The manga Blue Period by Tsubasa Yamaguchi is so popular that it not only has an anime adaptation, but it’s also getting a live-action film. The film hits Japanese theaters this Friday, August 9. Ahead of that, a trailer has been released. In it, you can hear the featured song “Shokeiga” (translated as “Portrait of Yearning”).

The film was directed by Kentaro Hagiwara, known for his work on live-action Tokyo Ghoul adaptation. Reiko Yoshida, who wrote the scripts and handled the series composition for the Blue Period anime, wrote the script for this film as well. The soundtrack was composed by Yaffle (Yuki Kojima).

Fans had the opportunity to get a first-hand look at the Blue Period film at Japan Cuts, a New York film festival, on July 13.

Looking at the cast, Gordon Maeda plays Yatora Yaguchi, Fumiya Takahashi plays Ryuji Ayukawa, Rihito Itagaki plays Yotasuke Takahashi, Hiyori Sakurada plays Maru Mori, Hiroko Yakushimaru plays Masako Saeki, Noriko Eguchi plays Mayu Oba, Hikari Ishida plays Marie Yaguchi, Sena Nakajima plays Maki Kuwana, Ikuho Akiya plays Haruka Hashida, Katsumi Hyodo plays Koigakubo, Masaki Miura plays Mr. Goto, and Yasuhide Aiki plays Yukinobu Yaguchi.

THE Blue Period the manga began in 2017 in the pages of Afternoon magazine. She has won or been nominated for several awards.

Kodansha USA Publishing releases the original Blue Period manga in America, and gave this description for the first volume:

Blue Period Plot

Yatora is the perfect high school student, with good grades and lots of friends. He’s an effortless performer, and ultimately… boring. But he walks into the art room one day, and a lone painting catches his eye, awakening him to a kind of beauty he’s never known. Compelled and consumed, he dives in headfirst—and he’s about to learn just how wild and unforgiving art can be!

Source: ANN

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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, as well as its sequel, Manga art for everyoneand the first manga chalk book of its kind Manga Chalk Artboth illustrated by professional Japanese manga artist Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.