After much anticipation, it was announced that the Chinese-language adaptation of Junji Ito’s work will be released on Netflix this year.
The series, called “Bloody Smart,” is the first live-action TV series of the said title in Asia, and stars Gigi Leung and Chen Yanfei among others.
It was reported that in order to fully capture the essence of the manga, the team held dozens of meetings with Junji Ito to ensure that every part of the story was full of tension. Junji Ito had also personally participated in the character design and concept design, turning the manga into the most terrifying TV series.
The story of “Bloody Smart” revolves around a blood-red tree that grows quietly in a strict, elitist school town, bearing crimson fruit. Legend has it that these fruits are given by a boy in black to those who “truly need” them. As the fruits awaken people’s repressed desires, their hidden emotions quietly spiral out of control, leading the town down a path of irreversible collapse.
This ten-episode series weaves together Junji Ito’s popular tales including Tomie, Soichi, Hanging Balloons and The Bloody Fruits into one cohesive narrative.
Gigi Leung, who is making her debut in a thriller after 30 years in the industry, plays a single mother who takes her daughter (played by Chen Yanfei), who failed her college entrance exam, to the said mysterious town that has a high college admission rate. However, this town has a magical power to catalyse desires, and as mysterious events gradually occur, the secret of “being smart” also emerges.
(Photo Source: Junji Hana IG)