Netflix's long-running series *Ikusagami*, starring Junichi Okada, has recently announced that Hiroshi Abe will join the cast, playing a top swordsman. The series is adapted from Masahiro Imamura's novel of the same name and is directed by Michihiro Fujii, who previously collaborated with Okada on the film *Saigo Made Iku*. Fujii has also directed several important works, including *Yomei 10-nen*, *Yakuza to Kazoku The Family*, *Shinbun Kisha*, and *The Parades*. In addition to starring, Junichi Okada is also responsible for the series' production and action choreography.
The story is set in the 11th year of the Meiji era, at Tenryu-ji Temple in Kyoto. 292 samurai participate in a game called "Stealing Wooden Tokens," where the winner is the one who reaches Tokyo. The protagonist, Shujiro Saga (played by Junichi Okada), decides to join the game to save his ailing wife and children. The series boasts a stellar cast, including Yuya Fujisaki, Kaya Kiyohara, Takayuki Yamada, Kazunari Ninomiya, Masahiro Higashide, Shota Sometani, Taichi Saotome, Yuya Endo, Sou Ichinose, Riho Yoshioka, Hiroshi Tamaki, Hideaki Ito, Yasushi Fuchigami, Kelly Shiro, Gaku Hamada, Taichi Okazaki, Arata Iura, Tetsuji Tanaka, and Ayumi Nakajima.
The anime series "Ikusagami" consists of 6 episodes and will be released globally on November 13.
