Having wowed global audiences with the Netflix hit Yu Yu Hakusho, producer Akira Morii of THE SEVEN has teamed up again with actors Takumi Kitamura and Go Ayano on THE SEVEN’s first theatrical release: BAKA’s Identity (A Fool’s Identity). Rising young star Yuta Hayashi fills out the powerful ensemble cast to bring the must-see story of our time to the big screen.
Adapted by Japan Academy Award-winning screenwriter Kosuke Mukai based on Jun Nishio’s 2019 prize-winning novel of the same name, BAKA’s Identity is directed by Koto Nagata, known for her complex human dramas. An exhilarating chase thriller, it explores the dark underbelly of modern Japan and its devastating impact on the lives of three young men caught up in its web. BAKA’s Identity opens in Japanese movie theaters on Friday October 24 and is distributed by THE SEVEN and Showgate.
Speaking about the film adaptation of her book, author Jun Nishio commented: “Now, thanks to Koto Nagata, the film’s director, many people will get to meet the characters that I have created—seeing them brought to the big screen still feels like something out of a dream.” She added this message for fans: “I hope audiences will come to see for themselves this story about the choices made by these young men, as they waver between good and evil, desire and despair.”
Nagata, for her part, said she was drawn to the project after reading the novel. “In recent years, I’ve witnessed firsthand the extreme poverty and crime young people in Japan are experiencing. I’d been searching for a story that captures that, and when I encountered Jun’s novel, I thought, ‘This is it!’” Proud of the way the film turned out, she added, “This was a passion project for me, one that lays bare Japan’s social realities while delivering genuine entertainment.”
Producer Akira Morii spoke about the young people depicted in the film and the social issues they face in today’s Japan: “Their lives and struggles take place out of sight from the rest of us. But they’re right there beside us. It could happen to you, or to someone in your family.” Looking ahead to the release of the film, he commented: “I hope people will watch it with an open mind and embrace it warmly.”
