The Japanese version of Thai thriller, "Girl From Nowhere", premieres on Fuji Television’s FOD platform on 24 April, giving Thailand’s GMM Studios its first international adaptation of the series.

The remake signals Japanese media companies growing relationships with producers around the world and comes ahead of the special focus at Series Mania in France this month on Japanese co-production with international partners. 

International distribution and licensing rights (ex Japan) for the Japanese adaptation – "Transfer Student Nanno" – across all windows are held exclusively by GMM Studios International, with global sales handled via ONE31.

In their announcement this morning, GMM Studios International and Fuji Television said the six-episode series adapted stories from season one of the original Thai production. 

The four Japanese directors involved are Yukihiko Tsutsumi ("20th Century Boys" live-action trilogy), Kazuyoshi Kumakiri ("My Man"), Yoo Youngseon ("The Wrath"), and Miyuki Hatanaka ("Kimbap and Onigiri: Two in Love, Alike Yet Different").

20-year-old newcomer, Arisa Nakajima, debuts as Nanno, a mysterious transfer student with a chilling ability to see through human weaknesses and hidden truths.  Each time Nanno arrives at a new school, she delves into the dark secrets of the teachers and students she encounters, luring them into choices that expose their desires, obsessions, and abuses of power, unraveling the school’s established order.

"Girl From Nowhere", created by SOUR Bangkok, premiered on Thailand’s GMM25 in 2018, and was picked up by Netflix for its international slate. The 2021 sequel, Girl From Nowhere 2, ranked on the Netflix Top 10 non-English-language charts in markets including Brazil, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and across Southeast Asia. The Thai story world continues with "Girl From Nowhere: The Reset", set in a new universe and currently releasing weekly episodes on Channel ONE HD 31 and the oneD streaming platform in Thailand, and on Netflix worldwide.

Ekachai Uekrongtham, chief content officer and managing director of GMM Studios International, said the Japanese adaptation was “part of our broader strategy to grow the series into a global IP and drive multi-platform transmedia expansion”. 

Fuji Television executive producer, Kenichiro Hobara, described the original Thai series as a “completely new kind of drama –  one that cannot be found in Japanese school series”.