A Japanese high school team's victory in a U.S. cheerleading championship only three years after forming has inspired a film featuring popular young actress Suzu Hirose, which is scheduled for release next year.
"It's a story of ordinary girls making their dreams come true," said Yuko Igarashi, a 48-year-old teacher who was behind the establishment of the cheerleading club at Fukui Commercial High School in 2006. "It's proof that people can change."
The story begins with the protagonist, played by Hirose, joining the extracurricular club called Jets, which originated as a team of dancers cheering for the Fukui Prefecture school's baseball team.