No zombies or lesbians for Koji Kawano's "Hoshi no Furu Machi"

by Chris MaGee

Just last night I had the, shall I say distinct pleasure, of watching Koji Kawano's 2007 boobs and blood extravaganza "Attack Girls' Swim Team Versus the Undead" at a friends house. I'd obviously read Matt Hardstaff's review of the film, but nothing could really have prepared me for the utterly tongue-in-cheek shlock factor of what could be the worst film made in years, or the best if you're a connoisseur of busting a gut laughing and cat-calling the screen, which we did a lot of during the film. So with "Attack Girls" fresh in my mind the news posted over at Tokyograph today jumped out at me.

Apparently Kawano (above left), who also helmed the horror film "Cruel Restaurant" and the low-budget lesbian drama "Love My Life" will be shedding his V-Cinema roots for a screen adaptation of Hidenori Hara's manga "Hoshi no Furu Machi". The manga follows a young man who settles in Toyama Prefecture after flunking out of high school in Tokyo. 19-year-old actor Aoi Nakamura (above right) will portray the lead character as he discovers that what first looked like a failure has led him to a new purpose in life. I wonder if Kawano can squeeze any lesbian zombies into this new film...