News
Production I.G Produces Anime Segments for Live-Action Film
posted on by Jennifer Sherman
Anime studio Production I.G (Ghost in the Shell, Blood: The Last Vampire, Psycho-Pass, Eden of the East) is producing anime segments for the live-action film Mugiko-san to. Maki Horikita (Ataru: The First Love & The Last Kill, Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva, Always San-chōme no Yūhi) stars in the film as a young otaku aiming to become an anime voice actress. Ryuhei Matsuda (NANA live-action film, Fune o Amu, Kita no Kanaria-tachi) plays Mugiko's undependable, gambling-loving older brother Norio.
Production I.G is producing a clip from the fictional television anime Imadoki Dōkyūsei (Right Now Classmates) exclusively for use in the film. The anime is the favorite of the film's title character Mugiko. In the anime's story, battles unfold as the female main character uses the power of science in the virtual world.
The film's director Keisuke Yoshida (sankaku, Junkissa Isobe, Tsukue no Nakami) is an anime fan who likes anime with "cute girls and cool women" such as his recent favorites, Toaru Kagaku no Railgun S and anohana. Yoshida requested Production I.G to produce the anime segments. Itsuro Kawasaki (Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE the Movie: The Princess in the Birdcage Kingdom, Legend of the Legendary Heroes, Listen to Me, Girls. I Am Your Father!) is directing the anime. Yoshida wanted the anime to include elements inspired by shows such as the late-night television anime series Precure. In the film's story, the anime is being produced as a two-cours (half-year), 26-episode television anime series, and Yoshida joked that he is waiting for talk of a spinoff.
Yoshida starting planning the film about eight years ago. In the film's story, Mugiko's mother unexpectedly comes back into her life after having no contact for a long time, and the pair live together. Mugiko's mother suddently dies, and Mugiko travels to her mother's hometown to lay her ashes to rest. Only there does Mugiko learn what kind of a person her mother truly was.
The film is slated to open in Japan on December 21. More images and a full trailer are available on the Oricon website.
Source: Oricon
Image © Mugiko-san to Production Committee
