The anime film trilogy Toku Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru ~Setsugetsuka~ is now available for streaming on Crunchyroll. The trilogy premiered in Japan in 2022 and is based on the Touken Ranbu video game.
What is Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru?
Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru is an anime series that originated from the Touken Ranbu -Online- game developed by Nitroplus and DMM Games. The Touken Ranbu “sword personification training game” takes famous swords from Japanese history and reimagines them as bishōnen, handsome young men. The Saniwa, charged with protecting history, can imbue life into objects, and the strongest of these are the Token Danshi, swordsmen who once existed as legendary swords. The story revolves around their cheerful lives in a certain citadel.
The Touken Ranbu franchise has also inspired the Katsugeki: Touken Ranbu television anime series, a compilation anime film, a live-action film (2019) and its sequel, stage musicals, stage plays, and manga series.
Hanamaru Series
The first season of the Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru anime series aired in 2016, with a second season following in 2018. Crunchyroll streamed both seasons. Before the second season, a compilation film, Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru – Makuai Kaisōroku, premiered in Japanese theaters in December 2017.
Setsugetsuka Film Trilogy
The Toku Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru – Setsugetsuka film trilogy was announced during the “Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru Special Event: Hanamaru Haru Ichiban!”. The trilogy consists of three parts:
- Yuki no Maki (Snow Story): Released on May 20, 2022
- Tsuki no Maki (Moon Story): Released on July 8, 2022
- Hana no Maki (Flower Story): Released on September 1, 2022
Plot
In the year 2205, the “historical retrograde army” is attacking the past to change history. The Saniwa, tasked with protecting history, has the power to give life to objects. The strongest of these are the Token Danshi, legendary swords reborn as swordsmen. The story follows their daily lives.
The second part of Setsugetsuka focuses on an unexpected summer break for the Sword Warriors.
Characters
The Touken Ranbu series features a large cast of characters, as many swords are brought to life as warriors. Key characters include:
- Yamatonokami Yasusada: Forged in 1655, he was the beloved sword of Okita Souji of the Shinsengumi. He is voiced by Mitsuhiro Ichiki (Japanese) and Dallas Reid (English).
- Kashuu Kiyomitsu: Forged in 1684, he was also a beloved sword of Okita Souji and the first sword acquired by the Saniwa. He becomes friends with Yamatonokami Yasusada, and they are known as the “Okitagumi”. Toshiki Masuda voices him.
- Mikazuki Munechika: Forged by Sanjou Munechika in the Heian era, he is one of the five most beautiful swords ever created. Kousuke Toriumi voices him.
- Yamanbagiri Chōgi: A new Touken Danshi character in the trilogy, voiced by Kengo Takanashi.
- Izuminokami Kanesada: Descended from the Date clan, he is old friends with Shokudaikiri Mitsutada, Taikogane Sadamune, and Tsurumaru Kuninaga. Ryouhei Kimura voices him.
- Hakata Toushirou: Forged by Awataguchi Yoshimitsu, he was given to Ogasawara Tadazane by Kuroda Tadayuki and belonged to the Ogasawara clan.
- Yamabushi Kunihiro: Dressed as a monk, he retreats to the mountains. Tomoaki Maeno voices him.
Additional cast members:
- Atsushi Abe as Suishinshi Masahide
- Hiro Shimono as Hakusan Yoshimitsu
- Hirofumi Nojima as Tomoegata Naginata
- Kazuhiko Inoue as Sanchōmō
- Kengo Kawanishi as Nansen Ichimonji
- Kenichirō Matsuda as Nenekirimaru
- Kenji Akabane as Minamoto Kiyomaro
- Kenji Nojima as Nankaitarō Chōson
- Kent Itō as Kuwana Gō
- Motoki Takagi as Mōri Tōshirō
- Shinichirō Miki as Daihannya Nagamitsu
- Shinnosuke Tachibana as Koryū Kagemitsu
- Shōhei Komatsu as Hizen Tadahiro
- Shugo Nakamura as Chatannakiri
- Shunichi Toki as Matsui Gō
- Taku Yashiro as Buzen Gō
Production
The Toku Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru – Setsugetsuka trilogy sees the return of Doga Kobo as the animation production studio. Staff includes:
- Director: Takashi Naoya
- Screenplay: Yuki Nekota
- Character Designer and Chief Animation Director: Junichiro Taniguchi
- Music: Kenji Kawai
- Art Director: Yukari Yasuda
- Sound Director: Fumiyuki Go
- Director of Photography: Jiann Horng Wu
- Art Setting: Takeyuki Takahashi
- Color design: Yuka Itō
- Editing: Kentarō Tsubone (REAL-T)
Theme Songs
The theme song for Tsuki no Maki is “Hana no Utage” by Mitsuhiro Ichiki and Toshiki Masuda. Kazuhiko Inoue, Toshiki Masuda, Tsubasa Yonaga, Kenji Nojima, Kengo Kawanishi, Yoshihisa Kawahara, Mitsuhiro Ichiki, and Shouhei Komatsu perform other theme songs.
Where to Watch
The Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru series and the Toku Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru ~Setsugetsuka~ film trilogy are available for streaming on Crunchyroll.
