ADV Films Acquires The Wallflower
Last night acclaimed anime director Shinichi ‘Nabeshin’ Watanabe (Excel Saga, Nerima Daikon Brothers) and ADV Films President John Ledford announced that ADV Films had acquired rights to Watanabe’s new series The Wallflower. The announcement was made during a tribute to the director, which was held before a packed house at Houston’s Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. Following the announcement, the first episode of The Wallflower was screened in Japanese with English subtitles.
‘We are extremely proud to be presenting Nabeshin’s latest work,’ said Ledford. ‘The Wallflower is a great anime, and fans are going to love it.’
The evening began with a screening of Nerima Daikon Brothers, Watanabe’s musical comedy series. The third and final DVD from that series went on sale April 24th, and the entire English cast and crew was on hand to celebrate, including leads Greg Ayres, Luci Christian, and Chris Patton. Following a showing of episode 11, Nerima Daikon Brothers ADR Director Chris Ayres engaged Watanabe in an on-stage dialogue covering the director’s career, his singular approach to comedy, and his future projects. The Wallflower announcement was made at the conclusion of their interview.
The Wallflower is a comedy based on the best selling shoujo manga series by Tomoko Hayakawa, nine volumes of which have already been published in the US by Del Rey Manga. With its peculiar premise and bizarre plot twists, The Wallflower is perfectly matched to Watanabe’s strengths as a director. Watanabe himself said at the Alamo, ‘I tried to make it in my own style. In the end I modified it so much it feels very much like my own anime.’
Synopsis: Kyouhei, Yukinojou, Takenaga and Ranmaru are four gorgeous young men who live in a sprawling mansion owned by a woman they call ‘Auntie.’ Auntie tells the boys they may live there for free, but with one catch: they must transform the landlady’s niece Sunako into a proper young lady within three years, or she’ll triple their rent. The boys figure they’re in for smooth sailing, until they discover that Sunako is an introverted, fashion-hopeless, horror-loving movie buff who would rather live like a hermit than undergo a makeover! Our four fabulous guys soon learn they’re in for more than they bargained for as they try to to turn a gore-loving gal into a delicate little flower.
The Wallflower is a 25 episode series that will be released over six DVDs, currently scheduled to launch December 18, 2007.