Shopping Guide
Manga-based live-action films are becoming more and more a part of recent Japanese movies. There were many such releases in 2014, too, such as the Rurouni Kenshin series, Lupin III, Black Butler, and Blue Spring Ride, while in the first half of 2015 more than 10 manga are getting live-action adaptations. Which is why we picked the best to introduce by genre. The selection ranges from genuine drama to love stories and even science fiction. We are sure you’ll find something that suits your taste.
The first movie to release in the first half of 2015 is Maestro! (releases on Jan. 31), which is based on Akira Saso’s manga that won an Excellence Prize at the 12th Japan Media Arts Festival. This moving orchestra entertainment piece follows “loser” orchestra members who got word of the reformation of a distinguished orchestra and a suddenly appeared mysterious conductor as they prepare for the comeback concert, if not without blunders.
The protagonist, young violinist Kosaka, will be played by the talented Tori Matsuzaka, while in the role of the mysterious conductor Tendo we will see Toshiyuki Nishida, a representative face of Japanese movies. This is their first time working together, and also their first time playing a violinist and a conductor, respectively, but they rise to the challenge and reveal their acting skills during the musical performance scenes. This movie also marks the first appearance of miwa, a singer incredibly popular among teenagers who plays the flutist genius Amane with natural ease.
Besides creating the portraits of the characters, the cast also challenged themselves with real musical performances. They started practising the instrument of their respective roles a half year before the shooting began, giving the climax scene––where they perform “Destiny” and “Unfinished”––a degree of such perfection that it’s almost like the viewers are attending a real concert. This piece is also gathering attention as world-renown maestro Yutaka Sado’s first contribution to a Japanese movie as Nishida’s conduction instructor and conduction performance supervisor and its ending theme performed by miracle pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii, making it genuine to the point that classical music fans can’t stand idle either.
Romantic Movies
2014 gave birth to numerous teenage romance movies starting from LDK, the series that set fire on the “kabe-don” boom––the word itself was nominated for the Buzzwords-of-the-Year Contest and it even became a social phenomenon––to Clover and Blue Spring Ride. Standing on top of the list of possible teenage romance hits are the two films by director Ryuichi Hiroki. The first one, Otoko no Issho is releasing on Valentine’s Day. This is a live-action adaptation of Keiko Nishi’s manga serialized in Monthly Flowers that became a hit with its visual of Etsushi Toyokawa licking Nana Eikura’s feet in a “foot kiss.” It is an adult love story about a college professor in his 50s (Toyokawa) and a career woman dragging her past along (Eikura), who fall in love during their strange cohabitation.
The other, scheduled to release on March 21, is based on Io Sakisaka’s bestseller Strobe Edge, previously serialized in Bessatsu Margaret. It follows the relationship of Ren (Sota Fukushi), a high school boy admired by all female students and a girl named Ninako who is devoted to him, mixing in some of the romance going on in their surroundings. It is definitely the kind of teenage romance that makes girls’ hearts skip a beat. Fukushi has built a favorable reputation with his role of Tanokura, the boyfriend of Haruka Ayase in the drama series Kyou wa Kaisha Yasumimasu. He is the representative of young ikemen actors. Still fresh in the memory is that fact that when the last episode aired, the expression “Tanokura loss” emerged between female fans; he’s that popular. We are eager to see how he makes hearts tingle in this new piece.
Science Fiction Movies
*The Next Generation - Patlabor: Shuto Kessen* (releases on May 1) is the last episode of the film series that started in 2014. It is a live-action adaptation of the Masami Yuki’s original manga serialized in Weekly Shonen Sunday, Mobile Police Patlabor, an original series enjoying support throughout generations in various media including manga, anime, and live action since 1988. It is directed by Mamoru Oshii, a master in the world of anime who also directed the TV anime series and anime films. The assumptions that this new movie will somehow be connected to the 1993 theatrical anime Patlabor 2: The Movie are proved in the already released special report that contains numerous scenes reminiscent of Patlabor 2, such as the bombing of an enormous bridge, Tokyo being attacked by armed helicopters, and Section 2’s disbandment.
Also based on a manga from 1988 is Parasyte: Kanketsuhen (April 25), the second and finishing part of the live-action adaption of Hitoshi Iwaaki’s science fiction suspense manga that was published in Morning Open Special Edition and Monthly Afternoon. An epic battle unfolds between Shinichi, a boy who houses a parasite called Migi in his arm and the other parasites who treat humans as food, joined by a special force that wants to exterminate them all. The cast follows from the previous part, starring Shota Sometani, Eri Fukatsu, Ai Hashimoto, Kazuki Kitamura, Jun Kunimura, and Tadanobu Asano. The intense expressive force of director Takashi Yamazaki’s VFX is going to be among the highlights of the movie.
Genuine Drama
The most used genre among manga that get live-action adaptations is drama depicting an ensemble cast. At present, there are as many as five such movies announced just for the first half of 2015 that await release. Among those, the most talked about is Tsukuroi Tatsu Hito (Jan. 31) starring Miki Nakatani, based on Aoi Ikebe’s manga that was serialized in Kiss Plus and Hatsukiss for roughly five years and charted on the “This Manga is Awesome!” ranking in the women’s category. The story woven by the protagonist craftswoman who makes suits with a classic sewing machine (Nakatani) and the people surrounding her is directed by Yukiko Mishima known from Shiawase no Pan.
Another notable work is Umimachi Diary (June 19), which became a topic with its lavish cast starring Ayase Haruka, Masami Nagasawa, and Kaho, Suzu Hirose, and also because Hirokazu Koreeda, the director of Like Father, Like Son is taking the megaphone. It is based on Akimi Yoshida’s bestseller being serialized in Monthly Flowers. It is a moving drama that follows as three sisters (Ayase, Nagasawa, Kaho) and their younger sister born from another mother (Hirose), who live in Kamakura, deepen their familial bonds through various happenings.
Source: Otajo