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 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 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?

Source: Sports Hochi via Anime News Network