What happens when humanity dares to call Mars home and the planet begins to whisper back? NHK’s upcoming film Queen of Mars, produced under its ambitious “Space Future Project” to celebrate 100 years of broadcasting, imagines life in 2125, four decades after humans first settled the red planet. Based on Ogawa Satoshi’s acclaimed sci-fi novel, the series explores a world ruled by the Interplanetary Space Development Agency (ISDA), where mysterious objects and unexplainable phenomena blur the line between science and the supernatural.
Rising star Sri Lin takes on the role of Lili-E1102, a blind Mars native whose quiet strength anchors the story, while Suda Masaki portrays Shiraishi Aoto, an ISDA employee stationed on Earth whose fate becomes entwined with hers. The drama also features a stellar ensemble cast including Shim Eun-kyung, Kishii Yukino, Sugawara Koharu, Miyazawa Hio, Matsuo Suzuki, Takito Kenichi, Miyazawa Rie, and Yoshioka Hidetaka. Newly revealed additions include Taiwanese actor Sandy Chang as ISDA Secretary General Huang Yutong, and Nigerian star Deyemi Okanlawon (The King’s Horseman) as Luke Maddison, CEO of Whale Corporation Mars’s most powerful tech empire.
Singer UA transforms into Emma, one of the visionaries who founded Cocoon, a mutual aid group born during Mars’s early colonization era. Matsuoka Mayu brings to life Dale-E0302, a charismatic radio DJ from Mars Colony 0, while Suzuki Ryohei plays Midori-E0106, a beloved actor whose voice fills the Martian airwaves beside her. Narration and the Japanese voice of Moby the small AI device connecting this multilingual colony are provided by voice actress Takahashi Rie. With Moby developed by Whale Corp., nearly every colonist carries one, making communication seamless between worlds.
Adding an emotional pulse to the story, the theme song “Memory and Gravity” by Kimijima Ozora, Bando Yudai, and Yuma Yamaguchi feat. Disc Miners bridges Earth and Mars through sound the band itself plays a key role in the film’s narrative.
Queen of Mars unfolds over three breathtaking episodes airing on NHK General TV and BS Premium 4K from December 13, every Saturday at 10 p.m. Written by Reiko Yoshida and directed by Takegoro Nishimura and Tsuyoshi Kawakami, this series promises to be more than just science fiction it’s a haunting reflection of humanity’s search for connection in the vast silence of space.
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