The North American anime licensing company Sentai Filmworks announced on Wednesday that it has licensed the Rurouni Kenshin ~ New Kyoto Arc (Rurouni Kenshin: Shin Kyoto-Hen) video anime project. The company will release the two-episode series digitally, and then on bilingual DVD and Blu-ray Disc next year.

The new anime series remakes the Kyoto story arc of Nobuhiro Watsuki's original manga and the previous anime adaptation. In particular, it depicts the battle of Kenshin Himura and Makoto Shishio and is told from the point of view of the Oniwabanshū ninja Misao Makimachi.

Director Kazuhiro Furuhashi and Studio DEEN returned after nine years to animate the new series along with musical composer Noriyuki Asakura. Mari Okada (AnoHana, Wandering Son) wrote the scripts this time. Hiromitsu Hagiwara (Saint Beast ~Ikusen no Hiru to Yoru Hen~) is the new character designer, and Hiro Kaburaki (Kimi ni Todoke) took over as the episode director. The cast remains the same except for the role of Hajime Saitō, who is played by Ken Narita.

The first half of the series opened in two Japanese theaters in December 2011 and then shipped in Japan on DVD and Blu-ray Disc in March. The second half of the project screened in 10 Japanese theaters in June, and then shipped on Blu-ray Disc and DVD in August.

Update: Background information added.

Image © Nobuhiro Watsuki/Shueisha, Fuji TV, Aniplex