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Baki Manga-Inspired Graffreeter Toki Film Teaser Posted
posted on by Egan Loo
The Cinema Today website began streaming the teaser trailer for Graffreeter Toki (literally, "Toki the Freelancing Grappler"), a comedy inspired by Keisuke Itagaki's Grappler Baki (Baki The Grappler) martial arts manga. Rie Kitahara, a member of the all-female idol group AKB48, will make her film acting debut in this project alongside newcomer Ryōta Sudō as the title character Toki. The teaser features the theme song "Classical" by Neva Give Up, and the film will open early next summer.
Director Kenichi Fujiwara's film is based on the March 2011 stage play of the same name, which in turn pays tribute to the Grappler Baki manga. The "comedy of bravery and relationship ties" is set in a working-class shopping district that is threatened by an evil organization conspiring with a land speculator. A local boy named Toki was raised with unique talents by a mother who is a diehard Baki fan. Toki and the people of the district join forces to protect their neighborhood from zombie soldiers and other threats.
Itagaki's original fighting manga ran in Weekly Shōnen Champion magazine from 1991 to 1999. The story follows a young male martial artist named Baki Hanma who faces opponents in order to become the strongest grappler in the world. Baki wants to take the title from his father to gain his mother's approval. Grappler Baki has received several manga sequels, two television anime adaptations, and an OAV (original animation video).
