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Live-Action HaruChika Film Downplays Love Triangle, Mystery-Solving
posted on by Rafael Antonio Pineda
The official website for the live-action film of Sei Hatsuno's HaruChika: Haruta to Chika wa Seishun Suru "concert band youth mystery" novel series updated on Wednesday. The site revealed a teaser video and a new visual, elaborated on the story of the film, and added Keisuke Koide to the cast.
The website's story describes the same basic premise of both the novels and the anime, with Chika and Haruta's concert band club at school lacking members and facing the possibility of being shut down. Both scramble to recruit club members for the band. However, the synopsis makes no mention of the love triangle Chika and Haruta have for their instructor and advisor Shinjirō Kusakabe, and emphasizes instead the relationship between Chika and Haruta. The synopsis also does not mention the mystery-solving aspect of the novels' story.
The film's director Masahide Ichii notes in a comment on the website that the movie will focus on portraying the theme of "people with pain in their hearts reclaiming the place where they belong" to craft an original story, and a different HaruChika.
The film will open in Japan on March 4, 2017.
Keisuke Koide (seen below in costume) will play instructor Shinjirō Kusakabe.
Koide will join Rev. from DVL idol group member Kanna Hashimoto as Chika (shown below), and Sexy Zone idol group member Shori Sato as Haruta. Both Hashimoto and Sato learned how to play their characters' respective instruments for the film.
Additional cast members include:
- Yuri Tsunematsu (live-action From Five to Nine's Nene Sakuraba) as Serizawa
- Hiroya Shimizu (live-action Chihayafuru's Akihito Sudō) as Hiyama
- Kōki Maeda (live-action Gaki Rock's Makoto) as Katagiri
- Takuma Hiraoka (Wolf Children's Souhei) as Miyamoto
- Moka Kamishiraishi (Nou Shou Sakuretsu Girl's Maika Senu) as Taeko
- Himeri Nikaidō as Wakaba
Masahide Ichii (Blindly in Love) is directing the film. The film is in post-production — filming began in April and wrapped up in May.
The television anime of the novel series premiered on January 6, and Funimation streamed series. Funimation describes the story:
Things look bleak for the school's Wind Instrument Club until childhood friends Haruta and Chika step in to save the day. When they aren't practicing to perfect their own playing, they're working hard to save the club by recruiting new members. After a series of mysteries shock the school, they'll have to add junior detectives to their already impressive resumes.
Hatsuno released the first novel in the series in 2008, and Kadokawa published the fifth novel, Wakusei Karon (Planet Karon), last September. Kadokawa's Monthly Shōnen Ace magazine has been serializing a manga adaptation by Buuta since last October.
Source: Eiga Natalie via Nijipoi
