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A live-action movie is in the works for Tsugumi Ohba’s and Takeshi Obata’s hugely popular manga Bakuman which has been serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump (Shueisha) since 2008. The Toho film will release countrywide in Japan in 2015. More than 15 million copies of the huge hit manga’s 20 volumes have been sold, and the series is now returning to the big screen. Being a live-action movie, fans are no doubt curious about the cast, and the two main characters have already been announced. Playing Moritaka Mashiro is Takeru Satoh and playing Akito Takagi is Ryūnosuke Kamiki. Both of these actors are two of today’s representative young actors in Japan. This is likely to cause huge buzz.
Bakuman is a complete change from Tsugumi Ohba’s and Takeshi Obata’s previous work Death Note and tells the story of the world of manga through the duo Moritaka Mashiro and Akito Takagi, two friends who start working on a manga in the hopes of becoming manga artists. It is a unique work that happens to be an adolescent manga while at the same time is serialized in a commercial magazine for boys. It has found large support because of this.
Directing the movie is Hitoshi Ōne who earned high acclaim for also directing Moteki. This time as well, he will freely use the latest cinematography techniques and will depict the growth, quarrels, friendship, and love of these two boys. It will be an adolescent story in the truest sense of the word. Director Ōne will also be penning the script. Filming for the movie will begin this month and is projected to conclude in September. The movie will release nationwide in 2015.
Comment from Takeshi Satoh (Moritaka Mashiro):
I think the reason I tried time and again for this movie is that strong members have been assembled with the feeling of wanting to do something that no one has done before and wanting to make a movie that has never been seen before. When I consider being able to create a movie with such a wonderful creative team, a get truly excited for the filming. In order to transmit to people all over the world the history, reality, and wonderfulness of Japanese manga and Japanimation I will do the very best that I can. I think this will definitely be an interesting work, so please look forward to the movie to be finished.
Comment from Ryūnosuke Kamiki (Akito Takagi):
I am honored to be able to participate in such a wonderful work. I personally really love the original manga, and I’ve read it so much it’s worn out, so I’m very happy. I’m also looking forward to being able to work with director Ōne for the first time. I hope to devote myself to his world while enjoying the filming. I think this will be a surprising work due to a never-before-seen presentation, so I’m looking forward to it.
Comment from Hitoshi Ōne (Director/Scriptwriter):
80% of my personality was formed from always reading manga when I was a kid. So I thought that I definitely wanted to make a movie someday in which the main character is a manga artist. I had hoped for Satoh and Kamiki as the main duo, so this is the perfect casting. I’m fully entrusting my discouraged dream of becoming a manga artist when I was in elementary school to Akito and making the movie Bakuman!!
Comment from Tsugumi Ohba (Original Author):
I’m surprised and happy about Bakuman becoming a movie, but I’m more surprised by the wonderful cast. Just like various manga from Shueisha and Jump, it seems the name of this manga will ring out as well! I’m excited! And I’ll be watching!
Comment from Takeshi Obata (Original Author):
I’m very happy for the decision to make a movie. Because I had the pleasure of drawing the original manga, I’m looking forward to how the movie will turn out not just as an original author, but as someone involved in several works.
Bakuman will release countrywide in Japan in 2015.
© 2015 Bakuman Movie Production Committee
© Tsugumi Ohba, Takeshi Obata / Shueisha Inc.
Source: animeanime
