The spin-off series Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan follows the popular manga artist Rohan Kishibe from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, as he uses his supernatural ability, Heaven’s Door, to confront eerie mysteries. The latest live-action adaptation, Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan: At a Confessional, starring Issey Takahashi and premiering on May 23, was filmed entirely in Venice—the first Japanese movie to do so. Takahashi commented, “Venice has an inherent darkness that you can only capture there.”

The film is based on the early episode “At a Confessional” from the original manga. Scriptwriter Yasuko Kobayashi expands on creator Hirohiko Araki’s theme of paradoxical despair striking at moments of peak happiness, incorporating an original storyline that unfolds as a suspenseful tale of a curse transcending time.

Rohan visits Venice on a research trip and enters a confessional booth inside a church, unwittingly taking the priest’s seat. A mysterious man arrives to confess his sins. Driven by his belief that “experience brings reality to stories,” Rohan listens to the man’s confession—only to hear a terrifying tale from 25 years ago.

Venice, the world’s only floating city, has captivated artists and travelers for centuries and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The film features grand-scale location shoots at iconic landmarks such as Piazza San Marco (praised by Napoleon as “the most beautiful square in Europe”), Church of San Rocco, Pescaria Market, Punta della Dogana, Palazzo Barbarigo Minotto, Palazzo da Mosto, and Piazza Santi Giovanni e Paolo—an important setting in the original manga.

The film captures rarely permitted locations, including historic buildings and Renaissance masterpieces by Tintoretto. These cultural treasures enrich the film’s aesthetic, underscoring the Kishibe Rohan series’ artistic prestige and the production team’s dedication.

Beyond a mere sightseeing showcase, the film intertwines Venice’s layered history with Rohan’s narrative. The city’s former grandeur as a maritime republic, its wars, and its repeated battles with the plague contribute to the underlying darkness beneath its opulent façade. Actor Issey Takahashi remarked, “I hope viewers can feel the shadows and mist unique to Venice through the screen, and experience a mix of unease and excitement.”

Source : ORICON NEWS