Cast information has been released for the long-awaited sequel, “Funky Forest: The Second Contact (working title),” filmed in Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture!
MAP Inc Press release: October 14, 2025 To Members of the Press Cast information has been released for the long-awaited sequel, “Funky Forest 2: The Second Contact” (working title), which is being filmed in Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture! Also featured are Tadanobu Asano, Fumi Nikaido, Kiyohiko Shibukawa, Ryu Morioka, Yui Suzuki, Ise-Shima from Morioka, and Chukentachi Hachi High School!! It has been announced that the cast of the anthology film “Funky Forest: The Second Contact (working title),” directed by the three-man unit “Nice Forest” consisting of Katsuhito Ishii, Shunichiro Miki, and Hajime Ishimine (ANIKI), which will be shot in Morioka City, Iwate
Prefecture, will include Tadanobu Asano, Fumi Nikaido, Kiyohiko Shibukawa, Ryu Morioka, Yui Suzuki, as well as Iwate Prefecture natives from Ise-Shima and Chukentachi Hachi High School. Image
URL: https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/62341/25/62341-25-a022158648c9f983d9a85b06211048e4-1495×1077.jpg
anthology-style fantasy comedy film, the sequel to which has been announced 20 years since the release of Funky Forest: The First Contact (2005), directed by Katsuhito Ishii, Shunichiro Miki, and Hajime Ishimine (ANIKI). Anticipation has been building even before filming began, having been selected from among many other projects at the Frontier International Film Co-production Market, an international film planning market held in Montreal, Canada in July of this year. Among the cast members recently announced is Tadanobu Asano, who won a Golden Globe Award for his role in “Shogun,” and will be appearing in the film following his previous work, “The First Contact.” This marks the second time that Fumi Nikaido has teamed up with director Shunichiro Miki for “The Forest of Tomorrow,” which was released in 2011 and won the Excellence Award in the Entertainment Division of the 16th Japan Media Arts Festival, held by the Agency for Cultural Affairs. Shibukawa Kiyohiko, who has starred in films such as “Principal Nakayama’s Life Test” and “That’s the One I Want to Be,” will be participating for the first time this year. Morioka Ryu, who is also active as a director and producer, will also be appearing in this film for the second time in a row, just like Asano. Also confirmed to appear is Suzuki Yui, the protagonist of “Renoir,” which was selected for the competition at the 78th Cannes Film Festival. This is an impressive lineup. Also appearing are actors with ties to Morioka, such as Chuken Tachi Hachiko, who came in third place last year in “The W 2024,” a competition to determine the top female comedian, and Ise-Shima, an actor who has appeared in the NHK morning drama “Amachan” as well as stage, film, drama, and radio. Adam Trell, a Morioka resident who planned and produced this film, has been in charge of world sales for Japanese films such as “One Cut of the Dead” and “Samurai Time Slippers,” promoting Japanese independent films to the world. Eight years ago, he visited Morioka, fell in love with its charm, and decided to move there. Afterward, in conversations with Director Ishii, he suggested that filming a sequel to “The Forest of Nice” could help spread the word about Morioka City’s appeal to the world. He approached directors Miki and Ishimitsu, who worked with him on the previous film, readily agreed, and they have been scouting locations and working on the script for the past two years. Filming will finally begin in Morioka City and elsewhere in November of this year, with plans calling for the beautiful natural scenery of Mount Iwate and the city’s remaining historical cultural assets to be featured. “I hope that people who see this film will visit Morioka even 10, 20, or 30 years from now,” he said enthusiastically. Packed with the charms of Morioka, this film, which moves between the real and the unreal, is sure to attract international attention. Comments have arrived from Ise-Shima, a native of Morioka, Nomura Busso of Chukentate Hachi High School, and Ousaka (from Kamaishi City), who have been confirmed to appear. Ise-Shima “Nice Forest 2” in Morioka? And producer Adam’s quiet passion for Morioka. Why? Well, Morioka is a great place, so why? Mystery swirls around, and it’s intriguing. I want to know more. Ouzaka (Tadakentate Hachi High School) We, Tadakentate Hachi High School, will be appearing in “Nice Forest 2”! Producer Adam discovered us and even came to our comedy live show in Morioka City in June. I’m glad to be able to work on a film set in Morioka, and I’m excited to be working hard as a comedian. I’m excited to continue working even harder in the future. I’m looking forward to filming! Nomura Busso (Hachi High School) It truly feels like a dream come true to be able to appear in the sequel to “Nice Forest” thanks to my connection as a native of Iwate Prefecture. Morioka City in Iwate Prefecture is a strangely beautiful city where magnificent nature and traditional buildings coexist. It also retains a strong influence of a culture that is somewhat otherworldly, such as its dialect and legends of monsters. I think this is a perfect match for the funny and endearing atmosphere of Nice Forest. As a performer and a fan of the series, I look forward to filming!
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/62341/25/62341-25-81b482cfadda98b712c5a965da00dac8-1350×1020.jpg What is “The First Contact”? An anthology film consisting of 21 episodes. This is the directorial debut of “Nice no Mori,” a unit formed by Ishii Katsuhito, Miki Shunichiro, and ANIKI. Featuring a stellar cast and strange short stories, this film has gained cult popularity around the world. Director: Nice Forest (Katsuhito Ishii, Shunichiro Miki, ANIKI) Cast: Susumu Terajima, Tadanobu Asano, Chizuru Ikewaki, Kazue Fukiishi, Machiko Ono, Ryo Kase, Mariko Takahashi, Rinko Kikuchi, Shihori Kanjiya, Yoshiyuki Morishita, Hideaki Anno, Kotaro Shiga, Kanji Tsuda, Kenji Mizuhashi, Ryu Morioka Produced by: Aoi Promotion/Rentrac Japan/Yahoo! JAPAN/Nice Forest (released in 2006) For more information about this release automatically, so please do not reply.
