HBO Max has picked up Song of the Samurai, a new Japanese live-action samurai drama adapted from the manga Chiruran: Shinsengumi Requiem. HBO Max will premiere the series internationally on May 9, as the latest title released through Warner Bros. Discovery’s partnership with U-NEXT.
What Song of the Samurai Is Based On
The series adapts Chiruran: Shinsengumi Requiem, created by Shinya Umemura, who also created Record of Ragnarok. The manga has run for 13 years, spans 36 volumes, and has more than three million copies in circulation, with additional expansions into anime and stage productions.
The Story: Shinsengumi, Loyalty, and Survival in Late Edo Japan
Set in Kyoto near the end of the Edo period, Song of the Samurai follows the Shinsengumi, the famous samurai force tied to the final years of Japan’s shogunate.
The story centers on street brawler Toshizo Hijikata (Yuki Yamada), who finds a new kind of family with Isami Kondo and Soji Okita. As Hijikata and his allies form the Shinsengumi, their bond gets tested by betrayal, illness, and war, while they clash over what they’re fighting for.
Who’s Behind the Series
HBO Max’s Song of the Samurai is described as a large-scale collaboration involving Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS), U-NEXT, and production studio THE SEVEN, credited for titles including Alice in Borderland and Yu Yu Hakusho.
Writer: Masaaki Sakai
Director: Kazutaka Watanabe
Producers: Akira Morii, Mamoru Inoue, Kazuya Shimomura
Cast
The ensemble cast includes Yuki Yamada as Toshizo Hijikata, Ayano Go, and Kento Nakajima.
What HBO Max and Partners Are Saying
Warner Bros. Discovery’s James Gibbons said HBO Max and U-NEXT are using the partnership to spotlight Japanese content and that demand for the genre keeps growing.
U-NEXT’s Tenshin Tsutsumi said the project was developed with global distribution in mind and pointed to the mix of THE SEVEN’s production approach, TBS’s creative backing, and the manga’s popularity.
TBS’s Masamine Ryuho framed the series around the upheaval of the Bakumatsu era and said the goal is to deliver Japanese stories to global audiences.
Producer Akira Morii said the team aimed to make period drama that connects with younger audiences, with a modern take on samurai spirit.
Lead actor Yuki Yamada said the Shinsengumi represented the “last samurai warriors” in a time of major change, and that the core idea of protecting someone can connect across borders.
Release Date and Availability
Song of the Samurai premieres on HBO Max on May 9. Local-language subtitles and dubs will be available in select markets.
