Toho announces live-action Detroit Metal City/Detoroito metaru shiti

I found three words today that when said in succession made my heart flutter.

Japanese. Death. Metal.

Oh my, could there be anything greater in this world? It is the greatest single bit of news I read today.

Actor Kenichi Matsuyama [Death Note, Linda Linda Linda, NANA] has been given the starring role in the upcoming live-action film based on Kiminori Wakasugi's popular gag manga "Detroit Metal City."

Matsuyama plays Soichi Negishi, a generally naive guy who unexpectedly becomes the vocalist of a death metal band called Detroit Metal City. As filming is expected to begin in late February, Matsuyama is currently undergoing guitar and voice training.

The film is being directed by Toshio Lee and distributed by Toho, with next summer targeted for release. No other cast details have been announced yet, but producers plan to include popular musicians as guest appearances.

The tongue-in-cheek story tells the indie rock rise to glory of a Japanese death metal band. The members take on appropriately Teutonic and European stage names (guitarist and vocalist Sōichi Negishi becomes Johannes Krauser II, Masayuki Wada becomes Alexander Jagi, and Terumichi Nishida becomes Camus) and perform with face paint, similar to that of the American glam metal rock band Kiss. (The band and manga's name is an apparent homage to the "Detroit Rock City" song by Kiss.)