It has been announced that Nemurubaka, a manga by Ishiguro Masakazu, known for works such as Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru and Tengoku Daimakyou, will be adapted into a live-action film to be released in spring 2025. Kubo Shiori of the idol group Nogizaka46 and actor Taira Yuna will co-star.
The film is based on a manga serialized in Monthly Comic Ryu (Tokuma Shoten). The protagonists are a junior and senior who live in the same room in a university women's dormitory, with Kubo playing the junior Irisu Yuzumi and Taira playing the senior Kujirai Ruka. The film depicts young people who spend a strange time as "university students," feeling as if their heads are up to their heads in lukewarm water, but who are also quite earnest to the people involved.
The film will be directed by Sakamoto Yugo, known for the Baby Warukyure series. Director Sakamoto, who is attempting to adapt a manga for the first time with this film, said, "The act of adapting a manga into a film is a huge undertaking, so I was really worried, but my ego made me think, 'I want to do it if someone else does it!' and so I raised my hand."
Kubo commented, "When I encountered the work Nemurubaka, I fell in love with this world so much that one day I realized my hands were shaking as I turned the pages of the script. How did I live as Yuzumi in this world that fascinated me so much? Those unforgettable days of youth. Those times that truly existed. That space. I would be happy if you could experience it at the theater."
Taira said, "I was completely absorbed in playing a role that was all new to me, and I fought against myself every day. Meeting Shiori-chan and the youth we faced together have become my treasures. It is a work that depicts a moratorium, and gives you an opportunity to know yourself and the importance of that. It is truly a wonderful work, not a 'bad cycle.' Please, no, absolutely see it at the theater!"
"When I saw director Sakamoto Yugo's 'Baby Warukyure' I thought, 'Yes, this is it! This is how I wanted Nemurubaka to be.' By some twist of fate, I ended up having director Sakamoto Yugo film 'Nemurubaka.' This is a great opportunity!" he said happily.
