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Rena Nōnen, Masaki Suda Star in Live-Action Princess Jellyfish

The official website for the live-action film of Akiko Higashimura's Princess Jellyfish (Kuragehime) manga announced the main cast on Wednesday:

• Rena Nōnen (Amachan, Hot Road) as jellyfish-obssesed otaku Tsukimi Kurashita (leftmost)
• Masaki Suda (Kamen Rider W, High School Debut) as cross-dressing Kuranosuke Koibuchi (top center)
• Hiroki Hasegawa (Second Virgin, Why Don't You Play in Hell?) as Shū Koibuchi, who is scared of women (top right)
• Chizuru Ikewaki (The Cat Returns, The Piano Forest) as railroad otaku Banba (bottom, fourth from the right)
• Rina Ōta (The Next Generation -Patlabor-) as Three Kingdoms otaku Mayaya (bottom, third from the right)
• Singer Tomoe Shinohara (Ghiblies, on-chan Yume Power Daibōken) as Jiji, who is into old men (bottom, second from the right)
• Azusa Babazono (of the comedy duo "Asian") as Japanophile Chieko (bottom, rightmost)

Higashimura expressed her happiness with the announcement, "A live-action adaptation I thought was impossible for this manga, but with this amazing cast, it really is becoming a film. I'm surprised and happy! My son, assistant, and myself are big fans of Nōnen! When we heard that Nōnen will play Tsukimi we all gave up on the deadline and went out for drinks!!"

Nōnen also voiced her excitement with playing Tsukimi, "I also like looking at jellyfish, and sea slugs too. I've been thinking, 'Will this come through in my portrayal?' I will try my best."

Taisuke Kawamura (Himitsu no Akko-chan, Nodame Cantabile: The Final Score Part II) is directing the film off a script by Toshiya Ono (Watashi no Yasashikunai Sempai, Gatchaman Crowds, tsuritama, Suite Precure). Kumiko Iijima worked on the costumes for Kyary Pamyu Pamyu before designing the costumes for this movie.

The film will open in Japan this December.

The manga inspired the 2010 Princess Jellyfish television anime series which Funimation released in North America. Funimation describes the story:

Plain, timid and obsessed with jellyfish, Tsukimi is a far cry from her idea of a princess. Her tepid life as a jobless illustrator comes complete with roommates who harbor diehard hobbies that solidify their status as hopeless social rejects. These wallflowers run a tight, nun-like ship, but their no-men-allowed-not-no-one-not-no-how bubble is unwittingly burst after Tsukimi brings home a rescued sea jelly and a beauty queen... who's actually a guy. When the threat of losing their cozy convent inspires this glamour boy to turn the neurotic entourage into a portrait of success, will Tsukimi take her chance to bloom, or will she end up a hot mess?

Higashimura launched the manga in Kiss, Kodansha's manga magazine for female readers, in 2008, and Kodansha published 2.7 million copies as of the 13th compiled book volume last December.

Sources: Comic Natalie, Cinema Cafe

Images © LesPros Entertainment.Co.,Ltd. © Akiko Higashimura/Kodansha