"Shibatora," a manga written by Tadashi Agi (under the pen name Yuma Ando) and illustrated by Masashi Asaki, is being turned into a live-action series this summer. The popular comic currently runs in Weekly Shonen Magazine and has so far sold 420,000 volumes.

The comical story revolves around a young-looking detective named Taketora Shibata (nicknamed Shibatora). Because of his appearance, he is able to easily blend in with the juvenile delinquents he deals with on a regular basis.

Tsuguaki Tatematsu, the Fuji TV producer in charge of planning for the series, said that after reading the comic, his only choice for the lead role was WaT's Teppei Koike. Koike happily agreed to play the part, which will be his first time starring in a television series.

Nikkan Sports reports that Suzuka Ohgo will play the heroine, while Muga Tsukaji (of Drunk Dragon) plays a former genius hacker. Miki Maya and Daisuke Miyagawa play Shibatora's co-workers. Tsukaji's comedy partner, Taku Suzuki, is also in the cast, along with Koji Imada as a guest actor.

Fuji TV will air the drama on Tuesdays at 9:00pm, starting in July.