"Stardust Telepath" Manga to Feature AKB48 in Live-Action Drama

Mar 18, 2024 | News On Japan

TOKYO - The manga "Stardust Telepath" is set to be adapted into a live-action drama series, featuring members of AKB48.

The story follows the growth of a high school girl named Umino Hoshiko, who suffers from extreme stage fright and struggles with communication, as she meets an alien transfer student named Akina Yū and builds a rocket. The series also received an anime adaptation in October 2023. It has been announced that members of AKB48, selected through auditions, will appear in the drama. TV Tokyo, which has also handled the adaptation of "Yuru Camp△" from Manga Time Kirara, is producing the series.

Rasuko Okuma expressed her surprise and delight: "I'm probably the most surprised of all. At the same time, I'm incredibly happy, to the point where words fail me. I hope my feelings reach everyone through a 'forehead touch'!" Producer Shunno Nakamura from TV Tokyo shared his vision for the project: "Like Hoshiko wishing upon a shooting star, I want to create a drama that can gently push someone's back, making viewers think, 'I wish there was a world like this.'"

Rasuko Okuma's Comment: I never imagined that "Stardust Telepath" would be adapted into a TV drama... I'm probably the most surprised. At the same time, I'm incredibly happy, beyond words. I hope both fans of the original work and those who are new to it will enjoy this new stage of "Stardust Telepath."

Shunno Nakamura (TV Tokyo Producer): The drama "Stardust Telepath" will be a work that fulfills dreams. Until now, when creating dramas, I considered fiction as an "escape route," where anything goes as long as it's resolved in the end. However, when I heard someone say they want to dream precisely because it's a drama, it made me reconsider the role of drama, the true meaning of "fiction," and the significance of delivering creative work."

Source: Natalie

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