The producers of the live-action film adaptation of Harold Sakuishi's, Beck rock-and-roll manga, announced at a Tuesday event in Tokyo that the American band Red Hot Chili Peppers and the British band Oasis will contribute the two theme songs of the film. Red Hot Chili Peppers will provide the opening theme song "Around the World," while Oasis will provide the ending theme song "Don't Look Back in Anger."
The film will open in Japan on September 4. Red Hot Chili Peppers had previously given their "Dani California" theme song for the live-action film adaptation of Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata's Death Note manga. Oasis provided the opening theme song "Falling Down" for Production I.G's Eden of The East television anime series.
Hiro Mizushima, the star of the manga-based Absolute Boyfriend, Hana Zakari no Kimitachi e: Ikemen Paradise, and Lovely Complex projects, plays the charismatic guitarist and band leader Ryusuke Minami, while Takeru Satoh (Princess Princess D, Kamen Rider Den-O, Rookies) plays the ordinary high school boy Koyuki. After a chance encounter between these two, Koyuki joins Minami's five-person rock band, Beck, on its rise to stardom.
Rounding out the band's roster are Kenta Kiritani (Crows Zero, Rookies) as the rapper Chiba, Aoi Nakamura (Shinigami no Ballad, Q.E.D., Koizora) as the drummer Yuji Sakurai, and Osamu Mukai (Honey and Clover, Nodame Cantabile, Monochrome Factor, Mei-chan no Shitsuji) as the bass guitarist Taira. Director Yukihiko Tsutsumi (20th Century Boys, Trick, Ikebukuro West Gate Park, H2) appeared at the Tuesday event with actress Shiori Kutsuna, Mizushima, Satoh, Kiritani, Nakamura, and Mukai.
The original manga ended in Kodansha's Monthly Shonen Magazine in 2008 in Japan, and 15 million copies of the 34 volumes have been published since it began in 1998. Whereas Koyuki was the protagonist of the original manga, the film will focus on Ryusuke. Tokyopop published the first 12 volumes in North America, and Funimation completed its release of 2004-2005's BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad anime version in 2008.
ANN
