Netflix has set December 17 as the global premiere date forQuiztopia, the wildly chaotic Japanese series starring Takayuki Yamada (The Naked Director), and announced the 16 new cast members joining him.
Based on the manga “Quiztopia,” written by Reiichi Sugimoto and illustrated by Shinkichi Kato, the story first appeared in 1993, just after the collapse of Japan’s economic bubble. Its provocative premise — a nation governed by a televised quiz show — struck a chord with readers and became a cult favorite. Long considered impossible to adapt, it now comes to life as an epic eight-episode live-action series.
Teaser Trailer and cast announced
The story takes place in an alternate Japan where Quiztopia, a national quiz show, has become the country’s supreme governing authority. Under the National Quiz Law, any contestant who survives the quiz can have virtually any wish granted by the government — wealth, fame, the death of an enemy, the erasure of a criminal record, even ownership of a national landmark. The broadcast draws enormous audiences, and even the brutal forced labor awaiting eliminated contestants is treated as entertainment in this cheerfully dystopian society. At the center of it all is KK (Takayuki Yamada), the show’s iconic host and the public’s chief provocateur — who comes into contact with a group plotting to bring down Quiztopia, setting off an incident that could awaken people consumed by this seductive nightmare.
Joining Yamada’s KK are: Riko Ishida, who plays Mari, a mysterious girl intent on killing KK; Kana Kurashina as Ayako, Mari’s mother and a central figure in the story; Koji Seto as Seiji Nanbara, an activist plotting Quiztopia’s downfall; Masahiro Takashima as Commander Murakoshi, who leads the Reward and Punishment Squad responsible for carrying out penalties determined by the quiz results; Eiko Koike as Shoko Kamijo, the producer behind Quiztopia; and Renji Ishibashi as Takeshi Gokumazawa, the Prime Minister of Japan. Rin Kataoka, Yuzu Aoki, Naoki Matsukawa, Yuki Imai, Shunsuke Daito, Akira Maehara, Hoshino Disco, First Summer Uika, Keiko Horiuchi and Toshinori Omi round out the cast.
The series’ street-level chaos — crowds glued to screens in bars, at home and on giant public monitors — was brought to life with a total of 8,000 extras across the shoot.
Where do you draw the line? Is this the kind of Japan you’ll accept — or reject?
Quiztopiapremieres on December 17, only on Netflix.
