The film stars Eiji Wentz (Brave Story) as the titular hero, Natsuna Watanabe (Gantz, Kimi ni Todoke) as the heroine, Ruriko and Show Aikawa (Zebraman) as Mister X. This new interpretation focuses on lead hero Naota Date, who fights in opposition to an evil wrestling organization and to save a children's orphanage. Date was actually at one time a member of the evil organization, Tora no Ana, before setting down the path to become a hero. The original manga ran from 1968 to 1971 in such publications as Weekly Shōnen Magazine while the anime aired in 1969. Many real-life Japanese wrestlers have donned the 'Tiger Mask' persona over the years. The manga recently became popular again in Japan after a mysterious donation was made a few years back to a children's organization which sparked others to contribute in what became known as "The Tiger Mask" movement. In the image above, the illustration on the left is a page from Kajiwara and Tsuji's classic manga while the image on the right is how the protagonist has been redesigned for this modern interpretation. The film will be released in Japan this November.
""Tiger Mask" is the alter ego of the character Naoto Date, a pro wrestler who goes against an evil wrestling organization and fights for children in an orphanage. In the new setup for the film, Date dons a special suit and "transforms" into Tiger Mask with enhanced mobility and muscle strength. His mask has also been redesigned with a nod to American comic action heroes such as Spider-Man and Batman."
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