It has been revealed that the popular manga "Mieruko chan" by Izumi Tomoki, which has sold over 3 million copies in Japan and has also been made into a TV anime, will be made into a movie starring Nanoka Hara. Hara, who plays the main character who can see spirits but tries her best to ignore them, commented, "I was instantly captivated by how original and interesting the setting was. Even though it's a horror movie, I'm playing a character who just ignores spirits, and when I read the script I couldn't stop laughing. I think it will be a completely new horror movie filled with youth, comedy, and human drama, so I hope you will look forward to it!".
The original is a horror comedy manga that was serialized in KADOKAWA's "ComicWalker (now Kadocomi)" in 2018, after the first episode was announced by Izumi on social media, which caused a big stir. The total number of views on pixiv Comics has exceeded 85 million, and the total number of copies published in Japan has exceeded 3 million. It has been translated and published in 13 languages. A TV anime was also broadcast in 2021 and gained popularity.
One day, high school girl Yotsuya Miko (Hara) suddenly begins to see spirits, and she chooses to "ignore" them. Terrified of the unknown of what will happen if the spirits realize she can see them, Miko pretends to be calm and continues to ignore them. However, when the shadow of a spirit creeps up on her best friend, will Miko be able to continue ignoring the spirits? This is the story.
The script and direction are handled by Nakamura Yoshihiro, who has worked on hits such as "Yokubohan" and "Ninja no Kuni" as well as horror films such as "Hokugaku Mizu no Soko Kara" and "Zanke - Zanke - Kaiteki wa Heya ni" (From the Bottom of the Dark Water) and is a director. "I was astonished by (Hara Nanoka) and thought, "Can human eyes really be this round!?" I was under extraordinary pressure to create this eye-opening horror, so I took on the filming. I think it's a high-quality, outrageous film that I've rarely seen before," he said. Izumi, the original author, commented, "Since the manga and live-action film are different mediums and methods of expression, I was honestly half excited and half anxious at first, but I remember my expectations soaring as soon as I heard that Nakamura Yoshihiro would be the director." He continued, "When I met Hara-san on set, I blurted out, 'Ah, it's Miko!' It was a strange feeling, as we were so in sync with Mikoto. Although I am the original author, I am also a horror film fan, and I am very excited to see what kind of new film will be created that is different from the original Mieruko-chan."
The film Mieruko-chan is scheduled to be released in the early summer of 2025.
