Nikaido Fumi and GACKT to star in film adaptation of ’80s hit manga “Tonde Saitama”

Maya Mineo may be known for his manga series “Patarillo!” (1978-1990) but this time another gag manga of hers will be receiving new attention.

Maya Mineo’s ’80s one-volume yaoi manga “Tonde Saitama” was a huge hit, selling 620,000 copies and originally featured in three parts (winter 1982, summer and spring 1983) in the manga magazine “Hana to Yume”.  The manga received a reprint in 2015 and the revolved around her living in Tokorozawa, Saitama at the time.  Unfortunately, the manga’s storyline is incomplete as Maya Mineo moved away from Saitama to Yokohama.

Granted, the manga series didn’t portray Saitama prefecture locals in the greatest light.

In the manga, Saitama citizens were treated a bit harshly.  From how electricity just came to the region recently, TV’s are rare, there is no taxi but people ride on an ox or carriage.  How Tokyo citizens go to Mitsukoshi and Saitama Citizens are prohibited to going to Mitsukoshi but Seiyu is OK. And how Saitama citizens are cured by eating grass.  And for those who are from Saitama and attend a Tokyo High School, they will not receive decent medical treatment, so they must eat grass to get better.  And how Saitama citizens smell like fertilizer.

The story revolves around Saitama prefecture always receiving criticisms and are discriminated by Tokyo citizens. In the manga, the one prefecture treated worse than Saitama citizens are Ibaraki citizens.  And because they only make natto, people are extremely poor and must go to work in Saitama prefecture.

One day, the top high school in Tokyo, which is attended by Hakuhoudou Momomi (a guy who looks female), the grandson of the director of the academy, encounters a mysterious transfer student returning from America, Asami Rei (a guy).

Rei was sent to study abroad in order to learn about culture and discrimination, strengthen himself to someday become a future politician, so when he returns to Saitama, hoping one day to eliminate discrimination that Tokyo citizens have towards Saitama citizens and in one day, regain the rights for Saitama citizens.  But in truth, also to protect Rei, so that Tokyo students will think he’s from America and not Saitama.

And Hakuhoudou finds himself falling for Asami Rei, but the problem is…Asami is from Saitama prefecture.  What happens when Hakuhoudou finds out that Asami is from the Saitama prefecture?

Thus the story is referred to as Saitama’s version of “Romeo and Juliet”.

And now “Tonde Saitama” will be made into a live-action film to be released in 2019 and will be directed by Takeuchi Hideki.  The film will star actress Nikaido Fumi as Hakuhoudou Momomi and will also star GACKT as Asami Rei.

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