Live Action Film "Don't Mess with the Video Lab!" will be released on May 15! TV drama will also air from April. Cast includes Sakurako Konishi, Grace Emma, Riko Fukumoto, Masahiro Takashima

The TV animation "Don't Mess with the Video Lab!" which has been airing since January 5, 2020 will be released on May 15, 2020. In addition, it was announced that a six-episode TV drama will be broadcast on MBS, TBS Drama-ism, etc. starting in April, prior to the movie.

The TV drama, "Don't Mess with the Visual Effects Lab!" is a series of stories about a large group of children who are living in a small town in Japan, serialized in Shogakukan's "Monthly! Spirits" by Sumihito Odo.

The main character is Midori Asakusa, a first-year high school student. She is an anime fanatic who insists that "the setting is the life" of animation. However, she has been unable to take the first step toward animation production because she is unable to act on her own, even though she has been drawing various ideas. Sayaka Kanamori, who has a producer's temperament, was the first to notice Asakusa's talent. Furthermore, it turns out that her classmate Mizusaki Tsubame, a charismatic reader model, is actually an aspiring animator, and the three of them decide to establish a visual image laboratory to express the "strongest world" in their brains. ......

The live-action film and drama version of "Don't Mess with the Film Institute! will feature Asuka Saito as the main character Midori Asakusa, Minami Umezawa as Sayaka Kanamori, and Mizuki Yamashita as Tsubame Mizusaki.

In addition, a new cast for the drama version has been announced. The "Grand Student Council" is in charge of managing the budget for club activities. Its president, Toru Dotonbori, will be played by Sakurako Konishi, a hot actress who has many movie roles coming up in 2020. The secretary, Sakaki Sowande, will be played by Grace Emma, who is making her acting debut in this film. It was also announced that Riko Fukumoto, winner of the Grand Prix at the 8th "Toho Cinderella" audition, will play the role of Kyu Ajima, the leader of the large student council, and Masahiro Takashima will play the role of Mr. Fujimoto, the teacher who watches over the Image Laboratory with a unique aura.

Cast Comments

Comments from Sakurako Konishi, Grace Emma, and Riko Fukumoto are as follows (all in Japanese).

Comment from Sakurako Konishi
As a lover of movies, dramas, anime, etc., "Don't Mess with the Video Lab! was right in the middle of my favorites. When I read the original work, I thought again, "I love the world of images because it can break the boundary between dreams and reality. This work is filled with such romance. I play the role of Toru Dotonbori, the student council president, who dabbles in the visual image laboratory. Dotonbori is also a somewhat lovable character with his own sense of justice and passion, so I hope you will love him as much as I do. In the drama, there are many unique club members who are passionate and particular about various things, and their confrontations are so interesting that it was hard to hold back my laughter during the filming.
It was a very enjoyable experience for me, as it was my first time to shoot a full-fledged drama. It's cool to see people putting their lives on the line and going all out for what they love! Please look forward to both the movie and the drama!

■Grace Emma's comment
When I first read the original story, I fell in love with how cool Sakaki Sowande was! When I was chosen for the role, I was worried about whether or not I would ruin the image of Sowande in the original story, and most of all, I was anxious because it was my first time doing a real acting role. On the other hand, I was excited to see how the world of Videoken would be expressed! I had so much fun on the set that even my fears were put to rest! The director and all the cast members were very kind, and I hope that this atmosphere will be conveyed to the audience.
I am truly honored to be a part of such a wonderful film. Please look forward to the world of the strongest!

Comment from Riko Fukumoto
Everywhere you look, Mr. Daido's dreams and romance live on in the pages. It is like being forcibly dragged into that worldview...it is truly a frighteningly fascinating work. I feel a lot of pressure to express this fascination in live action, but I am even more excited to witness the "world of the strongest" woven by the three Dengeki girls up close and personal. I will be playing the role of Ajima, the boss of Shibahama High School's security department, who is known as the "cut-throat captain. In the original story, he is not yet the focus of the film, so he is probably a character that is shrouded in mystery. I was also troubled by the character and created the character from scratch in consultation with the director. I did my best to challenge myself while being conscious of how I could express the free-spirited Ajima in an interesting way and what I could do. This is the most violent and riotous work I have ever done. Please look forward to "The Great Student Council," or rather, "Don't Mess with the Video Lab! Please look forward to "The Great Student Council," or rather, "Don't Mess with the Institute of Image Arts and Sciences!

TV Drama Outline
Don't mess with the SIG!
Broadcast Information
　MBS April 5, 24:50~.
　TBS April 7, 25:28~.
Cast
　Midori Asakusa / Asuka Saito
　Mizusaki Tsubame / Mizuki Yamashita
　Sayaka Kanamori/Minami Umezawa
　Toru Dotonbori / Sakurako Konishi
　Sakaki Sowande/Grace Emma
　Nine Ajima/Riko Fukumoto
　Dr. Fujimoto/Masahiro Takashima

Live-action movie information
■"Don't mess with the Visual Effects Lab!
Release date: May 15
Director, Series Composition: Tsutomu Hanabusa
Production Company: ROBOT
Production Production Company: ROBOT
・Cast:
　Midori Asakusa/Asuka Saito
　Mizusaki Tsubame / Mizuki Yamashita
　Sayaka Kanamori / Minami Umezawa

<Story
Midori Asakusa (Asuka Saito), a girl with a camouflage hat and camouflage backpack, loves anime. She has an imagination beyond compare. However, she is extremely shy, to the point that she has a stroke when a stranger talks to her.
Asakusa's classmate Sayaka Kanamori (Minami Umezawa) is a tall girl with beautiful legs and an unusual obsession with making money. Shibahama High School, where these two students entered, is a chaotic high school with 413 club activities and 72 research groups and similar student organizations. The student council unites these club activities and student organizations. Toru Dotonbori (Sakurako Konishi), Sowande (Grace Emma), Riko Fukumoto (Riko Fukumoto), and Ryo Oh (Ryo Matsuzaki) are the executives in charge of the administration. At Shibahama High School, Asakusa and Kanamori meet Mizusaki Tsubame (Mitsuki Yamashita), a charismatic reader model. Swallow is also a new student at Shibahama High School and an aspiring animator.
After their fateful encounter, the three decide to pursue animation production. Thus began the adventures of the three Dengeki girls in their quest to become "the strongest in the world!

(C) 2020 "Shizugakken" Live Action Film Production Strategy Council (C) 2016 Sumihito Daido/Shogakukan
(C) 2020 "Shizugakken" Live Action Drama Production Strategy Council (C) 2016 Sumihito Daido/Shogakukan