Viz LLC has announced that starting with Volume #7 in October, new volumes  of Nobuhiro Watsuki's Rurouni Kenshin will be released on a monthly basis.  The samurai saga, which takes place in Meiji-era Japan (mid nineteenth century), has been (along with Fruits Basket) the best-selling manga in bookstores so far in 2004 (see 'Rurouni Kenshin Tops BookScan Charts').  Aided by exposure of the Rurouni Kenshin anime series on the Cartoon Network and by its connection with Shonen Jump, the Rurouni Kenshin manga has done well from the beginning of its run here in the States.  Each of the six volumes published so far has reached the top spot on the BookScan chart of graphic novels sold in bookstores -- and the title has done very well in the direct market as well.

While Rurouni Kenshin is going monthly, it will not forsake its trade paperback (tankoubon) format.  Each month a new 180-200+ page volume will appear, though fans will still have to wait nearly two more years for the 28-volume series to reach its conclusion.  Publishing frequency is a subject of much discussion among manga devotees, who like fans of traditional American comics don't like to wait too long for the next installment of their favorite illustrated saga.  While many manga series are struggling to maintain a bi-monthly publication schedule, Kenshin's more rapid publication pace may start a new trend.