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Bakka Okita's Owakare Hospital Manga Gets Live-Action Series in February

NHK announced on October 24 the live-action drama adaptation of Bakka Okita's Owakare Hospital (The Parting Hospital) manga, which will premiere on NHK's "Saturday Drama" programming block on February 3 at 10:00 p.m. JST.

The series stars Yukino Kishii (left in image above) as the protagonist Henmi, who has been working as a nurse in a hospital's terminal ward, and Kenichi Matsuyama (live-action Saint Young Men, Death Note, Detroit Metal City films) as Seiji Hirono. The series will have a total of four episodes. Takeshi Shibata and Tomochika Kasaura are directing the series, Naoko Adachi is writing the script, and Yasuaki Shimizu is composing the music.

The tragic-comedy drama manga centers on Henmi, a nurse who has been working at a hospital's terminal ward for two years now. In the terminal ward, Henmi witnesses the remaining life and the impending death of various patients.

Among her other manga series, Okita also launched the Tōmei na Yurikago - Sanfujinka Iin Kangoshi Minarai Nikki manga in 2013, which centers on an apprentice nurse working at an Obstetrics and Gynecology clinic. The manga's stories are based on Okita's experiences working as a nurse at a similar clinic. The manga ranked #6 on the top manga for female readers in the 2017 edition of Takarajimasha's Kono Manga ga Sugoi! (This Manga Is Amazing!) guidebook. The manga ended in its ninth volume in April 2021.

The manga also received a live-action series adaptation, which premiered on NHK in July 2018. Shibata, Adachi, and Shimizu also worked on the manga's live-action adaptation.

Source: NHK