While it's advertised as an adaptation of the 2016 stage play Apocrypha: Honnouji Temple Ablaze, the story is set in it's own continuity and, while mostly following the same storyline, it has some expansions and deviations from the play so that it can be enjoyed as as standalone work, similar to previous standalone Touken Ranbu anime Touken Ranbu - Hanamaru and Katsugeki/Touken Ranbu.
- Rather than just the 12 Touken Danshi that were featured in the original stage plays line up, this adaptation adds 45, including the initial 12, all of whom get dialogue and screen time. As a result, there are many new scenes and interactions between the stage play cast and these newer cast members that don't exist in the stage play, which helps make the setting livelier.
- Konnosuke was absent from the original stage play continuity due to being a talking fox and how difficult it would be to incorporate that into a live action setting. However, due to being an animated adaptation, Konnosuke appears here and retains his role of being Mission Control for the Touken Danshi.
- The first episode focuses almost entirely on introducing the audience/Fudou Yukimitsu to the citadel, the Touken Danshi's mission, and how everything works. Obviously, due to the short run time, this was not the case in the stage play, which gave a briefer explanation before diving into the story.
- The Saniwa is actually a (technically) present character in this continuity from episode 1 onwards, rather than someone who is only mentioned by the Touken Danshi.
- The infamous Ohagi eating scene from the stage play reappears in episode 2, but it's far less comedic and more peaceful, as Tsurumaru doesn't try to force feed Hasebe as many Ohagi as his mouth can hold, with Ichigo and Mikazuki encouraging him. Instead, almost everyone enjoys the Ohagi Mitsutada brought, with Hasebe leaving before he can eat any after catching Fudou Yukimitsu eavesdropping on their conversation. The only funny moment is Yamanbagiri's irritation at Mikazuki and Tsurumaru's laid-back attitudes.
- Technically, the animes version of this interaction is more in-character than the stage play, likely being the reason why it was changed, although an official collaboration image references in the incident properly
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- Technically, the animes version of this interaction is more in-character than the stage play, likely being the reason why it was changed, although an official collaboration image references in the incident properly
- In the stage play, the Touken Danshi are deemed to be the protector of history on instinct. However, in the anime, when advising Fudou Yukimitsu, Mikazuki says that they are tools that the Saniwa uses to protect history.
- The way the characters address each other is also changed to be more in line with how they would normally (or expectedly) interact:
- In the stage play, Mikazuki addresses people as "Onushi," which is a polite and humble way of saying "You" that was used by Samurai. In the anime, Mikazuki instead uses the informal "Omae," which is standard way of addressing people. note
- Kashuu Kiyomitsu and Mutsunokami Yoshihiko address Yamanbagiri Kunihiro as "Kunihiro" and "Yamanbagiri," respectively, rather than "Yamanbagiri" and "Manba." Yamanbagiri, in turn, refers to Kashuu as "Kiyomitsu" rather than his given name, as he did in the stage play.
- Technically, an adaptational personality change of an adaptational personality change, given that the stage plays had their own distinct takes on the browser game characters' characterization that occasionally deviated from the original characters. Even so, several characters have very different characterization from the stage play:
- Mikazuki Munechika in the anime is a very different person than his stage play counterpart, being colder, more outwardly mature, and more mysterious than stage play Mikazuki, who puts on a front of being a playful, eccentric, and occasionally mischievous mentor old man figure to mask the fact that he is heavily burdened.
- Tsurumaru Kuninaga is far more docile than both of his stage play counterparts, and has yet to be shown exhibiting his mischievous prankster tendencies from both his stage play and browser game counterparts.
- In the stage play, Ichigo Hitofuri can be very lively and just as prone to mischief as the old man tachi (Mikazuki and Tsurumaru) during non-serious moments, likely due to his actors personality bleeding over into the character during scenes which allow for some level of improvisation. Here, his characterization is much more in-line with his calm and mature self from the browser game.
- After seeing the conflict between the Odagumi swords, Yamanbagiri Kunihiro consults with Doudanuki, Honebami and other swords rather than with Mikazuki Munechika as he did in the stage play.
