, is a Japanese

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

series by

Moyoco Anno is a Japanese manga artist and fashion writer, with numerous books published in both categories. Her work ''Sugar Sugar Rune'' won the Kodansha manga award for children in 2005. Anno is married to director Hideaki Anno of ''Neon Genesis Evangel ...

. The manga is about a girl who goes through different names throughout the story and becomes a , or high ranking (courtesan). North American publisher

Vertical Inc Vertical is a Japanese novel and manga imprint of Kodansha USA Publishing. Founded in 2001 by Hiroki Sakai, in February 2011, the company was bought by Kodansha (46.7%) and Dai Nippon Printing (46.0%). The company was consolidated into Kodansha ...

published it in English in July 2012.

Plot

A young (maid in a brothel) is sold into the red-light district of and is put under the care of the of the house, , who names her . The girl is very rebellious, leading to the heads of the household considering her potential future as a successful , as a high-ranking courtesan needs not only beauty and talent but also the tenacity to maintain their position in order to be successful. later takes the name as a (or courtesan-in-training), and later takes the name , and is considered the most beautiful girl in the household. Her popularity threatens the position of the household's other , , which creates great tension between the two. 's rivalry with is not the only challenge she faces, as the appearance of a young man named faces her with the impossibility of finding love in her position.

Film

A live-action film adaptation was released in Japan on February 24, 2007. The film stars

Anna Tsuchiya is a Japanese singer, actress and semi-retired model. Since 2005, she is primarily known as a singer.Oricon pr ...

and marks the directorial debut of photographer

Mika Ninagawa is a Japanese photographer and director, known for her brightly colored photographs of flowers, goldfish, and landscapes. Biography Daughter of acclaimed theatre director Yukio Ninagawa, she first came to prominence in the late 1990s as part of ...

Ringo Sheena , known by her stage name , is a Japanese singer, songwriter and musician. She is also the founder and lead vocalist of the band Tokyo Jihen. She describes herself as "". She was ranked number 36 in a list of Japan's top 100 musicians compiled ...

's album ''

Heisei Fūzoku , also known as ''Japanese Manners'', is a studio album by Japanese singer-songwriter Ringo Sheena and conductor and violinist Neko Saitō, released on February 21, 2007. The vinyl record version and the DVD "Daiginjou" were released on April 25 ...

'' acts as the

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...

Cast

Anna Tsuchiya is a Japanese singer, actress and semi-retired model. Since 2005, she is primarily known as a singer.Oricon pr ...

as Kiyoha *

Ayame Koike is a Japanese actress under the Sony Music Artists. Koike made her acting debut in the Japanese television drama ''Botan to Bara'' as Rika Nojima in 2004. In 2007, Koike appeared in NHK Educational TV's as Hikari Tsukishima, the only female in ...

as Young Kiyoha *

Asuka Saito Asuka may refer to: People * Asuka (name), a list of people * Asuka (wrestler), professional wrestler * Asuka (wrestler, born 1998), professional wrestler also known as Veny outside of Japan Places In Japan * , an area in Yamato Province (now N ...

as Tomeki *

Kippei Shiina is a Japanese actor. Career Shiina portrayed John Rain and co-starred in Max Mannix's '' Rain Fall'' (2009) with Gary Oldman. He starred in Takeshi Kitano's '' Outrage'' (2010). Filmography Film *''Wangan Bad Boy Blue'' (1992) *''A Night in Nu ...

as Kuranosuke *

Yoshino Kimura is a British-born Japanese actress, voice actress and singer. She appeared on an episode of the Showtime series ''Masters of Horror''. Kimura won the "Rookie of the Year" prize at the 21st Japan Academy Film Prize, Japan Academy Awards for her ...

as Takao *

Hiroki Narimiya (born September 14, 1982), better known as , is a former Japanese actor. Early life He was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan. His parents are from Okinawa Prefecture. His parents divorced when he was young, and in his third year of junior high sch ...

as Sojiro *

Miho Kanno is a Japanese actress and J-Pop singer. Her nickname is ''Kanchan'' (菅ちゃん). She was born in Sakado, Saitama, Japan. Career In 1992, Kanno made her debut as a member of a group called ''Sakurakko Club'' after passing the orientation f ...

as Shohi *

Masatoshi Nagase is a Japanese actor. He is best known in the West for his roles in Friðrik Þór Friðriksson's '' Cold Fever'' and Jim Jarmusch's ''Mystery Train''. Nagase was described by Todd Brown of Twitch Film as "one of the great unsung heroes of Japane ...

as Mitsunobu *

Masanobu Andō is a Japanese actor. Ando has appeared in films such as Takeshi Kitano's '' Kids Return'' (1996), Kinji Fukasaku's '' Battle Royale'' (2000), Takashi Miike's '' Sukiyaki Western Django'' (2007), and Chen Kaige's ''Forever Enthralled'' (2008). He ...

as Seiji *

Renji Ishibashi , born is a Japanese actor. He won the award for best supporting actor at the 15th Hochi Film Award for '' Rōnin-gai''. Filmography Film Television Video game * '' Yakuza: Dead Souls'' - Oyassan References External links * Renji Ishib ...

as Owner *

Kyōko Koizumi (born February 4, 1966) is a Japanese singer and actress. She is signed to Victor Entertainment. Career In 1981, Kyoko Koizumi participated and won the Star Tanjo! programme and released her 1st single in March 1982. She gained her first num ...

as Oran

References

External links

Official website for the film

IMDb entry
Kodansha manga Manga adapted into films Moyoco Anno Seinen manga Vertical (publisher) titles {{Manga-stub