Osamu Dazai’s “Shayo” being turned into film

On Wednesday, it was publicly announced that Osamu Dazai’s best known novel, “Shayo” (“The Setting Sun”), will be turned into a motion picture. Director Masatoshi Akihara is in charge of the adaptation, which is set to start filming this November.

The novel, first published in 1947 a year before Dazai’s death, examined the need for social change in postwar Japan.

The cast has already been decided. Eriko Sato, said to be a big Dazai fan, is starring as the heroine Kazuko. The supporting cast includes Yoichi Nukumizu, Yosuke Ito, Sera Rinka, Kota Masago, Ichiro Ogura, and Hitomi Takahashi. The classical Gothic Lolita band Kokusyoku Sumire is in charge of the film’s music.

“Shayo” is currently slated for a May 2009 release.

Source:
Sports Hochi