is a 2006 Japanese film by director

Naoto Kumazawa is a masculine Japanese given name. Possible writings Naoto can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: *直人, "honesty, person" *尚人, "esteem, person" *直登, "honesty, ascend" *尚登, "esteem, ascend" *直斗, "honest ...

and produced by

Shunji Iwai is a Japanese film director, video artist, writer and documentary maker. Life and career Iwai was born in Sendai, Miyagi, Japan. He attended Yokohama National University, graduating in 1987. In 1988 he started out in the Japanese entertainment ...

(who also co-wrote the screenplay under pseudonym Aminosan). Kumazawa had worked with Iwai before, having directed the making-of documentary for ''

Swallowtail Butterfly Swallowtail butterflies are large, colorful butterflies in the family Papilionidae, and include over 550 species. Though the majority are tropical, members of the family inhabit every continent except Antarctica. The family includes the large ...

''.

Plot

Tomoya Kishida (

Hayato Ichihara is a Japanese actor who is best known for his roles in film and television, including the 2001 film ''All About Lily Chou-Chou''. In 2009 he was voted one of Oricon's "fresh Stars" of the year. In 2009 he was also voted the 4th most attractive ...

) is working as a staffer in a television studio when he hears about the death of his close friend, Aoi Sato (

Juri Ueno is a Japanese actress. She first gained recognition in the 2005 film ''Swing Girls'' where she was a recipient of Newcomer of the Year prize at the Japanese Academy Awards. Ueno achieved mainstream success for playing the titular role in the live ...

). This sparks his recollection of the events in life they shared from meeting at a record store, shooting a short film as part of their university film club, to saying their last goodbyes. The movie moves through their times together. They initially meet while Kishida is stalking Aoi's friend. Initially repelled by the awkward Kishida, Aoi uses Kishida in a student film. They make the film together, and Aoi is forced to step in as the lead, whereupon she kisses Kishida. They eventually spend a lot of time together and start to get close, until Aoi decides to go overseas. Kishida gets a job at the television studio, while Aoi leaves to further her career and broaden her horizons. Though in love with each other, neither had the courage to confess their feelings before it was too late.

Cast

Yū Aoi is a Japanese actress and model. She made her film debut as Shiori Tsuda in Shunji Iwai's 2001 film ''All About Lily Chou-Chou''. She subsequently portrayed Tetsuko Arisugawa in ''Hana and Alice'' (2004), also directed by Iwai, Kimiko Tanigawa in ...

Ami Suzuki is a Japanese recording artist, DJ, and actress from Zama, Kanagawa, Japan. Having been discovered at the talent TV show ''Asayan'', she was one of the most popular female teen idols in the late 1990s. However, in 2000, Suzuki faced legal probl ...

External links

* * * 2006 films 2000s romance films Japanese romance films 2000s Japanese-language films Films about filmmaking Films about blind people Films produced by Shunji Iwai 2000s Japanese films {{2000s-romance-film-stub