Supporting cast lineup for new movie "Ajin" announced

The supporting cast lineup for new movie "Ajin" starring Sato Takeru was announced. "Ajin" was first seralised in the manga magazine "good! Afternoon" from 2012 and has released 9 volumes to date which has accumulated sales of more than 5.4 million copies. The anime movie version was screened in November 2015 while the TV anime series was shown from January 2016. The title "Ajin" refers to a group of people who look like ordinary humans but will not die even if they sustain life-threatening injuries.

In the movie version, Sato will play the lead character Nagai Kei who is a 26-year-old medical intern although the manga's setting is that Kei is a 17-year-old senior high school student. One day, he gets knocked down by a truck but is shocked to see his body recovering instantenously on its own which makes him realise that he is an Ajin. As a result, Kei is kept under custody at the Ajin Research Institute where he is subjected to inhumane tests by the researchers. Just then, a Ajin terrorist Sato who wears a cap comes to rescue Kei but this is actually with the intention of getting Kei to join him in a mass massacre to take revenge against the non-Ajins. Kei then has to fight Sato and his accomplices even though he is the weakest Ajin who has yet to master how to control his power and IBM well.

Ayano Go will be playing Sato, a former military man who tries to overturn the country by conducting a large-scale massacre. Due to his Ajin abilities, Sato is able to regenerate his body even after suffering life-threatening injuries. In order to prepare for this role, Ayano had to stick to a strict diet, dye his hair silver and do muscle training which made the staff exclaim as if his muscular body was the result of CG. Ayano revealed that there was one scene where he had to appear naked so he started physical training 4.5 months before the filming started in order to make himself appear as close as the Sato in the manga and show respect to the author, fans and all those who love "Ajin". In fact, the director Motoki Katsuyuki was so impressed with the result of Ayano's hard work that he used the image of his naked upper body as his mobile phone's wallpaper.

Sato's accomplices Tanaka Koji, Okuyama Masumi and Takahashi Kotobuki will be played by Shirota Yu, Chiba Yuudai and Yamada Yuki. As for the role of Tosaki Yu who is the head of Ajin Research under the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and wages war against the Ajin organisation, he will be played by Tamayama Tetsuji. Tosaki's bodyguard-cum-secretary Shimomura Izumi who is also a Ajin will be played by Kawaei Rina. Kei's younger sister Eriko will be played by Hamabe Minami.

Filming started in November last year and was concluded in Tokyo on 10 January this year while post-production works are expected to be completed in July. The movie is scheduled to be screened in cinemas from 30 September.

Sources: Natalie / Cinema Cafe / Nikkansports / Sanspo / Eiga.com