Cast updates and preview clips for Yukihiko Tsutsumi’s “Where the Legend Lives”
Posted by Kevin Ouellette on August 31, 2008 2:25pm EDT (4 years ago)
Filed under: Drama, Future releases, Trailer Updates
Yukihiko Tsutsumi’s Where the Legend Lives (Maboroshi no Yamataikoku) is shaping up to be one of the most uniquely Japanese movies to come out in a long time. The plot centers around a blind former railroad worker named Yohei (Naoto Takenaka) who becomes obsessed with finding the ancient country of Yamataikoku, home to the legendary shaman queen Himiko. His passion for finding it was first ignited when he uncovered ancient earthenware while making rail repairs after a flood. Now blind, he completely depends on his wife Kazuko (Sayuri Yoshinaga) to make sense of his maps and lead him through the Kyushu region where he believes Yamataikoku to be.
In the movie there will be a scene in which Yohei has a vision of queen Himiko (also played by Yoshinaga). Given the importance of Himiko in ancient Japanese lore, it’s a pretty huge deal to actually show her on screen, so no expense was spared in the presentation. Celine Dion will offer the soundtrack to the relatively brief scene with her song, “A World To Believe In ~Himiko Fantasia~”. Yoshinaga spent over 2 hours in the makeup chair in preparation for the role and the silk kimono she wears required a team of 20 artisans to make at a final expense of about 10 million yen (almost $100,000 USD). Yikes…
In other Japan-centric news, there will be a few notable cameos in this movie, and most of the names will mean absolutely nothing to most people outside of Japan. Some of these names include comedienne Kanako Yanigihara, former NHK announcer Hitoshi Kusano, comedian Kimimaro Ayanokoji, and noted physicist Yoshihiko Otsuki.
Here’s the first preview featuring Ayanokoji. He’s a comedian that’s had a long career, but is considered an “overnight success” for his massive spike in popularity over the past few years. He’s known for his sharp 1-liners and is popular with middle-aged housewives, hence the nickname “middle-aged idol”.
Here’s the second preview featuring Yanagihara. She’s a former child model and comedienne who makes a ton of appearances on various Japanese variety shows.
“Where the Legend Lives” opens November 1 in Japan.
Sources:
dead link removed - http://www.mabotai.com/
Tokyograph
Wikipedia
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