Netflix Unveils Three New Japanese Series, Including Steel Ball Run Anime
According to CinemaDrame News Agency, Netflix has announced three new Japanese series to mark the 10th anniversary of its entry into the Japanese market. Among them is the comedy series Did Someone Happen to Mention Me, starring Koji Yakusho, who won Best Actor at Cannes for Perfect Days.
The show follows a man named Gen Takasegawa, played by Yakusho, who became the first Japanese actor to perform a leading role at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London. When he returns home after two years, he discovers that the memory of him has been erased from everyone’s mind. The series is written by Kankuro Kudo and produced by Akira Isayama, who previously collaborated on Let’s Get Divorced and Extremely Inappropriate.
Another highlight is Netflix’s Japanese anime Steel Ball Run, based on the popular manga JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, which was first serialized in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump in 1987.
The epic story, directed by Yasuhiro Kimura, is set in the 19th century and centers on the first intercontinental horse race. It follows Johnny Joestar, a former horse-racing prodigy left paralyzed after an accident, who enters the grueling race with Gyro Zeppeli, a mysterious outlaw.
The third project is the drama Straight to Hell, starring Erika Toda (Death Note). The series recounts the story of Kazuko Hosoki, one of Japan’s most famous real-life fortune tellers. Direction is shared by Tomoyuki Takimoto (Grasshopper) and Norichika Oba.
