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Live-Action Gintama Film Posters Show Takasugi, Nizō, Takechi, Matako

The official website for the live-action film of Hideaki Sorachi's Gintama manga debuted four new poster visuals on Saturday. The visuals show Tsuyoshi Dōmoto as Shinsuke Takasugi (top left), Hirofumi Arai as Nizō Okada (top right), Jirō Satō as Henpeita Takechi (bottom left), and Nanao as Matako Kijima (bottom right).

The film opens in Japan on July 14.

The official website previously streamed a commercial for the film earlier this month.

Previously unveiled character posters show Shun Oguri, Masaki Suda, Kanna Hashimoto, Masaki Okada, Masami Nagasawa, and Tsuyoshi Muro.

Shun Oguri as Gintoki Sakata, the protagonist who runs the Yorozuya shop

Masaki Suda as Shinpachi Shimura, who works at Yorozuya

Kanna Hashimoto as Kagura, another Yorozuya employee

Masaki Okada as Kotarō Katsura, Gintoki's longtime sworn friend, alongside Elizabeth.

Masami Nagasawa as Tae Shimura (left), a physically strong girl and sister of Shinpachi, and Tsuyoshi Muro as Gengai Hiraga (right), the proprietor of Karakuri-dō

Other cast members include:

Yuuya Yagira as Toshiro Hijikata, a Shinsengumi member who is most popular with girls

Ryō Yoshizawa as Sougo Okita, a sharp-tounged Shinsengumi member

Kankurō Nakamura VI as Isao Kondo, a Shinsengumi commander

Ken Yasuda as Tetsuya Murata

Akari Hayami as Tetsuko Murata

Yūichi Fukuda (live-action HK/Hentai Kamen, Mr. Nietzsche in the Convenience Store) is directing the film, as well as penning the script. Fukuda revealed in September that filming with Gintoki's actor Shun Oguri has wrapped up.

Sorachi began the manga in 2004 and it continues to be ranked among the top-selling manga in Japan. The manga has more than 50 million copies in print in Japan. Viz Media published the first 23 volumes in English. Shueisha published the manga's 67th volume in Japan on December 31. The manga entered its final arc last July.

The manga inspired a television anime that premiered in 2006 and continued (with several extended hiatuses) until 2013. The fifth and latest Gintama television anime series premiered on January 8. Crunchyroll is streaming the series as it airs in Japan, and began streaming English-dubbed episodes earlier this week. The manga also inspired two anime films, including the "final" Gekijōban Gintama Kanketsu-hen: Yorozuya yo Eien Nare film that opened in 2013, and various OVAs and event anime.

[Via Otakomu]