Interest

Kana Hanazawa, Daisuke Ono Join Nerawareta Gakuen Cast

Kana Hanazawa and Daisuke Ono have been announced as the latest cast members for the upcoming anime film adaptation of Taku Mayumura's science-fiction children's novel Nerawareta Gakuen. Ono will play the role of Ryuichi Kyogoku, a mysterious transfer student, while Hanazawa will play Kahori Haruka, a friend of the title's protagonist Natsuki.

Sunrise's Studio 8 (My-HiME, Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere, Accel World) is producing the adaptation with director Ryosuke Nakamura (Mōryō no Hako, Aoi Bungaku Series). supercell will perform its opening song. The Cinema Today website began streaming a teaser video for the film in June. AKB48 member Mayu Watanabe, also known as "Mayuyu," was previously announced to be starring as the character Natsuki in the film and also as singing its theme song, while Yuutaro Motoshiro will play the role of Kenji.

A manga version of the upcoming film began serialization in the 12th issue of Kadokawa Shoten's Newtype Ace magazine on August 10. Tatsuru Ishikawa is drawing the manga.

The film is slated for release in Japan on November 10. The Scotland Loves Animation event will host the film's world premiere in Edinburgh between October 19-21. The event's website describes the "new interpretation" of Mayumura's novel as follows:

Spring marks the start of another new school year at a junior high school in Kamakura. A new transfer student, Ryoichi Kyogoku joins the 8th grade. Kyogoku has a very special proficiency in telepathy and has been ordered by his father to use this ability to scan other people's minds and take over the school.

He instantly gains popularity at school from his good looks and charisma and he sets about taking control of the school. As people begin to fall under Kyogoku's spell, he covertly manipulates his followers and pushes aside anyone who gets in his way.

With the school almost completely under the control of Kyogoku, only one boy seems unaffected – Seki. Does Seki have what it takes to save everyone from the clutches of mind control?

Mayumura has written scores of novels, and some of them — Manie-Manie Meikyu Monogatari (Neo-Tokyo) and Toki no Tabibito -Time Stranger- — have inspired earlier anime films. The Nerawareta Gakuen novel already inspired four live-action television adaptations and two live-action films, but Sunrise's film will be the first anime adaptation.

[Via Ota-Suke]