"Akai Ito," one of the best-selling books of last year, is being adapted into a drama series and a film. Like "Koizora," it started out as a mobile phone novel and quickly gained in popularity, pushing it into the top 20 of Tohan's 2007 rankings. So far, the 5 volumes of the story have sold 1.8 million copies.

Written by an author known as Mei, the story revolves around two middle schoolers, Mei and Atsushi, who together face various obstacles, such as drugs, rape, and suicide.

The adaptation project is a collaboration between Fuji TV and Shochiku. While previous works that have been translated to film and television have either been separate adaptations (a la "Densha Otoko" or "Sekai no Chuushin de, Ai wo Sakebu") or drama series leading into a film, "Akai Ito" will be trying out a new model.

The cast and staff will be exactly the same for both works, and the stories will be strongly linked. In fact, the movie will open in theaters while the drama is still airing. The drama serves both as the start and end of the story, with the movie falling in the middle of the timeline.

Casting is under way. The project will be helmed by Fuji TV's Shosuke Murakami, and Okinawan band HY is providing the common theme song. The drama will start its broadcast next winter.