It was revealed on January 22nd that actor Aoi Nakata will be appearing as the heroine in the film "Zombie 1/2: Right Side of the Living Dead" (directed by Erika Ota), which is scheduled for release in spring 2026. Nakata will play Tsubame Jieruko, who expressively toyed with the main character (played by Sojiro Yoshimura).
"Zombie 1/2" is the second installment of "M CINEMA," a project run by the video production company Media Mix Japan, which gives young employees in their 20s and 30s the opportunity to produce a feature film. This unprecedented zombie film stars a "half-zombie," the only rational being in a world after the zombie pandemic has ended.
Ryuma Shingu (Yoshimura), the last remaining "half-zombie" working as an office worker, lives a normal life, wanting to "live without causing any trouble," but one day he bites a university student intern named Hazame-kun, and a zombie pandemic breaks out. He is meant to fight to put an end to the chaos, but his inherently introverted nature gets in the way and he can't get started... This is the story.
Nakata, the child actress, was born on January 6, 2000, and is 26 years old. In 2014, she won the grand prize at the 5th Sho-Comi Princess Audition 2014, an audition sponsored by the girls' manga magazine Sho-Comi (Shogakukan), and made her debut in the entertainment industry. She made her debut in a TV drama series, starring in the NHK BS period drama "Zennin Nagaya," which aired from July to August 2022, and in the morning drama "Asadora" in the first half of 2023, she played Satoko, the young wife of Professor Tanabe (played by Jun Kaname), which drew attention.
"It had been my secret dream to appear in a zombie film, so I was really happy when I was chosen to take part in this movie," Nakata revealed, looking back on the filming, saying, "Eluko-senpai is a character who is just like an angel, with the same kindness towards everyone. I tried to play the role with a straightforward and pure heart so that her kindness wouldn't come across as cunning."
He also said, "During filming, it was impressive to see how much fun the director seemed to be having shooting each scene, and I could really feel the love that the staff had for movies and for zombies." He added, "Because it's a black comedy, I think it will be easy to watch even for people who don't like scary things. Please look forward to it!"
It was also announced that Tanaka Kouki from "SUPER★DRAGON" will appear as Hazame, an intern who threatens the protagonist's peaceful daily life.
