The competition among shounen live-action adaptations next year is set to become more intense with the participation of Ajin, featuring the lead role played by “Rurouni Kenshin” star Sato Takeru. After much anticipation, it has been officially confirmed that he will be taking part in the live-action adaptation of Ajin. Katsuyuki Motohiro will be the director for this film.
However, shounen live-action adaptations that involve supernatural elements, such as Ajin or Tokyo Ghoul, often face skepticism regarding their narrative coherence and audience engagement. A prime example of this is the poorly received live-action adaptation of Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan), which left many fans feeling anxious. Nevertheless, Sato Takeru’s involvement has provided some reassurance to fans, evoking a sense of “calm” among them. Having successfully portrayed lead roles in various other live-action adaptations, Sato Takeru is expected to excel in bringing the character Kei to life in Ajin.
Kei’s age in the live-action has been adjusted to be suitable for Sato Takeru’s actual age – 27
The live-action adaptation of “Ajin” is set against the backdrop of Tokyo in 2017. In this film, the main character Kei Nagai (played by Sato Takeru) will be depicted as a young adult, with his age properly adjusted to match that of Sato Takeru. In the original manga, Kei is a high school student, which makes Sato Takeru quite “mature” for that role.
This change is unlikely to provoke controversy among fans, as it is generally considered difficult to find an actor who is both suitable and capable of portraying the character of Kei as effectively as Sato Takeru. A positive sign is that the action team responsible for the fight scenes in Rurouni Kenshin will also be involved in this project, and Sato Takeru is expected to perform most of the action scenes himself without needing a stunt double.
Sato Takeru’s previous performances in action scenes in “Rurouni Kenshin” suggest that “Ajin” will not pose too great a challenge
