Director Sato Shinsuke has had quite the competition in the past few years. 2017 saw the release of at least four live-action anime adaptations of popular manga properties, so it was a pretty loaded year and particularly with Bleach being thrown in the mix.
It took quite a while but the promotional rollout of this latest induction from Sato, who also hails the summer festival crowd with Inuyashiki, also brings a fuller, more visible cast list to the live-action realm of BLEACH that includes the raft of warriors and mystics that entail this inaugural venture. Provided it measures accordingly I’d say a sequel would be great to see spawn after this.
Indeed, the desktop version of this article looks a lot better so if you’re on mobile, feel free to switch that shit. At any rate though, Japan locals are officially two months out from bearing witness to what a live-action adaptation of Kubo Tite’s highly beloved manga, BLEACH, looks like on the big screen.
I wouldn’t rest too long on actor Fukushi Sota if you’re minding this year’s intake of live-action manga fare. More footage is finally rolling out in the tiniest bits from his latest, Kubo Tite’s BLEACH, hailing from director Sato Shinsuke of GANTZ and Library Wars fame and for that, we get a thirty-second glimpse of what last year’s twenty-second teaser was all about.
Indeed, it’s Fukushi reunited with Blade Of The Immortal co-star Sugisaki Hana re-enacting the pivotal moment in which a Ichigo, high school delinquent who can see ghosts is embued with supernatural powers by Rukia, a Soul Reaper injured from battling a “Hollow”. That’s the big creature meeting its demise and for an anime adaptation, there’s a good chance this production did what it felt needed to make such a film happen, especially for a manga with fifteen years of source material…
Talk about playing it close to the chest.
Expect more casting and more footage updates before its July 20 Japan release.
Much to its credit, last year’s teaser looked pretty damn cool in achieving its desired effect. Actor Fukushi Sota is set to star as Kurosaki Ichigo, a high school student who is mysteriously able to see and interact with ghosts. When he harnesses the powers and abilities of a Soul Reaper named Rukia amidst her whirlwind battle with an otherworldly demon called a “hollow”, the two form a reluctant alliance to tackle the beasts, setting off an incredible adventure of self-discovery between epic, brutal, interdimensional battles against superior foes among many factions.
Samurai Manji has taken a lot of lives, both innocent and guilty, and now lives life in feudal Japan as a criminal. After being cursed with immortality until he kills enough evil men, Manji meets a young girl who enlists him to be her body-guard. Swearing loyalty, protection and vengeance against the group of sword fighters who slaughtered her family, the unlikely duo set on a remarkable quest to make right against those who did them wrong.
Spring and summer have been much ado with acclaimed director Miike Takashi, now making waves at Fantasia this summer following his most recent theatrical Japan release, Blade Of The Immortal back in April from Warner Bros. Japan. Its Cannes premiere in May led to some terrific news for folks in North America tracking the film and with none other than Magnet Releasing snagging the rights for a U.S. release to be announced.
Miike Takashi’s new movie, Blade Of The Immortal, is screening at Cannes on Thursday and with more deals to be made on its distribution after inking a North American deal with Magnet Releasing. In the meantime, we finally have an English-subtitled trailer to share from HanWay Films who are representing the film internationally for buyers.
The film, produced by Jeremy Thomas, Misako Saka, and Shigeji Maeda in association with Warner Bros Japan, takes from Samurai Hiroaki’s popular manga of the same name; Oishi Tetsuya’s screenplay centers a young woman who, following the murder of her family and devastation of her dojo at the hands of a bloodthirsty martial arts school, desperately seeks vengeance with the help of an afflicted, immortal swordsman with a vendetta of his own.
Actor Kimura Takuya leads the cast along with Sugisaki Hana, and also stars Fukushi Sota, Toda Erika, Ichikawa Ibizo, Tanaka Min and Yamazaki Tsutomu.
Screendaily exclusively made the trailer debut on Thursday, and I have to say, as spoilery as a only few bits and pieces here may be, I’m still eager to see this one myself. Check it out below!
Live-action approaches to popular manga and anime properties continue to be tested as always, such are nothing new for director Miike Takashi to tackle as he’s taken on quite his fair share. His latest one whose IP is loved by many a manga reader, titled Blade Of The Immortal and now on par for an April 29 release from Warner Bros. Japan.
Samura Hiroaki’s hit 1993 Monthly Afternoon publication lays the groundwork for this new affair with actor Kimura Takura starring as Manji, an afflicted immortal swordsman whose help is desperately sought by a young woman eager to avenge her parents and their fencing school, destroyed at the hands of the “itto ryu”. Actress Sugisaki Hana stars as our heroine bent on seeking revenge opposite actor Fukushi Sota who plays one of the film’s several deadly principal villains.
Follow Miike’s career long enough and it appears you’ll prosper, because the official trailer below has arrived and while I’m not at all familiar with the manga, I’m immediately thrownback to my viewing of 13 Assassins just a few years back. Clearly Miike knows how to speak the language of chanbara and he does so with sheer excellence.
Official artwork is abound so stay tuned in the meantime and check out the trailer below.
UPDATE: Watch the full 30-second teaser now!
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