Series Mania Forum celebrated South Korea this year, but neighboring Japan had an equally impactful presence at the Lille conference and market. The Japanese/Singapore co-pro Lost and Found was among the ten projects selected for the Buyers Upfront, and NHK’s Hirayasumi scored a special mention in the short-form competition, credited for being “an ode to gentleness and the art of wandering.” The international jury went on to describe the series as “a luminous narrative that celebrates the beauty of simple bonds, and a charming rebuttal to salaryman culture, offering a human-scale vision of Tokyo, far from the urban frenzy.”
NHK also had Queen of Mars in Lille; the sci-fi drama, part of its 100-year anniversary, was in the international panorama competition.
Hirayasumi, a 20×15-minute series, is part of the growing manga-to-series pipeline, inspired by the graphic novel of the same name by Keigo Shinzo and published by Shogakukan. About a 29-year-old who inherits a one-story house and lives with his cousin, the “slice-of-life” series aired in a daily morning slot on the Japanese public broadcaster.
“It’s a best-selling manga, and very popular, especially among the young generations,” Koji Sakabe, a producer at NHK Enterprises, tells ScreenMDM. “I asked myself, why does it have so much power to appeal to the young generation? This was the beginning of our journey.”
The 15-minute format is perfect for a manga adaptation, Sakabe says, with each episode able to fit the entire storyline of a single weekly manga comic. But there are plenty of obstacles to overcome when bringing the story from one medium to another.
“We talked a lot about what the essence of this manga is among teens, and also with the original manga artists—we wanted to keep that essence,” adds Sakabe. “It embraces the richness of ordinary daily life. They are totally different, 2D manga and live action. We tried to make it feel natural as a live-action show. The actors are also big fans of the original manga. They are very respectful to the essence of the manga. And they disappeared into the roles.”
The adaptation delivered both the YA audience that loves the manga and the older audience that tends to be NHK’s core demo. “We had many events showing props and costumes; in two days, we got 40,000 people in front of the station, in line for hours. They’re so enthusiastic for the show. And it was all generations.”
Serialized since 2021, there are plenty of manga issues for NHK to draw on should Hirayasumi return to the screen, so Sakabe is hopeful for news of a recommission for the pubcaster’s long-running morning drama slot. He’s also uplifted by the international response to the series from Lille. “It’s such a local and domestic story. Wow, they invited us!”
