Sho Aikawa talks reunites with Sakichi Sato to bring us "Insect Detective Yoshimi Yoshida"

by Chris MaGee

It looks like Sho Aikawa is turning into quite the Dr. Doolittle lately. First off we had news that he's suiting up in a zebra suit again for Takashi Miike's "Zebraman 2: Zebra City no Gyakushu (Zebra City’s Counter Attack)" and now comes word that he's going to be talking to the animals... well, not animals. Insects actually.

The 48-year-old star of such films as "Dead or Alive", "Scars of the Sun" and of course "Zebraman" has teamed up with writer/ director Sakichi Sato for a live-action adaptation of Daichi Aozora's manga "Konchu Tantei Yoshida Yoshimi (Insect Detective Yoshimi Yoshida)". In fact according to Tokyograph this adaptation of the story of a detective who speaks to insects who help him solve his cases was Aikawa's idea. Apparently he's an entomology geek and has a collection of insects at home, so when he heard about Aozora's manga he made some phone calls and got the production under way.

This will actually be the fourth time that Aikawa will be working with Sakichi Sato. Sato wrote the screenplay and had a bit part in Takashi Miike's "Gozu" as well as directed Aikawa in two films, 2005's "Tokyo Zombie" and 2008's "Heibon Punch".

Look for "Konchu Tantei Yoshida Yoshimi" to be released in Japanese theatres in the spring of next year. Thanks to Sankei Sports for the above promo still from the film.