Keiko Kitagawa to star in a live action adaptation of The Promised Neverland manga

Keiko Kitagawa as Mama Isabella in The Promised Neverland

Keiko Kitagawa, best known to Sailor Moon fans as Sailor Mars from the live action Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon series, will be in yet another live action adaptation of a popular manga and anime series. She will be in the upcoming The Promised Neverland movie as the character Isabella, also known as Mama. The series is about a group of children in a mysterious orphanage where Isabella is their caregiver. This takes place in the distant future where the orphanage, the only world they know, is part of some nefarious plot. I guess that means they’re not actually going to Neverland. Would it be rude to suggest this is similar to the plot of The Island? I haven’t read or seen the series but it seems like Keiko Kitagawa’s character is potentially a villain in this.

The Promised Neverland - Isabella

The casting for the film has already caused some controversy as the character or Krone will be portrayed by a Japanese actress, Naomi Watanabe, though the character in the manga and anime is black. This is an interesting controversy given the recurring backlash when white actors are cast in Hollywood adaptations of Japanese franchises such as Scarlett Johansson in Ghost in the Shell.

The Promised Neverland - Live Action

The movie will be released in Japan on December 18th. There are no details about a North American release at this time. Fans looking to check out the anime can watch the first season on Crunchyroll, FunimationNow, Hulu or Hidive. Are any of you fans of the manga and anime series? Will you be checking out this movie when it’s released?

The Promised Neverland

Source: Sports Hochi via Anime News Network

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42 thoughts on “Keiko Kitagawa to star in a live action adaptation of The Promised Neverland manga

    • it was the anime series 3 months after the original japanese release toonami has aired that anime (The Promised Neverland) it reran on January 2020 until feburary 22, 2020

    • Ah, there’s only one Joseph to do such a video, and it can only be you :D ! What an imposing voice you have! Do you have a classical training? I’m sure you could use your skills to dub! But be careful, our times are uncertain, the world economy might collapse, and in return, you might be paid in rolls of toilet paper. The surest currency in times of *need* and chaos!

      • Yay, hustling toilet paper! What a time to be alive! Thank you for the kind words, Aurélia, but I’m not classically trained. I was in school plays, took drama in high school, did improvisational comedy (again, with fellow high school students), and I was in community theatre. But that’s it, really. My acting ability is about as strong as a soggy pancake, but I had fun!

        • Thank you Joe for your answer! You may not be classically trained, but you have the voice of someone who trained his voice through years of acting, for sure, and I heard it!

          • Thank you, kindly! :D Let me know if you ever want me to read you a bedtime story or something.

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