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Live-Action Utsubora - A Story of a Novelist Series' Trailer Reveals More Cast

The official website and Twitter account for the live-action series of Asumiko Nakamura's Utsubora - A Story of a Novelist manga began streaming a new trailer for the series on Wednesday. The trailer reveals more cast members for the series.

The cast, including the previously announced Atsuko Maeda, are as follows: (Top row, left to right, in image above):

• Kisetsu Fujiwara as Makoto Tsujima, Jun's editor
• Atsuko Maeda as twin sisters Sakura, and Aki
• Yukiya Kitamura as Jun Mizorogi, a novelist manipulated by both Aki and Sakura

• Akiko Hinagata as Megumi Nonomiya, a novelist that is watching Makoto closely due to an obsession with Jun's supposed plagiarism
• Hajime Okayama as Takashi Mochizuki, a detective investigating Aki's death
• Yūna Taira as Koyomi, Jun's niece
• Ikkei Watanabe as Satoru Yatabe, Jun's novelist friend
• Kōhei Takeda as Yoshitsugu Kaiba, Takashi's subordinate

The series will premiere on the premium subscription television and streaming service WOWOW on March 24 at 11:30 p.m. (9:30 a.m. EST), and it will have eight episodes. On WOWOW Prime, the first episode will be free.

Hiroto Hara is directing the series, with scripts by Kazuhisa Kodera and Kiko Inoue. Yūji Iwamoto is composing the music.

Vertical published the manga in English, and it describes the story:

Young author Aki Fujino appeared poised to making it big in the world of publishing. Her debut title Utsobora was being pitched about to a number of editors and at least one person felt it was set to propel her into stardom. However, before she could ever have her book published, the young woman was found dead. Some believe it was a suicide, but those close to her feel there is something more sinister involved in this young talent's death.

Aki's death has become something straight out of a mystery. Much like the story behind Utsubora, there is something more to Aki, Sakura, and their relationship with an author named Misoro than meets the eye. And it is possible that the only way to solve this mystery may be to uncover all their secrets.

Nakamura published the manga in Ohta Publishing's Manga Erotics F magazine from 2008 to 2012, and Ohta Publishing released the manga in two volumes. Vertical released the manga in a single omnibus volume.

Digital Manga Guild previously released Nakamura's Classmates and Sotsugyōsei manga in English, and Seven Seas then picked up the license to both in 2018 and released them in three volumes in 2019. Seven Seas has also licensed Nakamura's Sora and Hara and O.B. manga.

A-1 Pictures produced an anime film adaptation of the Classmates manga that opened in Japan in February 2016. Aniplex of America and Azoland Pictures released the film in theaters in the United States in May 2016, and Aniplex of America released the film on Blu-ray Disc in September of that year.

Sources: Utsubora live-action series' website and Twitter account, Comic Natalie