Trivia / Touken Ranbu The Movie

• Author's Saving Throw: Although there was no major scandal surrounding it, fans and even the actors expressed some worry about how far apart Yamanbagiri Kunihiro and Mikazuki Munechika were in the first live-action movie, given their close relationship in the stage plays. The second movie would make up for this by showing Mikazuki and Yamanbagiri as being closer, with much of the plot centering on Mikazuki's search for Yamanbagiri after he went missing during a mission.
• Creator Backlash: "Backlash" may be a bit strong, but Hiroki Suzuki and Yoshihiko Aramaki, who play Yamanbagiri and Mikazuki in the live-action film and the stageplays, respectively, both expressed disappointment that their characters were no longer close in the film. They had both grown very invested in their characters and their relationship, even though they knew going in that the movie followed a different plot than the plays. Given that the sequel depicts the two as having a closer relationship—so much so that part of the plot involves Mikazuki going back in time to find Yamanbagiri after he disappears—it is likely that the sequel was written in response to their disappointment.
• No Export for You: Despite the fact that the film was successful enough to warrant a sequel, it was never released outside of Japan, making it difficult for Touken Ranbu fans outside of Japan to watch it.
• Role Reprise:
  • Touken Ranbu Stage actors Yoshihiko Aramaki, Masanari Wada, Hiroki Suzuki, Ryou Kitamura, and Taino Shiina reprise their roles as Yamanbagiri Kunihiro, Heshikiri Hasebe, Mikazuki Munechika, Yagen Toushirou, and Fudou Yukimitsu, respectively.
  • In the sequel, stage play actors Yuki Tamaki, Reo Honda, and Mizuki Umetsu reprise their roles as Kogarasumaru, Ichigo Hitofuri, and Yamanbagiri Chougi, respectively.
  • In both the first and second film, many other Touken Danshi that didn’t play a major role in the main plot cameo at the ends of the film, most played by their original stage play actors. However, most notable among them, Ishikirimaru is actually played by his Musical Touken Ranbu actor Tsubasa Sakiyama.
• Wag the Director: The director wanted Heshikiri Hasebe to be quite violent and bloodthirsty in battle as a reference to the meaning of his first name. Masanari Wada, who had previously portrayed Hasebe in the stageplays and had returned for the movie, objected to this, arguing that Hasebe was refined and collected when fighting, and that the planned fight choreography would be extremely out of character for him since a big part of Hasebe's characterisation is his distaste for his first name and for the violent event that led to it. The director ended up agreeing and so the fight choreography was changed.
• Word of God:
  • The new Saniwa is played by the director's daughter, who thought it would be fun to have her make a cameo appearance in the film.
  • The Saniwa baton pass from old man to child represents how emperors were allowed to ascend the throne before they could even walk. It also represents the cycle of life and death, as the old Saniwa had to die in order for someone new and young to take his place.
  • Hibari Daisuke, the first film's stunt coordinator, summarized the inspiration behind the Touken Danshi's distinct fighting styles in Ginmaku no Touken Danshi, the behind-the-scenes special:
    • Mikazuki Munechika's moves were choreographed to be graceful and beautiful, similar to those performed in Nichibu.
    • Yamanbagiri Kunihiro fights with a sword and a metal scabbard, using the sword to kill enemies and the scabbard to deal blows in a not-quite dual wielding fashion. Battoujutsu was also incorporated in his fighting style.
    • Yagen Toushirou is a tantou, which means he fights at close range. Because his actor is agile, the coordinator increased the number of jumps to maximize his performance.
    • The coordinator incorporated Drunken Boxing for tantou in Fudou Yukimitsu's fighting style to match the range of stunts his actor could do.
    • As stated in Wag the Director, the stunt coordinator had a completely different image in mind for Hasebe when he was planning his stunts, believing Hasebe was the embodiment of Jidaigeki, only for his actor Wada to reject the idea when presented with it, correcting him by telling him he's more cavalier, like a knight. After rethinking it, the director decided that instead of making Hasebe solely a knight, they'd incorporate Chinese-style sword-fighting into his moves.
    • The coordinator originally intended to make Nohongou whirl his weapon around because he is a pole arm, but changed his mind after realizing that the Japanese spear is not like a Chinese staff; you do not swing it around, but rather stab people with it. After considering how many stunts he could pull off with stabbing, he decided Nihongou could get physical with his opponent if they got too close, so he wouldn't be completely helpless when that happened.
    • Uguisumaru's fighting style is mostly about evading attacks and striking his opponent with his sword at the last moment. He was the most difficult person to choreograph for.
    • The stunt coordinator was a little frustrated that the actors had such a good grasp on their characters and thusly could make the moves their own with little practice, even if he taught them something a little advanced. He also claims that everyone was more agile than even some stuntmen.
  • Hiroki Suzuki, Mikazuki Munechika's actor, claims that because the swords aren't samurai or humans, but rather sword Tsukumogami given human form, they wanted to portray that by depicting them as iron-hearted when they fight, demonstrating how cutting they can be, and how they continue to fight after taking a hit. You're also supposed to notice the coldness in their eyes when they fight.