Visual". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2018-10-15.
  4. "「刀剣乱舞」2019年に実写映画化、三日月宗近役は鈴木拡樹". ステージナタリー. March 7, 2018. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  5. "New Album from Takanori Nishikawa and the 2019 DJM2000G Opening Ceremony appearance". JaME U.S.A. Retrieved 2019-01-10.
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