A Live-action Film Releases in September for the Miss Machiko Manga

After nine years of silence, the comedy series “Maicching Machiko-sensei” returns with a live-action film to debut in September. Titled as “Hatsukoi Sketch: Maicching Machiko-sensei” a.k.a. “First Love Sketch: Maicching Machiko-sensei”, staff and cast details have already been confirmed for the film.

It was in May that a Campfire crowdfunding campaign seeking assistance towards production was launched by the film. The aim of the campaign was to raise 1 million yen (about US$9,000) by July 14.

Working as the director of the film is Tomoyuki Kamimura. As for the role of film producer, it will be taken on by Tochigi prefecture’s “Future Ambassador,” Ayako Fujiwara. According to a note left by Fujiwara on the Tokyo Web news website, the film aims to “convey the charm of Tochigi.”

The film’s story sets itself in Tochigi prefecture 10 years after the end of the anime’s story. The school where Machiko once taught, Arama Academy, is now closed down and has been converted into a factory. When plans to demolish the building completely and convert the space into a shopping center are brought up, the school’s alumni split into a debate. On one side, are supporters of the plan while the other are those against it.

The cast for the film are the following:

Reimi Ōsawa as Machiko
Shizuru comedy duo member Jum Murakami as Kenta, a student who has had a crush on Machiko since middle school
Shizuru comedy duo member Kazuma Ikeda as Kinzo
Tomohiro Sekimachi as Kame
Asuka Hanamura as Kyōko
Yuka Masuda as Hiromi
Mariya Suzuki as Nanao
Kee Maeda as Hiroshi

Also, cast as extras for the film is about 40 local residents, including some of the local factory workers.

The setting of the film is in fact shot at Egawa Elementary School in the city of Nasukarasuyama in Tochigi, a school that itself was closed down and partially converted into a factory. Like in the film, plans to demolish this building in a few years are in motion.

Based on the manga created by Takeshi Ebihara, “Miss Machiko”, also known as “Maicching Machiko-sensei” made its debut in 1980. Serialized in Shōnen Challenge, the series reached a total of eight volumes before ending in 1982. An anime adaptation was released in 1981 and prior to this film, seven live-action films had been released.

The original story of the series tells of a new elementary school teacher named Miss Machiko. Due to wearing a revealing red mini-skirt, she regularly finds herself in accidental sexual situations. More than this, with her popularity among male students, she finds her skirt often being lifted by mischievous students who also devise traps to catch her in various stages of undress.

Even with all of this, Mai remains as a generally kind and patient woman who rather than getting angry at her students, laughs their antics off and utters her trademark phrase, “Maicchingu!” (roughly meaning “Embarrassing”).

Source: AnimeNewsNetwork