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Comedian Shinagawa Writes, Directs Film From His Drop Story
posted on by Egan Loo
Comedian Hiroshi Shinagawa will write and direct a film adaptation of his own autobiographical Drop coming-of-age novel and manga. Akita Shoten's Monthly Shōnen Champion magazine made the formal announcement in its July issue (released on June 6), although Shinagawa revealed the project in a May 23 blog entry. Shinagawa and fellow comedian Tomoharu Shōji currently perform together as the duo Shinagawa Shōji.
Drop's story follows Shinagawa's early life as he grew up in the streets of 1980s' Tokyo. Young Shinagawa decides to become a delinquent after reading the manga classic Be-Bop-Highschool and transfers from a private middle school to a public one. Shingawa's new life of cigarettes, bats, and iron pipes begins when he meets the leader of the delinquents at his new school.
Shinagawa first wrote the story in 2006 as a novel with illustrations by manga artist Hiroshi Takahashi (Crows, Worst). Another manga artist, Dai Suzuki, adapted the novel for Monthly Shōnen Champion in 2007, and three volumes have since been compiled. The producers plan to open the film in the early months of 2009.
