Pop singer Shoko Nakagawa directs short film based on work of "Paprika" author

by Chris MaGee

Okay, I have to admit that I had never heard of pop singer and anime voice actress Shoko Nakagawa before reading this post at Anime News Network, and after a search through YouTube to have a listen to her songs I'm not entirely sure I'm glad I've heard of her. Well, I am actually because according the the ANN post the 25-year-old star is branching out into directing and her debut film is based on the writings of Yasutaka Tsutsui. Tsutsui's name doesn't ring immediate bells? It should. He's the author of "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" and "Paprika" and I'm sure you're all familiar with those screen adaptations.

This 17-minute short film will act as a prologue to the upcoming feature film "Nanase Futatabi" directed by Kazuya Konaka and based on Tsutsui's novel of the same name. (Read our original report on the film here.) Nakagawa's film will tie-in with the plot of Konaka's film that centers around Nanase, a pyschic who must join forces with others gifted with ESP in order to track down and stop someone who is hunting psychics down. You can check out the full trailer for "Nanase Futatabi" below.