Wangan Midnight (film)
| Wangan Midnight | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Atsushi Muroga |
| Screenplay by | Yasutoshi Murakawa |
| Based on | Wangan Midnight by Michiharu Kusunoki |
| Starring |
Yūichi Nakamura Kazuki Kato Rio Matsumoto |
| Studio | Geneon Universal Entertainment |
| Distributed by | Jolly Roger Pictures |
| Release dates | 2009 |
Wangan Midnight (湾岸ミッドナイト Wangan middonaito) is a 2009 Japanese film based on the comic series Wangan Midnight.
Plot
Whilst driving on Tokyo's Shuto Expressway, high school student Akio Asakura challenges the "BlackBird", Tatsuya Shima, to an impromptu race despite having his friend, Ma, in the passenger seat and two girls in the back, but is defeated. Determined to drive a faster car, he orders a scrapped 300ZX so he can salvage the parts for his own 300ZX. While at the junkyard, he sees the scrapped body of a midnight blue Fairlady Z (S30), equipped with a tuned L28 engine, bored and stroked to 3.1 L and fitted with twin turbos. As he attempts to buy it, the junkyard owner, Kuro, and Akio's mechanic friend, Ko-chan, refuses as Kuro was told by the previous owner to scrap the car because it is cursed. After telling Ko-chan that he remembers seeing this car a few years ago, they eventually agree to buy the car.
When testing the car after its restoration, Kuro calls Ko-chan warning him that the Z Akio bought is the "Devil Z", a former Wangan racing car which is infamous by causing accidents, as if the car is rebelling against its driver. Despite this, Akio continue to spend time with it, eventually taking two part-time jobs and forcing him to repeat high school. Eventually, his activities catch the attention of Shima, who was racing against the Devil Z at the time of the Z's last accident two years previously, which killed the Z's driver (who was also called Akio). They race, but Akio crashes into some roadworks after losing control of the car.
A couple of weeks after the crash, Akio meets Shima, when he also meets Eriko, the sister of the deceased Akio and Shima's girlfiend. Whilst there, Akio issues a formal challenge to Shima once his Z had been repaired. Once repaired, Akio, Ko-chan and Ma wait for Shima, along with Eriko. Akio invites Eriko to ride with him as he and Shima race, to prove that the Z is no longer like the Z her brother drove. Akio loses control again, but saves it from hitting the barrier.
Eriko later visits Akio to tell him she is leaving for abroad, and request for one last drive in the Z. When they reach Eriko's home, where Shima was waiting, Eriko steals the Z using the spare key she still owned from her brother. She then speeds towards the docks, with Akio and Shima in pursuit, with the plan to dump the Z in the bay. Akio manages to stop the Z just in time, with Eriko furious that she could not kill it herself. In the midst of this, Akio and Shima agree to one last race on Wangan to settle who is fastest once and for all.
Whilst racing, a disgruntled truck driver asks another up the road to "scare" Akio and Shima. When the cars approach this truck, the truck driver swerves in front of Shima, but Akio slows down so that the truck hits Akio causing him to swerve back. However, the Z mounts the inner curb and rolls after hitting the guardrail. Akio and Eriko, who was riding with him again, managed to escape the Z before it bursts into flames.
The next day, Eriko leaves Japan to study in England. Whilst there, she receives a letter from Shima, telling her that Akio kept the burnt out Z, and plans to race it once more.
In the post credits scene, Shima hears the Z starting up then walks away with the on screen message "Z will be back".
Cast
- Yuichi Nakamura as Akio Asakura
- Shnichiro Ishikawa as Akio Asakura (Original)
- Ryoko Kobayashi as Eriko Asakura
- Kazuki Katou as Tatsuya Shima
- Rio Matsumoto as Reina Akikawa
- Yoshihiko Hakamada as Yoshiaki Ishida
- Masaki Sata as Ko-chan
- Kousuke Yonehara as Ma
- Maimi Okuwa as Rumi Shimada
Release
On September 12, 2009, Jolly Roger and Geneon Universal Entertainment released a live-action adaptation of the manga.[1] Wangan Midnight: The Movie is directed by the Atsushi Muroga, with the screenplay written by Yasutoshi Murakawa. The film stars Yuichi Nakamura as Akio Asakura, Ryoko Kobayashi as Eriko Asakura, Kazuki Katou as Tatsuya Shima, Rio Matsumoto as Reina Akikawa, and Yoshihiko Hakamada as Yoshiaki Ishida.[2] The film was shot in Wangan as a stand-in for the expressway racing scenes. Like the previous anime television series and video features, Wangan Midnight: The Movie centers on Akio Asakura, his "Devil Z", and the rivalry with "Black Bird".
It appears that a sequel may be planned, as after the ending credits in a bonus scene, Shima is seen to be leaving work when he hears the sound of a Z, followed by a fade out message saying 'Z will be back'.
Theme song of this movie, PERFECT GIRLS are performed by dream.
Differences between film and anime/manga
- Several important characters such as Jun Kitami were absent in the film.
- Yoshiaki Ishida drives a Ferrari F355 instead of a Ferrari Testarossa in the movie and his F355 is yellow instead of white.
- When Akio races the Blackbird in the first part of the movie, he used to drive a Nissan 300ZX Z32, not a Z31.
- Reina did not join the battle between Devil Z and Black Bird, besides racing with Yoshiaki Ishida.
- Reina drives a Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 in the movie instead of a R32 and her R34 is red not grey.
- Some vehicles in the film were also changed, as with video games. However, there are no licensing problems in the film, as opposed to video games where specific vehicles cannot be obtained.
References
- ↑ "Wangan middonaito THE MOVIE". Japanese Cinema Database. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
- ↑ Wangan Midnight the Movie to Open in Japan This Summer. Anime News Network. 2009-04-26. Retrieved on 2009-04-26.