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Live-Action Wingman Series Unveils Cast, Director, Opening Song Artists

The staff for the live-action television series of Masakazu Katsura's Wingman manga announced the cast members, director, and opening theme song's artists on Tuesday.

The series stars (left in image above) Maito Fujioka (live-action Play it Cool, Guys)as Kenta Hirono and Konatsu Katō (live-action I's) as Aoi.

Kōichi Sakamoto (Kamen Rider Fourze, Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger, Ultraman Ginga S) is directing the series. Yoshitatsu Yamada (live-action Video Girl Ai, He's Expecting), Masaki Nishigaki (live-action Sayonara, High School), and Yuya Nakazono (episode scripts for Bono Bono, Japan Sinks: 2020) are penning the scripts for the series.

Rock band BLUE ENCOUNT is performing the opening theme song "chang[e]."

The series will begin airing on October 22 at 24:30 (effectively October 23 at 12:30 a.m.) to celebrate the series' 40th anniversary, with new episodes every Tuesday. The series will also run on the DMM TV service a week prior, beginning on October 16. TV Tokyo and Toei Video are producing in collaboration with DMM TV.

Wingman follows tokusatsu (special effects) nerd Kenta Hirono, a second-year middle school student who dreams of becoming a hero. One day, a mysterious woman named Aoi from the realm of Podreams appears before him. After sketching his superhero Wingman on the woman's Dream Notebook, he's able to transform into the hero and becomes involved in a fight between good and evil.

The series inspired an anime adaptation in 1984.

Katsura launched the series in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump in 1983. It ended serialization in 1985.

Many of Katsura's manga series have inspired anime and live-action adaptations, including Video Girl Ai, DNA², I''s, Wingman, and Zetman. He has also provided character designs for such anime as Tiger & Bunny, Iria - Zeiram the Animation, The Girl in Twilight, Double Decker! Doug & Kirill, and Garo: Crimson Moon.

Source: Press release