Model and actress Meru Nukumi as "Meruru," will appear in the live-action adaptation of "Kenka Dokugaku," a popular Korean webtoon that originated on the web service "LINE Manga." Nukumi will play the heroine, Kaho Asamiya.
It was also announced that Noritaka Hamao will play Tatsuya Ogi, a promising young hopeful in the world of mixed martial arts; Kentaro Maeda will play Kentaro Maeda, a taekwondo master; Yusuke Iseya will play Yugo Kuwata, a promoter in the underworld; Gaku Sano will play Eiji Kimijima, a suspicious entertainment industry insider who approaches Lumi (Rina Asakawa), who is active as an influencer; Yoshitaka Otsuru will play Yutaka Asamiya, the director of the hospital; and Tsurutaro Kataoka will play Motoharu Yashio, the father who raised Aki Yashio (Ai Mikami) on his own.
"Kenka Dokugaku" (Learning to Fight on Your Own) is a popular series boasting approximately 2.28 billion total views and has also been adapted into an anime. The story follows Kouta Shimura, a high school student at the bottom of the school's social hierarchy, who decides to "livestream his fights online." Armed with a mysterious instructional video, he trains his fists on his own and, together with Aki Yashio, a mysterious high school girl who is absent from school, and Kanegon, a strategist aiming for the top of the school's social hierarchy, he takes on formidable opponents with just his smartphone. Ouji Suzuka plays Kouta Shimura, with Ai Mikami as Aki and Arata Sugo as Kanegon. It will be exclusively streamed worldwide on Netflix starting June 11th.
The main trailer, which features battle scenes of Kota and also introduces the heroine Kaho Asamiya, played by Ikumi, has been released, along with key art showing Kota, Aki, Kanegon, and Kaho together.
Original author T.Jun commented, "As a child, I dreamed of becoming a manga artist while flipping through manga books, so seeing my work take shape as such a wonderful live-action drama has truly filled my heart and I still can't believe it. The physical action scenes performed by Ouji Suzuka, who played the protagonist, and all the other cast members, as well as their nuanced acting that made it seem as if they had jumped straight out of the manga world, were truly magnificent. I, as the original author, was deeply moved by the protagonist's desperate struggle to climb out of rock bottom and his growth as he broke through the obstacles in front of him. I hope that viewers will also enjoy the passion and powerful action that the cast poured into this work. Thank you!"
Illustrator Kim Jeong-hyun said, "Seeing the characters I poured my heart and soul into designing come vividly to life through the actors' performances fills me with deep emotion. I'm thrilled to think that this work will reach even more people. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone involved."
