Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Life of gag manga legend Fujio Akatsuka coming to the big screen with new biopic

by Chris MaGee

There's not just news about the life of "GeGeGe no Kitaro" creator Shigeru Mizuki coming to the screen today. Nippon Cinema also has word that the life of another iconic manga artist will also be turned into a feature film this year.

In 2008 the world of manga lost one of its most famed artists. Fujio Akatsuka was the creator of some of the best loved gag manga in Japanese comics history. These included "Tensai Bakabon", the story of a dysfunctional but lovable family, "Osomatsu-kun", about a goof set of sextuplets, and the shōjo manga "Himitsu no Akko-chan". When Akatsuka passed away two years ago at the age of 72 it seemed like the end of an era. Now his life will be brought to the screen in a feature film written by "Bayside Shakedown" screenerwriter Ryoichi Kimizuka and directed by Hideaki Sato. It's title "Korede Iinoda! Eiga: Akatsuka Fujio" comes from the phrase often repeated by the father in "Tensai Bakabon", which translates to "It'll be alright!" There's no word yet on who will be portraying Akatsuka, but if you follow the link above to Nippon Cinema you can get details on casting calls for extras for the film.

Expect to see "Korede Iinoda! Eiga: Akatsuka Fujio" in Japanese theatres next spring. For now check out this short film from NHK TV of the original gag manga "Tensai Bakabon".

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