HBO Max is adding the upcoming adaptation of one of the most enduring Japanese samurai franchises to its streaming library. Over 15 years after its manga debut, Chiruran: Shinsengumi Requiem is getting the live-action treatment, and audiences will be able to experience the samurai action series later this year. Based on real historical figures, the upcoming drama tells the story of a young fighter and his journey to become a leader in an elite group of swordsmen. Variety reports that Song of the Samurai is set to be released in the United States on HBO Max on May 9. The upcoming live-action manga adaptation had previously set a March release in Japan, but it is now officially headed to the U.S. this May. Based on the long-running manga by writer Shinya Umemura and illustrator Eiji Hashimoto, Song of the Samurai is set in late-Edo period Kyoto and follows a samurai corps called Shinsengumi, which served as “the shogunate’s last line of defense during one of Japan’s most turbulent political transitions.” The story revolves around Hijikata Toshizo (Yūki Yamada), a young street fighter whose destiny as “Demonic Vice-Commander” of the Shinsengumi unfolds in the historical drama. Series star Yamada released the following statement:
“In mid-19th century Japan, the Shinsengumi were among the so-called last samurai warriors who upheld the way of the sword during a time of profound change. To me, the samurai spirit is the wish to protect someone; a universal feeling that is shared across borders. I hope audiences can enjoy the action, while also feeling the emotion carried within each blade.”

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The Song of the Samurai hails from director Kazutaka Watanabe (Showtime 7) and writer Masaaki Sakai. In addition to Yamada as Hijikata Toshizo, the series stars Aoi Nakamura as Yamanami Keisuke, Kanata Hosoda as Okita Sōji, Shūhei Uesugi as Nagakura Shinpachi, Akira Emoto as Nagakura Shinpachi (old), Kisetsu Fujiwara as Saito Hajime, Yōsuke Sugino as Abiru Eisaburō, Shūntaro Yanagi as Tōdō Heisuke, ​Hihio Iwanaga as Inoue Genzaburō, Gō Ayano as Serizawa Kamo, Eita Okuno as Niimi Nishiki, Mitsuomi Takahashi as Hirayama Gorō, Nobuaki Kaneko as Sasaki Tadasaburō, Masanobu Andō as Tanaka Shinbei, Yūki Sakurai as Oume, Kento Nakajima as Okada Izō, Meru Nukumi as Makoto Ichikawa, and Jun Matsumoto as Matsudaira Katamori.

Chiruran: Shinsengumi Requiem first debuted as a manga series in October 2010 by Shinya Umemura and Eiji Hashimoto. The series was serialized on Coamix’s Monthly Comic Zenon until April 2023. A spin-off series titled Chiruran Nibun no Ichi, a more comedic and light-hearted version of the story from Umemura, began in 2016, before spawning an anime adaptation in 2017. Interestingly, the original Chiruran: Shinsengumi Requiem never got an anime, making it the rare manga to get a live-action treatment before being animated. It’s too early to tell if The Song of Samurai will be a worthy adaptation of the enduring franchise, but HBO Max acquiring the series for a U.S. release is a positive start.

The Song of the Samurai is set to premiere on HBO Max on May 9.