| Usagi Drop | |
|---|---|
film poster promoting Usagi Drop in Japan |
|
| Directed by | Sabu |
| Screenplay by | Sabu Tamio Hayashi |
| Story by | Yumi Unita |
| Based on | Bunny Drop by Yumi Unita |
| Starring | Kenichi Matsuyama Karina Mana Ashida |
| Music by | Takashi Mori Shoko Suzuki (Theme song "Sweet Drops" by Puffy) |
| Distributed by | Showgate |
| Release date(s) | June 2011 (Shanghai Festival) August 20, 2011 (Japan) |
| Running time | 114 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
| Box office | US$6,569,857[1] |
Usagi Drop (うさぎドロップ Usagi Doroppu) is a 2011 Japanese drama film based on the manga of the same name by Yumi Unita.[2] The film is directed by Sabu, and the screenplay was done by both Sabu and scriptwriter Tamio Hayashi.[2] Usagi Drop stars actor Kenichi Matsuyama, who will play the role of Daikichi, who is a office worker and a single man.[3] Child actress Mana Ashida also plays Rin, a six-year old illegitimate child of Daikichi's grandfather, in the film.[3]
Usagi Drop made its international debut at the 14th Shanghai International Film Festival, where it was warmly received.[4] It was subsequently released in Japanese cinemas on 20 August 2011.[2][4]
Contents |
The film is about Daikichi, an unmarried office worker with no girlfriend, who ends up living with the six-year-old illegitimate child of his dead grandfather. This girl is called Rin, and Daikichi suddenly declares that he will raise her himself while his relatives discuss arrangements to put her in a foster home.
Shodensha's Feel Young women's magazine officially announced on 8 June 2010 that the manga Usagi Drop would be adapted into a live-action film.[5] The director, Sabu, made his directorial debut with the film Bullet Runner in 1996,[6] and since then, he had directed many other widely acclaimed films at various international film festivals.[6] Sabu, together with scriptwriter Tamio Hayashi, was in charge of adapting the screenplay of the film from the manga Usagi Drop.[6]
The film's cast was officially announced on 5 August 2010. Kenichi Matsuyama, who had previously starred in films like Death Note and Gantz, plays Daikichi, a 30-year old who raises the illegitimate child of his grandfather.[7] This was the first time Kenichi had played the role of a father.[7] Child actress Mana Ashida played along side him in the role of Rin, the illegitimate six-year old child of Daikichi's grandfather.[7] Mana Ashida had previously starred in the television series Mother.[6]
The filming of Usagi Drop took place started in a residential area of Kawasaki in Kanagawa Prefecture.[7] Filming started on 21 July 2010, ending the same month.[7]
Director Sabu mentioned that the entire filming was done without a prepared script.[7] He had reportedly done that because he wanted to have a natural reaction from the actors.[7] The filming staff was told of this just before the production of the film began.[7] Mana Ashida and Ruiki Sato, who played the roles of Rin's kindergarten classmates, therefore did not have a prepared script to follow during shooting.[8] Instead, they spent one month with the film's assistant director going through each and every scene in detail before the actual filming.[8]
A video of the filming showed that actor Kenichi Matsuyama was like a "natural parent" to fellow child actress Mana Ashida.[8] In a scene where they were shopping at a department store, Kenichi looked peaceful while choosing bags and shoes for Mana Ashida.[8]
It was officially announced on 21 February 2011 that Usagi Drop would be released in Japan on 20 August 2011.[9] The film poster was also unveiled to the public at the same time.[9] An official film teaser was also put up on the film's official website on the same day.[10] The official full-length trailer of the film was added to the film's website on 29 April 2011.[11]
It was later announced that Usagi Drop would be involved in a tie-up up with the The Japan Crime Prevention Association and participate in their public advocacy program, with Usagi Drop posters placed in public areas such as the police headquarters, and educational institutions.[12]
The theme song of this film is the song "Sweet Drops", sung by the duo Puffy.[13] The same song will also be used for the anime television series adaptation of the same manga.[13]
The theme song was officially announced on 2 April 2011.[14] The duo said that they were big fans of the original Usagi Drop manga series, and that they used "lovely flowers" as material for this song.[14] "Sweet Drops" was also released on the 15th anniversary of Puffy's debut into the music scene.[14]
Usagi Drop made its film festival debut at the 14th Shanghai International Film Festival.[15] Actor Kenichi Matsuyama made a surprise appearance there, and received a very warm reception from the audience.[15] All of the approximately 3,000 seats available for the film's six screenings at the festival sold out.[16]
Usagi Drop had a special screening prior to its cinema release at Osaka Station City Cinema in Osaka Station, Osaka on 12 July 2011.[17] Director Sabu and the lead actress Mana Ashida were present to greet the audience there.[17] Another special screening was held at Roppongi cinema in Tokyo on 18 August 2011.[18] There, actor Nobuhiko Takada made a special guest appearance.[18]
Usagi Drop was officially released in Japan on 20 August 2011.[3] The film's cast were present to greet the audience at the film's debut ceremony at the Shinjuku Piccadilly.[19] Actress Yumi Yoshimura also made a surprise guest appearance at the event.[20] Usagi Drop was released on 110 screens across Japan on its debut weekend.[21]
During its debut weekend on 20-21 August 2011, the film Usagi Drop became the 9th highest grossing film in Japanese cinemas.[21] Over this two-day period, Usagi Drop attracted an audience of around 80,000 people, and grossed about 100 million yen nationwide. [21]
Mark Schilling of The Japan Times labelled the film Usagi Drop as "Bunny-based drama is a warm but overly fluffy tail" and gave it an overall score of 2.5 out of 5.[22] He praised the main cast, saying that "(Kenichi) Matsuyama ... works well with pint-sized costar Ashida." and added that Kenichi was like a "like a caring, playful big brother".[22] He also praised child actress Mana Ashida, saying that she "seamlessly accomplishes her evolution from forlorn waif to perky if unusually perceptive kid, while effortlessly charming everyone."[22] However, the reviewer criticized the film for "the lack of friction between the (main) characters".[22] He also criticized the "tear-jerking cliches" in the film, which he said was "Sabu's biggest problem as a director".[22]