Viz Pictures Releases Love*Com The Movie On DVD
VIZ Pictures, an affiliate of VIZ Media, LLC that focuses on Japanese live-action film distribution, has announced the DVD release of the romantic live-action comedy, LOVE*COM THE MOVIE, on February 19, 2008. The release features English subtitles and will be distributed by VIZ Media with an anticipated retail price of $24.98. A dedicated web site, with a trailer, plot summary and other information is viewable at www.lovecomthemovie.com.
Based on the bestselling manga (graphic novel) by Aya Nakahara, LOVE*COM THE MOVIE (short for Lovely Complex) centers on two high school students. Risa Koizumi is the tallest girl in class, and the last thing she wants is the humiliation of standing next to Atsushi Ć”tani, the shortest guy. But fate and the whole school have other ideas, and the two find themselves cast as the unwilling stars of a bizarre romantic comedy duo. As their friendship blossoms, so do Risa’s feelings toward Ć”tani. LOVE*COM examines the often-complicated feelings and comedic moments of the experience of dating people of different heights. A girl, because of his short stature, previously rejected Ć”tani and he thinks he looks peculiar with a taller girlfriend. Risa has the opposite problem, already tall and never finding a guy who is taller. These height complexes, and the romance that eventually ensues [ENSUES, not ensures] in spite of them, develop the Lovely Complex that this film is ultimately about.
LOVE*COM THE MOVIE features several interesting bonus features including a director and cast profile, interviews with lead actors Ema Fujisawa and Teppei Koike, who play Risa and Ć”tani, a short film parody called ‘Hello, Girlfriend,’ the original Japanese theatrical trailers, and a rollicking pop music video by Umi Bouzu. The original LOVE*COM manga series was awarded the prestigious Shogakukan Manga Award in 2004, sold over 10 million copies in Japan, and has also inspired a popular animated series and video game. The English version of the manga series is now available domestically under VIZ Media’s SHOJO BEAT imprint.
‘LOVE*COM THE MOVIE aptly shows how comic-inspired stories can make the leap from manga to the big screen and in a romantic light comedy that is not the usual fantasy action or science fiction fare,’ states Manami Iiboshi, Director of Marketing, VIZ Pictures. ‘The film was warmly received at a premiere screening at the recent New York Anime Festival and is actually the first of four new VIZ Pictures releases inspired by popular shojo manga series. Audiences will enjoy the zany situations and heartwarming romance that develops between these two initially mismatched characters.’