Sion Sono is a favoured director on this blog. Two seasons and a whole load of reviews testify to that. I’ll admit that it’s primarily his horror films like Suicide Circle and Strange Circus that I love but recently he has branched out into serious topical drama and critical respectability with Himizu and Land of Hope, two titles that tackle the Great East Japan Earthquake.
News of his latest project has been revealed thanks to Anime News Network and it is an adaptation of Santa Inoue’s Tokyo Tribes manga. The manga is a seinen title which ran from 1997 to 2005 in the urban fashion magazine boon. It mixes US street culture with a future dystopian reading of Tokyo where different gangs control different territory.
I’m not really a fan of the manga but Sono is on the director’s chair. Furthermore he has 
created a YouTube channel for the film where open auditions will be held for the film’s cast. Both he and Santa Inoue have recorded messages about the project and instructions on how one can audition
To audition you must introduce yourself, “describe and demonstrate a special skill, act out a scene that includes their favourite character from the series, and give a message to the director.” Successful auditions at this point will get to audition in person.
It will be worth keeping an eye on this channel just to see what comes up from time to time. Shooting for the film starts in the summer!
Did you happen to see the Sion Sono interview Wildgrounds posted from when he was at the Deauville Asian Film Fest in France recently? if not here’s a link: http://www.wildgrounds.com/2013/03/24/interview-with-sion-sono-march-2013/
He comes across as having the right attitude for a director……not giving a shit…..worked for him so far, I like the fact that he’s aware that people like some of his movies more than others and he’s quite happy not pleasing everyone all of the time.
I’m also interested in seeing his late night tv show All Esper Dayo!
I have not seen it. Thanks for linking the review! Sono was considered the wild man of the Japanese film industry (I wonder if half of those rumours are true…) so him not caring makes sense. He’s unlikely to apprentice as an AD next to a staid and respectable director. I really like his films and embrace the uneveness in some of them like Suicide Circle!
I was aware of all All Esper Dayo! after seeing Shota Sometani was cast in it. It’s an adaptation of Kiminori Wakasugi’s manga and he made Detroit Metal City, the live-action version of which I reviewed! Talk about coincidence!
I’m not a manga reader and know nothing about the source material, but I’m on board for any project Sion Sono decides to work on.
I’m with you on that! The thing that interests me the most (apart from Sono’s involvement) is the YouTube audition process. I’m going to keep checking back to see what the quality is like.
Those YouTube auditions I imagine will be very interesting – I hope you post a few!
Lynn 😀
This is the first time I have read about such a thing being so public and if we do get to see auditions I’ll definitely post them here.
Interesting…I like the online audition thing…do you think a rooster imitation is a talent? Maybe I should enter. Always good to know Sono is busy!
I don’t think a Canadian imitating a rooster will fit in the gritty urban tale that is Tokyo Tribes. That written, there are more disturbing things in the manga 😉
But you have never seen my rooster imitation! It is gritty.
I’ll take your word for it. If someone did a rooster imitation in front of me on the street I’d be scared.