Actor Miho Kanno spoke to MANTANWEB about her impressions after reading the original novel for the horror film "About a Place in the Kinki Region" (directed by Koji Shiraishi, to be released on August 8th), in which she co-stars with Eiji Akaso, as well as stories from the set of her first collaboration with director Shiraishi.
◇ The original work "feels like going to receive the fear" and "has an experiential feeling after reading it"
The film is based on the novel of the same name by Sekin (KADOKAWA), which has sold over 350,000 copies. The first chapter was posted on the novel website "Kakuyomu" in January 2023, and as the series continued, it expanded its fan base, especially among young people. It was a hit, with a total of over 23 million page views. The 34th chapter, the final chapter, was posted in April of the same year, and was published in book form in August of the same year. It won first place in the 2024 edition of "This Horror is Amazing!" The film is directed by Director Shiraishi, who has worked on "Noroi" (2005), "Sadako vs. Kayako" (2016), and "Sayuri" (2024), and the original author Sekin is also participating as a scriptwriter.
An editor of an occult magazine suddenly goes missing. Right before his disappearance, he seems to have been gathering various pieces of information, such as investigative materials from unsolved cases, feature articles on mysterious phenomena, and shelved interview notes from the past, and was investigating something. His fellow editor, Yusei Ozawa (Akaso), who is searching for him, and writer Chihiro Seno (Kanno), discover that all of these events happened in "a certain place in the Kinki region"... This is a new type of "location mystery."
Kanno has previously made a strong presence in suspense horror films such as "Tomie" (1998) and "Hypnosis" (1999). Fans are excited about her first horror role in a long time, directed by the genius director Shiraishi.
Kanno, who says she "likes watching and acting in horror movies," received the offer to appear in this film and felt that "it was a wonderful original work that had the power to draw me into the world of the work, as if I was going to embrace the fear myself." She said she was strongly drawn to the original novel, saying, "Even though I found it scary, I found myself getting absorbed in it and it left me with a truly experiential feeling after reading it."
◇ "It was interesting to experience Director Shiraishi's unique artistic style"
Speaking about director Shiraishi, with whom he teamed up for the first time, Kanno said, "Working with Director Shiraishi this time, I once again felt the difference in our levels of experience. The director already had a perfect equation in his head, and he gave me clear images such as, 'Speak monotonously, without any intonation,' and 'This is where the change begins,' so I spent my days trying by trial and error to get close to that. But then he casually inserted some slightly funny scenes, and it was interesting to get a glimpse of the director's unique style as a writer." He praised Shiraishi's skills and looked back on the fulfilling shoot.
Kanno sent a message saying, "These days in Japan, summers have been so hot, almost too hot, but I think this film, ' About a Place in the Kinki Region,' will send shivers down your spine. I'm sure it will be a film like no other you've ever seen."
The plan for a premiere event to be held on July 16th, where only those who can solve the mystery can apply, has also been met with a great response. Will there actually be any participants in the event? Future developments are attracting attention.
