Sometimes it's hard to separate real news from unbridled PR enthusiasm, but while promoting the mobile phone drama Koibana: Suika to Bansoukou, Shunji Iwai seemed to be convinced that it's destined for the big screen. The drama in question will be distributed via LISMO Channel as 9 5-minute episodes woth 1 uploaded each week. This will be the 8th mobile phone drama broadcast on LISMO. Their past dramas have featured well-known stars such as Mitsuki Tanimura, Shinji Takeda, and Juri Ueno, among others.

This latest drama is produced by Iwai and directed by Koji Hagiuda (Shindo, Kodomo no Kodomo). The script was handled by Eriko Kitagawa, who wrote the 1996 TV drama "Long Vacation" and worked with Iwai on her own directorial debut, Halfway, earlier this year. The main cast consists of Riisa Naka, Hideo Ishiguro, and Sakura Ando -- all of whom have racked up some pretty big accomplishments in their young careers.

Iwai gushed about the high quality of the drama, calling it a literal love story with depth. He went on to add, "This will become a movie sooner or later. And this work is positioned to be the premiere."

It's not exactly clear if he meant that the segments of the existing drama could work as a film as-is or if he had ideas of a complete re-shoot, but it sounds like a decent plan either way.

Until that day comes, people lucky enough to get LISMO Channel on their cell phones can watch new episodes of the existing drama every Monday beginning today (11/2).

Source: Cinema Today

Thanks to Jason Gray for a phrasing correction!

Here's a trailer/making-of video:

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Tags: eriko kitagawa, hideo ishiguro, koji hagiuda, riisa naka, sakura ando, shunji iwai