News

Live-Action Terraformars Film's Clips Show Ichirō, Shunji's Transformations

Japanese film news website Cinema Today began streaming a clip from the live-action film of Kenichi Tachibana and Yū Sasuga's science-fiction manga Terraformars on Thursday. The clip features Ichirō Hiruma (Takayuki Yamada) transforming into his nemuri yusurika (sleeping chironomid) form.

Japanese anime news website Anime! Anime! also began streaming a similar clip on Thursday featuring Shunji Tezuka (Kenichi Takitō, character based on Tejas Viji) transforming into his medaka hanekakushi (steninae MacLeay) form.

The film will open in Japan on April 29, during the Golden Week holidays. Takashi Miike (live-action films of Ichi the Killer, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, Yatterman, As the Gods Will, Crows Zero, Mogura no Uta) is directing the film, and Kazuki Nakashima (Gurren Lagann, Kill la Kill) wrote the screenplay. A live-action prequel, Terraformars: Aratanaru Kibō (Terraformars: A New Hope), will premiere online on April 24.

The film's cast includes:

• Hideaki Itō (Princess Blade, Onmyoji, Umizaru, Sukiyaki Western Django, Lesson of the Evil) will as the lead role of Shōkichi Komachi
• Emi Takei (live-action Rurouni Kenshin's Kaoru, Kyō, Koi o Hajimemasu's Tsubaki, Ai to Makoto's Ai, Clover's Saya) as the heroine Nanao Akita.
• Takayuki Yamada (Densha Otoko, Bakuman., H2: Kimi to Ita Hibi) as Ichirō Hiruma
  
• Shun Oguri (Lupin III, Fullmetal Alchemist: The Movie - Conqueror of Shamballa, Detective Conan) as Kō Honda
• Kane Kosugi (Street Fighter Alpha, Choy Lee Fut, Ninja 2: Shadow of a Tear) as God Lee
• Rinko Kikuchi (Pacific Rim, Babel, The Sky Crawlers) as Asuka Moriki, based on Victoria Wood
• Masaya Katō (Crying Freeman, 1998 Godzilla, Unfair) as Keisuke Dōjima, based on Donatello K. Davis
• Eiko Koike (20th Century Boys, Seppun, Nasu: Summer in Andalusia) as Mina Ōbari, based on Zhang Ming-Ming
• Mariko Shinoda (former AKB48 idol, Ouran High School Host Club) as Sorae Ōsako, based on Jaina Eisenstein
• Kenichi Takitō (Ryōmaden, Climber's High) as Shunji Tezuka, based on Tejas Viji
• Rina Ōta (The Next Generation -Patlabor-, Princess Jellyfish) as Maria Renjō, based on Maria Viren
• Rila Fukushima (The Wolverine, Arrow, Game of Thrones) as the new, original character Sakakibara

The non-Japanese team members in the original manga have had their names and part of their characters changed. For example, the Thai character Thien is now Jin Mutō, as played by former NEWS band member Tomohisa Yamashita (a.k.a. "Yamapi" from Kurosagi, Ikebukuro West Gate Park, Ashita no Joe).