"Kannagi" director does first live-action film

Source: Tokyograph

Yutaka Yamamoto, known for directing several hit anime series such as "Kannagi" and "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya," is working on his first live-action movie. Titled "Watashi no Yasashikunai Senpai," the film stars Umika Kawashima (15) of the teen idol group 9nine.

The story is adapted from the novel of the same name by author Akira, which won in the 1st Renai Shousetsu Contest in 2004.

Kawashima plays Yamako Iriomote, a high school student on a tiny island in Kyushu. She finds herself unable to confess her love for the upperclassman Minami (Jingi Irie), despite countless attempts at writing a love letter. Unfortunately for her, her letters get discovered by the "smelly, disgusting, and annoying" upperclassman Fuwa (Satoshi Kanada of comedy duo Hannya), turning her quest to confess into a major ordeal.

The rest of the cast includes Kinuyo Kodama, Mei Nagano, Natsumi Ogawa, and Nobuhiko Takada. The film is scheduled for a summer 2010 release.