Manga series Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story (るろうに剣心 -明治剣客浪漫譚-) has returned with Hokkaido arc after 18 years of absence. The new serialisation has only two chapters so far, but it is very likely to halt due to the mangaka’s arrest.
(Update: The manga has been suspended. See details here.)
Right: Nobuhiro Watsuki
（Source: kenshin_himura620)
The famed artist Nobuhiro Watsuki (和月 伸宏) was arrested earlier today for possessing multiple DVDs of naked girls aged about 10. The disks were found in his office and home. It is said that he admitted to be “fond of girls aged between senior primary school years and the second year of secondary school”. If the mangaka is declared guilty, he will have to spend either at most a year in jail or at most one million yen of fine.
Nothing has been said about what will happen to the current serialisation on Jump Square. Neither Watsuki nor Jump has issued any announcements.
Nobuhiro began publishing Rurouni Kenshin on Weekly Shonen Jump in 1994. The story centres on Himura Kenshin, a swordsman who seeks atonement for the murders he committed in the Bakumatsu period. It has also got an TV anime series running from 1996 to 1998 as well as three live action movies. A new live action movie is rumoured to be in production.
▍Japanese Netizens’ Comments
“Rurouni Kenshin: Prison Break”
“Rurouni Kenshin mangaka likes loli school girls…me too…”
“Ironically, Rurouni Kenshin rhymes with Jido ni Kenshin (care for children).”
“People who talk about this subject – one third of them are purely because of Kenshin, the rest are all about sex.”
“Although the mangaka did something like this, people still thought it was okay and understandable.”
READ MORE:
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• Live action Gintama is making a part 2 for release in 2018 Summer