Archive for the ‘Movies’ Category

In December it got announced that Arashi’s Ninomiya Kazunari (26) and Shibasaki Kou (28) would star together in Kaneko Fuminori’s “Ooku,” a live-action film adaptation of the manga by Yoshinaga Fumi. Both Ninomiya and Shibasaki never starred in a jidaigeki film before.

Today the supporting cast for the promising movie got announced. It will include other stars like Horikita Maki (21), Tamaki Hiroshi (30), Abe Sadawo (39) and Kanjani8’s Okura Tadayoshi (24)….

….Horikita will play a neighborhood girl and childhood friend of Mizuno with feelings for him. According to the press release we can look forward to a love story where neither one can be honest with each other. It will be a roller coaster ride of love and hate inside the ooku and feature fresh elements that make it a different and more unique love story compared to others.

Tamaki, Abe and Okura will play other key roles in the world of ooku’s handsome men. Of course Tamaki’s role will be no other than the most handsome of all handsome men and lead the elite group of the ooku. Abe’s role has already given up of getting promoted to serve the shogun and will be a character full of sorrow. For Okura it will be the first role in a movie and it will be that of the biggest rival of Mizuno. He is a master of the sword and one highlight of the movie is going to be a fierce battle between Okura and Ninomiya.

Other than the amazing cast, we can look forward to probably(!) more than just 1 movie and a budget of more than 1 billion yen for the first installment. “Ooku” will open in Japan on October 1, 2010.

From Kawaii Joyuu

Wow, what an extravagant cast! I was quite happy when Neener and Shibasaki-san were casted but now I’m CHO excited with the additional ones, especially Tamaki-kun. I can’t wait to see their collaboration, it is such happiness when your favorite artists share the same screen. Ooo, will there be some sword fighting between Arashi and Eito as well?!

Possibly Related Posts:

• Additional cast to join the Gantz movies
• Ninomiya Kazunari – First Gantz Trailer Revealed
• Ninomiya Kazunari to stars in Ooku adaptation
• Tamaki Hiroshi Reproves Ueno Juri
• Hiroshi Tamaki to be holding overseas concerts

Last October, it was revealed that Hiroya Oku’s sci-fi manga “GANTZ” is being adapted as two live-action films, starring Kazunari Ninomiya (26) and Kenichi Matsuyama (24). It has now been announced that actress Yuriko Yoshitaka (21) is taking on the heroine role.

The story revolves around two young men named Kei Kurono (Ninomiya) and Masaru Kato (Matsuyama) who should have died in a train accident, but a mysterious entity known as GANTZ brings them back to life and sends them on missions to hunt down alien beings.

Yoshitaka will play the role of Tae Kojima, Kurono’s classmate at university. A pure romance develops between the two characters, contrasting with the brutal violence that Kurono and Kato engage in for their missions under GANTZ. Yoshitaka will also participate in some action scenes (including wire-action).

Both of the “GANTZ” movies are scheduled for 2011.

From Tokyograph

News coverage/preview:

Yoshitaka-san seems to be a very good fit for the Tae’s role, I’m sure she will portray the character wonderfully.

I seriously cannot wait to see this, what can be more exciting than Nino+ action + romance, ne! It has been so long since our Prankster-chan has appear in a drama/movie with romantic aspects. Though, I adore all of his roles (especially the challenging ones), but I still long for a lovey-dovey Nino…hehe.

Possibly Related Posts:

• Supporting cast announced for Ooku
• Ninomiya Kazunari -- First Gantz Trailer Revealed
• Ninomiya Kazunari to stars in Ooku adaptation
• Tamaki Hiroshi Reproves Ueno Juri
• Ninomiya Kazunari -- Super Mario Bros Wii CM

Back in October word got out that Hiroya Oku’s hyper-violent ongoing sci-fi manga “Gantz” would be entering the realm of live-action features with a two-film franchise directed by Shinsuke Sato and written by Yusuke Watanabe. Now, a 15-second teaser has hit the Web, giving fans a brief look at what the future might hold for the film series.

“Gantz” follows a cynical Tokyo college student after his apparent subway tunnel death and subsequent reanimation at the hands of a mysterious black sphere. He and others like him are gathered in an anonymous room in the city, provided with weapons and loosed on bizarre alien-kiling missions. Very few are successful.

While the teaser posted on YouTube doesn’t reveal much about the film, there’s a quick shot of stars Kazunari Ninomiya (“Letters From Iwo Jima”) and Ken’ichi Matsumaya (“Death Note”) in their black combat suits, which appear to be pretty faithful to the source material.

There’s also more conversation than alien-hunting going on, and no sign of the series’ trademark weaponry aside from the superpower-enabling suits — but it’s worth noting that this very well could be the first time the actors have appeared in costume to date.

Dark Horse Comics’ manga import, along with ADV’s anime series collections have familiarized many American fans with the story, which originally wrapped in 2004 in its native Japan. The manga is currently nearing its 30th volume.

The series of films are rumored for Spring and Winter 2011 releases in Japan. At this time there’s no word on official English or other language localizations.

From MTV

Here’s the 15 second CM:

Awesome, ne! Just the glimpse of Nino and Kenichi-kun in their suits, makes you want to see more. This is going to be one of the biggest anticipated movie!!

Possibly Related Posts:

• Supporting cast announced for Ooku
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• Ninomiya Kazunari to stars in Ooku adaptation
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Kyaa~~ it has been finally confirmed!!

Kou Shibasaki (28) and Arashi member Kazunari Ninomiya (26) have been chosen to star in Fuminori Kaneko’s “Ooku,” a live-action film adaptation of the manga by Fumi Yoshinaga. This will be the first jidaigeki film that either has starred in.

Yoshinaga’s “Ooku” is a historical fiction set during the Edo period. A mysterious disease strikes Japan’s male population, reducing their numbers to a fraction of the female population. As a result, the traditional gender roles are overturned, with women becoming the dominant members of society and men becoming valued for their ability to produce offspring.

In the story, the shoguns of the time are actually women, and the “ooku” (the “inner chambers” of the shogun’s castle) consists of thousands of men rather than women. Shibasaki plays the role of the shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune, while Ninomiya plays a young man named Mizuno who enters the ooku.

The movie, said to have a budget of 1 billion yen, covers only the first of the 5 manga volumes released so far. However, producers are considering turning “Ooku” into a series of films.

“Ooku” opens in theaters on October 1, 2010.

From Tokyograph

The official website and CM has been released:

Looks intensely dark and awesome! I especially intrigued by the plot and the Samurai period (have become an growing interest to me since I watched The Last Samurai). Who can resist a man with a blade, ne! I’m also quite fond of Kou Shibasaki’s acting and now she’s co-starring in a drama special and movie with our two beloved Arashi boy, definitely a dream come true. Just cannot wait to see Nino is a historical costume and looking forward to the series of films.

Now off I go searching for the Ooku manga, just one more series that I need to read along side with Gantz. Our Mr. Prankster is going to be mecha busy next year with two movies, ganbatte!!

Possibly Related Posts:

• Supporting cast announced for Ooku
• Additional cast to join the Gantz movies
• Ninomiya Kazunari -- First Gantz Trailer Revealed
• Tamaki Hiroshi Reproves Ueno Juri
• Ninomiya Kazunari -- Super Mario Bros Wii CM

Thought this was cute and wanted to shared the Nodame-related news with you.

On December 9th a special preview event of the film ‘のだめカンタービレ 最終楽章 前編 / Nodame Cantabile Saishu-gakusho Zenpen [lit. 'Nodame Cantabile Last Movement First Half']‘ was held. The lead actors Ueno Juri and Tamaki Hiroshi attended the event alongside fellow cast members and the director.

Ueno was asked whether she had any troubles while filming in Europe. “It was difficult at first, but gradually I got used to it. In the end I was able to enjoy the pizzas and pastas!” Tamaki, smiling wryly, lightly chided Ueno. “I don’t think the reporter was asking about the food.”
Finally the actors each gave a message to their fans. Ueno faced the audience and said “If you enjoyed the movie, go see the movie again at a better theater!” Tamaki was quick to correct her. “This is a perfectly good theater too!” The combination of the two was just like the couple Nodame and Chiaki, the characters they played in the film. Throughout the event the audience enjoyed the back and forth between them.

The movie ‘のだめカンタービレ 最終楽章 前編 / Nodame Cantabile Saishu-gakusho Zenpen’ will premiere nationwide on December 19th.

From Music Japan

Possibly Related Posts:

• Supporting cast announced for Ooku
• Additional cast to join the Gantz movies
• Ninomiya Kazunari – First Gantz Trailer Revealed
• Ninomiya Kazunari to stars in Ooku adaptation
• Hiroshi Tamaki to be holding overseas concerts