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Live-Action Kingdom Film Sequel Casts Chihiro Yamamoto as Kyō Shō
posted on by Egan Loo
This year's 20th issue of Shueisha's Weekly Young Jump magazine announced a new cast member for Kingdom II: Harukanaru Daichi e (To Distant Lands), the sequel film based on Yasuhisa Hara's Kingdom manga, on Thursday. Chihiro Yamamoto will play Kyō Shō (Qiang Xiang), Kyō Kai's adoptive sister.
The film's staff also debuted new visuals on Thursday:
The film's new cast members also feature:
- Amane Okayama as Bi Hei
- Takahiro Miura as Bitо̄
- Takayuki Hamatsu as Taku Kei
The cast includes Nana Seino as Kyо̄ Kai and Kento Yamazaki as Shin. These five characters are part of an infantry together (pictured above).
Other new cast members include (left to right in image above):
- Tsutomu Takahashi as Kyū Gen
- Yukiyoshi Ozawa as Go Kei
- Etsushi Toyokawa as Duke Hyō
- Kiyohiko Shibukawa as Baku Koshin
Shinsuke Satō (live-action Gantz, Death Note Light up the NEW world, Bleach) is returning as director. Kento Yamazaki, Ryō Yoshizawa, and Kanna Hashimoto are all reprising their respective characters Shin (Xin), Ei Sei (Yin Zheng), and Ka Ryō Ten (He Liao Diao) from the previous film. Tsutomu Kuroiwa (One Piece Film Gold, live-action Black Butler, GANTZ:O) joins Satō and Hara in writing the script, and Yutaka Yamada (Tokyo Ghoul, Vinland Saga, live-action Bleach) is composing the music. Mr. Children contributes the theme song "Ikiro" (Live).
The film will open on July 15.
The first film opened in Japan in April 2019 and sold 506,861 tickets to earn 690,219,500 yen (about US$6.17 million) in its first three days. The film later sold a total of 4.11 million tickets for 5,471,938,400 yen (about US$50.42 million), and eventually earned a cumulative total of 5.73 billion yen (about US$53.2 million). Funimation screened the film at Anime Expo in July 2019, and began screening the film in theaters in the United States and Canada in August 2019.
Hara's historical manga began with the slave boy Xin and his dream of becoming a great general for the state of Qin. Xin helps Ying Zheng, the young Qin king who shares his desire to unify China, rise to power within the state. Xin does all he can to become a superior commander of an army capable of defeating the Seven Warring States.
The record-setting manga launched in Shueisha's Weekly Young Jump magazine in 2006. Shueisha published the 64th compiled book volume on February 18. Hara said he is considering writing up to 100 volumes.
A television anime adaptation premiered in 2012, and a second season premiered in 2013. Funimation streamed the series in North America and released both seasons on DVD in 2016. The third anime series based on Yasuhisa Hara's Kingdom manga premiered on NHK General in April 2020.
The anime's fourth season premiered on NHK General on April 9 at 24:00 (effectively April 10 at 12:00 a.m.).
Sources: Kingdom II live-action film's website, Comic Natalie
