Lately, live-action releases of popular Manga and Anime have been rising in trend. In the same line, Coamix announced recently that Mizu Sahara’s Okashiratsuki would be getting a live-action film adaptation set to premiere this year.
Sumomo Yumeka is a mangaka who writes shoujo, seinen, and josei manga under the name of Mizu Sahara. In 2001, she received the Honorable Mention Award in the Afternoon Shiki Award 2001 Winter Contest for “ROBOT”. She debuted as “Hoshinokoe” in Kodansha’s Afternoon in 2004. “The Day I Became a Butterfly” and “Same Cell Organism,” both under the Yumeka byline and the manga adaptation of “Voices of a Distant Star” under Mizu Sahara, are some of her best-known works.
The comic was first launched in the ‘Monthly Comic Zenon’ as an experimental project in March 2018. Sahara continued working on the series after getting great feedback from the fans, and so the final compiled volume was published in July 2021. Okashiratsuki will be Sahara’s second live-action adaptation. The first one was “My Girl,” which aired in Japan in 2009.
Okashiratsuki (From Head to Tail/ With a Tail/ A Tail’s Tale) is a romance, slice-of-life series that is set in modern Japan with a touch of supernatural element to it. The story is a look into the developing relationship between Utsumi Kaisei and Hiyama Nachi.
Being on the softball team of her middle school, Hiyama Nachi is quite popular. However, she is also seen as strange by her classmates as she stands out due to not getting tanned despite being on the softball team. As weird and frustrating as this might be for Nachi, she is intrigued by her classmate Utsumi. He is a quiet, kind kid, but he has a peculiarity that gets him bullied. The tale begins when Nachi finds out Utsumi’s secret – that he has a small pig-like tail. Instead of being put off by the discovery, Nachi starts getting closer to Utsumi.
The series covers the lives of Nachi and Utsumi over ten years. It is a slow-paced story whose main focus is on differences prevalent in individuals and the acceptance of such diversity. A simple plot involving the ups and downs of life, the battles, and the baggage one carries and still managing to live on when surrounded by wholesome support is what attracted the fans in the first place.
Okashiratsuki Live-Action Teaser – Main Cast and Director
On Monday, a special teaser of the Okashiratsuki live-action film was released on the official YouTube channel of the adaptation. The teaser revealed the adaptation’s main cast, music artist, and director.
According to the teaser, the main cast includes Eito Konishi as Kaisei Utsumi and Ayaka Ōhira as Nachi Hiyama. The official Twitter page of the live-action film tweeted information about the cast and music artists on the same day.
Ayaka Ōhira will portray the female lead – Nachi Hiyama, in the live-action adaptation of Okashiratsuki. She has previously featured in Chokie Mae’s music video “Melted Magic” and a Roland Corporation web commercial. She has also received Universal Music’s award for ‘Best New Heroine Audition.’
Eito Konishi is a 23-year-old Japanese model, YouTuber, and actor. His career as an actor began in 2019 when he started appearing in stage plays and began broadcasting on YouTube on the ‘Ultra Teen Channel’. His notable drama performances include “Absolute Zero 4” (2020), “A Couple Without Falling in Love” (2022), and “Kabe-Koji-Nekoyashiki-kun Desires to be Recognized” (2022).
Actor ‘Mikiya Sanada’ is directing the live-action film adaptation. Mikiya Sanada is known for his work in “Battle Royale”, “Battle Royale II,” and “Outrage.” He was commissioned by the Agency for Cultural Affairs to direct the project “Life Cycles” in 2006. He won the Grand Prix at the Chichibu Film Festival with “Say Hi To The Wolf” in 2014. “Dream of Euglena” was his first feature film in 2019, and its sequel “Princess of Euglena ” hit the theaters in 2022.
Hilcrhyme, a two-member Japanese hip-hop group known for their hit song “Shunkashūtō,” is featuring in the adaptation with three new songs.
Fans have expressed immense excitement after the announcement of the live-action adaptation. Although it is yet to be seen how the film will turn out, fans who first fell in love with the storyline and characters are understandably eager to see their favorites on the big screen. The star-studded cast and crew of Okashiratsuki live-action adaptation are expected to bring the magic of the series alive and cast a new light on the interpretation and understanding of the beloved manga.
