Yugo Aosaki's Novel Rock Paper Landmine Adapted into Live-Action Series to Stream on Amazon Prime Video
Yugo Aosaki's novel Rock Paper Landmine (Janken Bakudan) is being adapted into a live-action series. The series, starring Nana Mori and Aju Makita, will be released worldwide on Amazon Prime Video. The project was officially announced on August 28, 2026.
The most striking detail of the series is its genre: The production is described as a "bloodless survival game." That is, unlike classic death games, we will watch a survival struggle that focuses not on physical violence but on psychological warfare, intelligence, and strategy. The story revolves around a deadly and high-stakes version of rock-paper-scissors. Every move the characters make deeply affects not only the game but also their lives and relationships. It is already being said that Aosaki's distinctive narrative style, woven with logic puzzles and mind games, is very well suited to this format.
This adaptation has already created great excitement among Yugo Aosaki fans. The author is especially known for the Undead Girl Murder Farce series. This gothic mystery series, which began publication in 2015 and is set in the Meiji period, was adapted into an anime by Lapin Track studio in 2023 and received great acclaim. Aosaki is known for blending logic-based mystery plots with historical atmosphere. Rock Paper Landmine, on the other hand, is one of the author's novels published by Kodansha in 2023, in a more modern, psychological thriller genre. The novel attracted attention among mystery enthusiasts in Japan at the time of its release and proved the author's versatility.
The cast also demonstrates the project's ambition. Nana Mori became widely known for voicing Hina Amano in Makoto Shinkai's Weathering With You (Tenki no Ko), and later starred in productions such as The World of You and Maiko-san Chi no Makanai-san. Aju Makita, on the other hand, received international acclaim for her performance in Hirokazu Kore-eda's Shoplifters (Manbiki Kazoku) and has been cited in recent years as one of Japan's most talented young actresses. The success of both names in the thriller and drama genres raises expectations for how they will perform in this battle of wits.
The fact that the series will be distributed worldwide via Amazon Prime Video is a reflection of the recent global interest in Japanese live-action productions. After the global success of live-action adaptations of Alice in Borderland, Yu Yu Hakusho, and One Piece, platforms are investing more in adaptations of Japanese novels and manga. The Rock Paper Landmine series, whose release date and episode count have not yet been announced, is expected to begin filming in the fall of 2026. New announcements regarding the trailer and additional cast are expected in the coming weeks.
