News
Tiger Mask Manga/Anime Gets Live-Action Film in 2011 (Updated)
posted on by Egan Loo
Hisao Maki, the younger brother of the late manga creator Ikki Kajiwara, is producing a live-action film adaptation of Kajiwara's Tiger Mask wrestler hero for a theatrical release this November. "Tiger Mask" is the alter ego of the character Naoto Date, a pro wrestler who fights for children in an orphanage.
Tiger Mask has been a daily topic in the national news in Japan after a person left 10 30,000-yen (about US$360) backpacks at a child guidance center in Gunma Prefecture under the name of "Naoto Date" on Christmas morning. This one anonymous donation sparked a movement as more backpacks, money, food, and other gifts poured into children's centers and orphanages across the country from other "Naoto Date" donors. (Within the last two months, still more people donated under the names of Ashita no Joe, Evangelion's Rei Ayanami and Ryōji Kaji, Haruhi Suzumiya, K-ON's Yui, Super Mario Bros., Doraemon, Crayon Shin-chan, and Tetsujin 28-go.)
The live-action Tiger Mask film will begin shooting this May. Maki also announced the establishment of a "Naoto Date Foundation" to support disaster relief efforts. Maki is a manga and anime creator in his own right; he wrote the WARU manga and co-created the Joe vs. Joe (Futari no Joe) anime.
Source: Nikkan Sports
Image © Ikki Kajiwara, Naoki Tsuji/Kodansha, Toei Animation
Update: According to Maki, the story is still being written, and the cast and release have not been finalized. Source: Oricon
this article has been modified since it was originally posted; see change history