WIND BREAKER, live-action film starring Koki Yamashita, Noritaka Hamao, and Rikako Yagi

The new cast of the live-action film "WIND BREAKER" (directed by Hagiwara Kentaro), based on Satoru Nii's popular yankee manga, has been announced, revealing that Yagi Rikako, Koki Yamashita , and Hamao Noritaka will appear.

The original is a popular delinquent manga by Nii-san that is currently being serialized on Kodansha's web manga service "Magapoke." The story follows the protagonist, Haruka Sakura , played by Koshi Mizukami , who had no redeeming qualities other than fighting, as he grows into a member of the " Bofurin " group that protects the town at Fuurin High School for delinquents.

Yagi plays Tachibana Kotoha, the only female character in the series. Kotoha works at a cafe in a corner of the Toho shopping arcade where the main character Sakura attends Fuurin High School. She is friendly and not easily intimidated even when she is approached by delinquents, and is the type of person who cares for and watches over Sakura and her friends every day. "Honestly, I was incredibly happy. I read the original manga and watched the anime, and became such a genuine fan of WIND BREAKER that I even went out and bought some merchandise (laughs). I was honored and very happy to be able to play the role of Kotoha," she commented.

Yamashita and Hamao play members of the Bofurin, a delinquent gang that is hostile to Sakura and the other members of Boufurin. Yamashita plays the bank president, Tomiyama Choji, who is more obsessed with Bofurin than anyone else, despite his innocent smile, while Hamao plays Togame Jo, the vice president of Shishito Ren and the number two who is loyal to Usamiyama.

Yamashita commented, "Usamiyama always flashes a cute smile in front of everyone, but his eyes aren't smiling, so my first impression was that he was a character who was carrying something inside, and I thought, 'Ah, this kid has something...'.When I read the original work, I realized that the feelings he had, like not knowing what to do, were similar to my own, so I was able to empathize with him and create the role."

Hamao, who plays Togame, who is dressed in a distinctive samue (workman's kimono), geta (wooden clogs), and sunglasses, explained how he prepared for the role, saying, "It would be the worst if I couldn't act because I was worried about my geta, so for a few months before filming I basically lived in geta and lost 5 to 6 kg to get closer to the character's appearance." He reflected, "I played the role with great respect for the teacher who entrusted me with this work, which is like my child."