Actors and audience work up an appetite in Tetsu Maeda's "Gokudo Meshi"

by Chris MaGee

I often wonder about films that involve the actors eating a lot. Of course there's the question of calories, but I often wonder just how tasty some of what's being served up on screen is in actual fact. A perfect example of this is a new manga-to-screen adaptation being directed by "School Days with a Pig" director Tetsu Maeda.

Titled "Gokudo Meshi" the film centers around a group of convicts who spend their New Year's Day in lock down competing over who gets what from the plate of traditional osechi New Year's foods served up by the guards. They do this by trying to top each other with stories of the most delicious meals they have ever had the pleasure of eating. That kind of game would work up an appetite, that's for sure!

Based on Shigeru Tsuchiyama's manga of the same name "Gokudo Meshi" stars an ensemble cast which includes Tasuku Nagaoka, Masanobu Katsumura, Shunsuke Aida, Gitaro, Akaji Maro, Fumino Kimura, and Yoji Tanaka. Apparently only two days of the 12-day shoot for the film saw the actors not supping on catered treats.

Expect to see "Gokudo Meshi" in Japanese theatres later this year. Thanks to Tokyograph for the details on this story, and to Eiga.com for the above promotional still.