Sunday, April 17, 2011

“Arakawa Under The Bridge” Get Live-Action Adaptation


Kento Hayashi and Mirei Kiritani have been announced as the two leads in Ken Iizuka’s upcoming comedy Arakawa Under the Bridge, a live-action adaptation of Hikaru Nakamura’s gag manga of the same name. The film will be preceded by a television series featuring the same cast.

Hayashi will play Sou “Riku” Ichinomiya, the son of a wealthy family who prides himself on standing on his own two feet, never allowing himself to become indebted to anyone. Kiritani will play Nino, a beautiful, yet bizarre girl who lives under a bridge and claims to be from the planet Venus. When Nino saves Riku’s life, he feels compelled to repay the debt by any means necessary. Uninterested in a quick pay-off, Nino instead requests that he love her and live with her under the bridge. Now in debt to Nino for his very life, including all future accomplishments, Riku is forced to comply.

Hayashi’s younger sister was a fan of the original manga, so he was excited to hear he got the role. He added that he’s happy to get a role with so much comedy involved, as it’s something he’d been wanting to attempt someday.

Kiritani was a bit more nervous about the opportunity, feeling pressure to match up with the original work due to its popularity with fans. “How many people are from Venus?” she asked rhetorically. “Because there are no role models, you can only start from the ground up. Before filming, I was living in hallway slippers and a jersey like Nino’s. I went back and forth to the salon 3 times to match my hair color with the original. The jersey is order-made.”

The supporting cast has not yet been announced. The television show will begin airing on TBS and MBS this summer, with the movie planned for spring 2012.

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