What? Another manga adaptation? Kazuo Umezu's 'Orochi: Blood'

Do you ever wonder how the Japanese feel about all these manga adaptations? Do they react the same way the comic book fan base does here in North America? Well, in the manga adaptation of the week columns we have "Orochi: Blood," one of the many titles from the godfather of Japanese horror manga, Kazuo Umezu, being turned into a movie. And Toei Studios is bringing in some talent to make it. Both have had a long history with Japanese horror film. Norio Tsuruta [Ring 0: Birthday] will direct the film and Hiroshi Takahashi [If it had a Ring in the title he was a part of it], who has worked with Kazuo’s material before, is providing the screenplay.

And now for the talent in front of the camera. Yoshino Kimura [Sukiyaki Western Django] will be playing two separate roles, the older sister Kazusa, and her own mother. The younger sister Lisa will be played by Noriko Nakagoshi and the mysterious girl, Orochi, will be played by Mitsuki Tanimura. Taro Yamamoto [Battle Royale] plays Kazusa's boyfriend.

And here’s the storyline of this series from 1969 and 1970. We have our two sisters, Kazusa and Lisa. For Lisa, no matter what she does, her sister Kazusa has done it better. Lisa is always told that she'll never be comparable to her sister. As any sibling rivalry is wont to do it results in feelings of jealousy and vengeance. As Lisa grows she learns to hate and at times lashes out at the sister she once loved. A tragic accident sets things in motion and so appears the mysterious young girl named Orochi.

Filming has been scheduled for about two months starting on the 22nd. The movie is expected to open next fall.