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Airi Katsura, Keishi Nishikida's Grapara! Manga Gets Live-Action Series Adaptation on July 6

ABC TV announced on Sunday the live-action series adaptation of writer Airi Katsura and artist Keishi Nishikida's Grapara! manga. The series will premiere on ABC TV's "Drama L" programming block, and will stream on DMM TV on July 6, at 24:10 JST (effectively, July 7 at 12:10 a.m.). The series will star former SKE48 member Ruka Kitano as protagonist Sakura Katsuragi.

Kenji Kuwashima is directing the series and Shinya Hokimoto is writing the script.

The slightly naughty love comedy story centers on aspiring gravure idol Sakura Katsuragi and gravure otaku Shinobu Sumida, who end up living together after Shinobu saves Sakura from a deranged fan and stalker. Shinobu seems to be living the dream with his favorite gravure idol, but now he has to protect Sakura from perverted photograpers, corrupt managers, and sexual harasser producers. Can Shinobu protect Sakura's chastity?

The manga launched on Kodansha's Magazine Pocket service in August 2023. Kodansha published the manga's first compiled book volume in December 2023, and the sixth volume on March 6.

Katsura is the original creator of the Karimazakari adult dōjinshi manga. An ongoing spinoff of the manga titled Karimazaka Re: Reborn Shitara Bōzudatta DT launched in September last year. Katsura and artist Kei Miike recently launched the Karamizakari ~Machikado no Love song~ (Karamizakari ~Love Song on the Street Corner~) manga in Kodansha's new supplement magazine Young Magazine xxx (read as X), on December 23.

Writer Yuu Kuraishi and Nishikida's My Wife is Wagatsuma-san manga launched in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine in 2011, and ended in 2014. Kodansha USA Publishing, Azuki, and Kodansha's K MANGA service publish the manga in English digitally. Crunchyroll also previously published the manga on its manga section until 2018.

Sources: ABC TV's X/Twitter account, Comic Natalie