CLAMP's hit comic "Holic xxxHOLiC", first live-action film directed by Mika Ninagawa! Ryunosuke Kamiki plays Kimihiro April 1st and Kou Shibasaki plays Yuko Ichihara!

It was announced that the live-action film "Holic xxxHOLiC" will be released on April 29, 2022 (Friday, national holiday). It was also announced that Ryunosuke Kamiki will play the role of Kimihiro Watanuki, a high school student, and Kou Shibasaki will play Yuko Ichihara, the proprietress of a mysterious "mise" that grants any wish.

Based on the best-selling comic of the same title by CLAMP, a creative group with a charismatic presence that depicts supernatural phenomena with aesthetically pleasing visuals. It was serialized in Young Magazine (2003-2010) and has sold more than 14 million copies. It has been adapted into a novel, an anime, a live-action drama, and a stage play, and now it has been announced that it will be made into a long-awaited live-action movie for the first time.

Mika Ninagawa, one of Japan's top creators and one of the world's leading photographers, will take on the challenge of directing the film, which will follow the success of two films directed by completely different directors, "Diner Diner" and "Ningen Shikkaku: Osamu Dazai and the Three Women" in 2019 and the Netflix original drama "FOLLOWERS" in 2020. FOLLOWERS" will be distributed in 190 countries around the world, and he has a dazzling track record in visual works as well. Ninagawa has been a fan of the original work since it was first published, and for about 10 years has been eagerly awaiting the film version. The film will feature the one-of-a-kind world of CLAMP, whose beautiful illustrations have been gaining a strong following, in a glossy, gorgeous, and stunning visual style that will captivate anyone who sees it!

High school student Kimihiro April 1st is played by Ryunosuke Kamiki, a talented actor who has starred in numerous hit and talked-about films. He delicately and powerfully plays the role of a lonely young man who wishes to lead a normal life, but is alienated from others due to his special ability to see "ayakashi" that haunt the dark corners of people's hearts. He also takes on the challenge of VFX-laden action in this film, and the confrontation scene with the ayakashi is a must-see.
Kou Shibasaki, an actress, singer, and representative of Retrograde, plays the role of Yuko Ichihara, the proprietress of the mysterious "Mise" who can make any wish come true. She will portray a bewitchingly beautiful woman who discovers April 1st's ability and offers to fulfill his wish in exchange for a price, with her exotic beauty and outstanding acting skills.
This will be the first time that Kamiki and Shibasaki have starred together since they appeared together in the TV drama "Dr. Coto Clinic" when Kamiki was 10 years old.

The visual released this time is one that director Ninagawa himself shot during the filming of the movie. Yuko, who leads April 1st, smiles bewitchingly in this superb image, which raises expectations for the world of "Holic xxxHOLiC" as only director Ninagawa can. The character photos of April 1st and Yuko, also shot by Ninagawa, have also been released. We hope you will also look forward to the visual beauty of this "new sensation visual fantasy".

The film will be released on April 29, 2022 (Friday, national holiday). Including this release, "Holic xxxHOLiC" will be released three weeks in a row, including the announcement of additional cast members, so please look forward to more information in the future.

Comments

Director: Mika Ninagawa

Director: Mika Ninagawa

＜Comment: "I really want to make xxxHOLiC.

I really want to make xxxHOLiC into a movie! It's been about 10 years since we first met to discuss this project. After overcoming many obstacles, we finally completed the film.
Now that it is finished, I feel a certain sense of "inevitability" that it can be released at this time of year.
We experienced the moment when the world changed with a sound, and it is precisely because we have experienced it now that what is being said in "xxxHOLiC" seems to penetrate more deeply into our minds.
In this world, everyone is involved with someone and shares something. The choice is yours, and the future lies in the choices you make.
Guided by the power of the original work, I think I was able to reach a new expression. We have done our best.
Please come to the theater.

About Ms. Shibasaki
I have long wanted to work with Ms. Shibasaki. I was convinced of the success of this film when I was chosen to play the role. It is a very difficult role, but Ms. Shibasaki's convincing performance as Yuko is simply amazing, and I believe that the image of Yuko is convincing even to the fans of the original story. I am still excited to see the overwhelmingly beautiful Kou Shibasaki that I have always wanted to see.

About Mr. Kamiki...
I was really happy to be able to work with him this time because I thought, "Kamiki-kun is the only choice for April 1st. It was almost our first meeting, but I was constantly amazed during the filming by his acting ability to get the right answers exactly right and by his passion for the production.
It was a happy time for me to be exposed to so much of Ryunosuke Kamiki's talent, and it was just a fun and fulfilling shoot.
He is my best guess right now! I can safely guess! I would love to work with you again on another exciting job.

Ryunosuke Kamiki: April 1st, Kimihiro Watanuki
A lonely high school student who can see the "ayakashi" that haunt the dark corners of people's hearts.

<Comments
I never thought I would be cast in Mika Ninagawa's xxxHOLiC.
I was very happy.
I wondered if it would be okay for me to be part of her worldview. I wondered if it would be okay for me to be a part of your worldview, but you welcomed me in a very kind way. Thank you very much!
I had the pleasure of working with Kou Shibasaki when I was in elementary school, and I was happy to be able to work with her again.
I look forward to working with you again on "xxxHOLiC!

Kou Shibasaki: Playing the role of Yuko Ichihara
The bewitchingly beautiful mistress of the Mise, who grants people's wishes in exchange for a price.

<Comments
It was a pleasure to be a part of the film created by the one and only Mika Ninagawa, who has a unique sense of color and beauty. I had already enjoyed the world view from the time of the fitting and makeup test before crank-in.
Also, every time I re-read the original story, the image of "April 1st" overlapped with Ryunosuke Kamiki's, and he looked exactly like "April 1st" on the set. I think we were able to naturally create a mysterious relationship between "April 1st" and Yuko.
As for the film, I thought it would be more enjoyable if you could watch it while discussing with your friends about the interior design, costumes, makeup, hair, and various other art works rather than watching it in silence. I hope that people who love fashion will also watch this film.

Producer: Fumitsugu Ikeda (Shochiku)

This is a live-action film adaptation of "xxxHOLiC," which I have loved reading for a long time. It is a dream come true.
I was surprised when I was asked by Mika Ninagawa, a director I trust, "I really want to make a movie of xxxHOLiC and I need your help." However, I thought he was the only person who could express CLAMP's worldview in a live-action movie. We worked with great respect to ensure that the artistic beauty of the original work and the deep message of the film would not be compromised.

As for the casting, I am in awe of the ability of the two leads to successfully embody the extremely difficult roles they were cast to play.
Mr. Kamiki is the very embodiment of April 1st, a young man who has a problem with "seeing" things he cannot see, including his appearance and image. I had heard that he was a skilled actor, but I wondered if he might be an android. I had heard that he was a skilled actor, but I was repeatedly surprised by his talent to express the inner workings of his complex mind with such precision and precision that I wondered if he might be an android.
The mysterious "dimensional witch" Yuko Ichihara is played by Kou Shibasaki. She is an absolute presence with both a dignified beauty and a bewitching presence, and yet she is a charming and attractive woman. The director and I were in complete agreement that there was no other choice but to go with Ms. Shibasaki. Not to mention her beauty, she sublimated the popular character with her overwhelming presence that changes the atmosphere just by being there, and her superb acting ability.
The overwhelming sex appeal of the two of them can only be felt in a live-action movie.

The movie "Holic xxxHOLiC" is a bewitchingly beautiful "new sensation visual fantasy" that has never been seen before.
We will be sending out exciting information one after another.
Please look forward to it.

Information on the works
Holic xxxHOLiC

＜Release date:
April 29, 2022 (Friday, national holiday)

<Story> "I'll make any wish come true.

I will make any wish come true.
However, there must be a price to pay for it. ?????
This is a "mise-en-scène" where you can make any wish that lurks in the back of your mind come true. What is your wish?

Watanuki is a lonely high school student who can see the "ayakashi" that haunt the dark corners of people's hearts. One day, he is guided by a butterfly to a mysterious mise-en-scène, where he wishes to erase his ability and lead a normal life.
I will grant you any wish you wish for. But you will have to pay for it. Yuko, the mysterious and beautiful mistress of the Mise, whispers to April 1st that she will give him "the most precious thing" to make his wish come true. April 1st comes to live with Yuko and help her with the mise-en-scène. He eventually becomes friends with his classmates Doumeki and Himawari, and as he meets people with problems, he becomes involved in a case of unimaginable magnitude..!

<Staff> Director: Mika Ninagawa
Director : Mika Ninagawa
Starring:Ryunosuke Kamiki, Kou Shibasaki
Original Story: CLAMP "xxxHOLiC" (serialized in Kodansha's "Young Magazine")
Screenplay : Erika Yoshida
Production: "Holic" Film Partners Distribution: Shochiku Asmik Ace

Original story information

Original comic "xxxHOLiC" total 19 volumes, "xxxHOLiC Return" volumes 1-4 (serialized in Young Magazine), now on sale!
CLAMP PREMIUM COLLECTION "xxxHOLiC", a new edition series of CLAMP's works, is being published monthly from August 2021! (Or Volumes 1-8, on sale now!)

Published by Kodansha Ltd.

(C) CLAMP, ShigatsuTsuitachi CO.,LTD. / Kodansha
(C) 2022 "HORIC" Film Partners (C) CLAMP, ShigatsuTsuitachi CO.,LTD./KODANSHA