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Ring 0/Orochi's Tsuruta Directs Live-Action Film of Zombie Manga Z
posted on by Egan Loo
A live-action film adaptation of Kōji Aihara's zombie manga Z ~Zed~ has been green-lit. This is the first film adaptation of any work by Aihara.
The "panic horror" manga is set in contemporary Japan after a zombie outbreak. The omnibus of short stories depicts the tragedies that befall a bullied child, a yakuza member, a couple, and various other characters. The first chapter revolved around the zombie extermination police force, a young boy, and his classmates who have been turned into zombies.
A number of episodes are being produced alongside the movie, and the entire project will then be released across six DVD volumes. The first two volumes will have the main film itself, and the remaining four volumes will include the linked episodes.
Japanese horror film pioneer Norio Tsuruta (Ring 0: Birthday, Orochi: Blood) is not only directing the project, but writing all six DVD volumes. The cast includes Mayu Kawamoto, Noriko Kijima, and Miharu Tanaka. Aihara himself will play a zombie.
The film will open this summer in Tokyo's Cinemart Roppongi and other theaters throughout Japan.
Aihara launched the manga in Nihonbungeisha's Bessatsu Manga Goraku magazine in 2011. Aihara and Kentaro Takekuma drew the three-volume Even A Monkey Can Draw Manga series between 1990-1992, and Viz Media published that manga's first volume in 2002. Aihara's other works include SHIMONETA de Kangaeru Gakumon.
Source: Comic Natalie
