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AKB48, NEWS Idols Sing Themes for The Girl Who Leapt Through Time's New Live-Action Show

The staff of the upcoming live-action television series of Yasutaka Tsutsui's The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (Toki o Kakeru Shōjo) novel announced the opening and ending theme artists this past week. The top 16 vote-getters in the AKB48 idol group's latest general election will perform a new song for the opening theme song. The NEWS idol group will perform the ending theme song "Koi o Shiranai Kimi e."

In addition, NEWS member Shigeaki Kato will appear in the show as the character Kazutaka Yano, the homeroom and math teacher of protagonist Mihane.

Kato will also write a short story titled "Ore-sama no Iu Tōri," which will be an homage to the original The Girl Who Leapt Through Time novel. The comedy story will be about a 34-year old protagonist who will travel back in time to dispense advice on his 14-year old self. It will appear in the July issue of Kadokawa's Shōsetsu Yasei Jidai magazine on Saturday, June 11.

The TV series will premiere in NTV channels in July, and will star Yuina Kuroshima (pictured right), as well as Sexy Zone idol group member Fūma Kikuchi.

The new series' story centers on a third-year high school girl named Mihane Yoshiyama (Yuina Kuroshima), who is a member of the photography club. Some time before summer break, after smelling a lavender scent at a room at school, she gains the ability to freely travel through time.

Mihane's classmate, Shōhei Fukamachi (Fūma Kikuchi) is soon revealed to be a famous and outstanding scientist from the future year of 2122 named Ken Sogoru. Having lost his drug that allows him to return to the future, he resolves to hypnotize the people around him so he can live a normal high school life until he can make the drug again. However, as the plot progresses, his memories as a high school student, his relationship with friends and family, and his love for Mihane will tie him to closer to the present.

Though both main characters share surnames with the two main characters from Tsutsui's original novel, any relation to that story is as-yet unrevealed. Other characters include Yoshimoto Miyu as Zoey, Sogoru's fellow time traveler from the future, and Ryōma Takeuchi as Gorō Asakura, a classmate and childhood friend of both Mihane and Shōhei/Sogoru.

Hitoshi Iwamoto (Ashita ga Arusa the Movie, MW) is directing the series, with scripts by Ryōhei Watanabe (Shady/Kashikoi Inu wa, Hoezuni Warau).

British publisher Alma Books released the original novel in English. Mamoru Hosoda directed an award-winning 2006 anime film adaptation of the novel, animated by Madhouse. The film is a loose sequel to the original novel, sharing the premise of a girl gaining the ability to time travel, but with different characters and situations. The novel's main character appears in the anime film as the protagonist's aunt.

Bandai Entertainment released the film on Blu-ray Disc and DVD in North America before closing its North American distribution in 2012. Funimation licensed the anime in February, and released the film on Tuesday, June 7 in a "special home video edition" to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the film's theatrical release in Japan.

The book has also been adapted into multiple live-action works, including a 1972 television series, a 1983 live-action film, a 1994 television series, a 1997 live-action film, and a 2010 live-action film.

Source: Oricon Style via Hachima Kikō