melodrama
A modern melodrama is a dramatic work in which the plot, typically sensationalized and for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodramas typically concentrate on dialogue that is often bombastic or exce ...
novel
A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itself ...
Shogakukan
is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, comics ( manga), non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan.
Shogakukan founded Shueisha, which also founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the ...
, which revolves around narrator Sakutaro Matsumoto's recollections of a school classmate whom he once loved.
It is also known as , which author Katayama used after his editors advised that his original novel title ''Socrates in Love'' wouldn't work.http://www.kkatayama.net/booklist/ Katayama's author site
Plot summary
In a small town of southern
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...
, Sakutaro "Saku" Matsumoto and Aki Hirose, classmates since junior high, become high school students. During this time they begin to date and their conversations circle around the idea of what love really is, beginning after Saku's grandfather shares his own past love story with Saku.
After a trip the two take to an abandoned island, Aki discovers she has
leukemia
Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ...
, which limits her chances to go outside or see Saku. Once Saku learns the truth, he buys flight tickets to take Aki to Australia's
Uluru
Uluru (; pjt, Uluṟu ), also known as Ayers Rock ( ) and officially gazetted as UluruAyers Rock, is a large sandstone formation in the centre of Australia. It is in the southern part of the Northern Territory, southwest of Alice Spring ...
(Ayers Rock); a place she had always wanted to visit after missing the school trip there, but she dies before she could board the plane.
The story takes place as a flashback through Saku's eyes as he and Aki's parents travel to Australia to spread Aki's ashes in the place she had always wanted to see.
Main characters
* Sakutaro "Saku" Matsumoto (松本朔太郎 ''Matsumoto Sakutarō'', サク "Saku"): the narrator who's referred as "Saku-chan" by Aki. His name is taken from Japanese
poet
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or w ...
Sakutarō Hagiwara's name.
* Aki Hirose (廣瀬亜紀 ''Hirose Aki'', アキ "Aki"): Saku's classmate who later becomes his girlfriend. She has
leukemia
Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ...
.
* Ryunosuke Oki (大木龍之介 ''Ōki Ryūnosuke''): a classmate of Saku and Aki. His name is based on Japanese writer Ryūnosuke Akutagawa's name.
* Kentaro Matsumoto (松本謙太郎 ''Matsumoto Kentarō''): Saku's grandfather.
About the title
''Socrates in Love'' is the English translation of author Katayama's original Japanese title, 恋するソクラテス (''Koi Suru Sokuratesu'').
The novel and its manga adaptation (illustrated by
Kazumi Kazui
is a Japanese manga artist. She made her debut in 2000 in a special edition of '' Petit Comic'' with ''Watashi no Iru Basho'' (''The Place Where I Am''), and later worked on the manga adaptation of ''Socrates in Love''. Her current work '' Dōse ...
) were published in the United States by
VIZ Media
VIZ Media LLC is an American manga publisher, anime distributor and entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ M ...
under the English translated title of author Katayama's original title.
The 2004 film title, ''Sekai no Chūshin de, Ai o Sakebu'', is abbreviated in Japan as ''Sekachū'' (セカチュー).
To date, the 2005
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...
DVD release of the 2004 film adaptation is the only English-language release that has its title ''Crying Out Love, In the Center of the World'' in English. The 2004 film and the 2004 TV series still haven't been released to the English-language market outside Hong Kong.
Notes about the novel
Katayama had intended ''Socrates in Love'' as part of a trilogy to explore the concept and themes of youth and memories. His editors however decided to take advantage of the "pure Love boom"—a Japanese media trend of novels and films that portray a chaste, undying and tragic love—by publishing the novel under ''Crying Out Love, in the Center of the World'' to appeal fans of tragic love stories. In spite of this, only 8,000 copies of the book were printed and distributed, due to the poor sales of Katayama's two previous novels.
A year after the novel's publication, celebrity actress
Kou Shibasaki
is a Japanese actress and singer who has performed in television shows, movies, and commercials. She is managed by Stardust Promotion.
Biography Acting career
Shibasaki debuted in 2000, when she portrayed Mitsuko Souma in '' Battle Royale.'' S ...
wrote in a guest column for Japanese monthly literary and pop culture magazine ''Da Vinci'' (March 2002 issue): "I read it thoroughly even though it made me cry. I wished to have such a relationship in my life." The book became a best-seller, due to Shibasaki's recommendation and the word of mouth. In May 2004 over 3 million copies were sold, surpassing the sales record of Haruki Murakami's '' Norwegian Wood''. Shibasaki subsequently appeared in the 2004 film version.
Film and television adaptations
Japanese film (2004)
''Crying Out Love, In the Center of the World'' was opened nationally in Japan on 8 May 2004, which brought Masami Nagasawa recognition as an actress. It was a huge success, and its theme song, "Hitomi o Tojite" ("With My Eyes Closed") by
Ken Hirai
is a Japanese R&B and pop singer. Since his debut, Hirai has worked as a model, actor, composer, lyricist, singer, and brand ambassador.
During his career, Hirai has released 45 singles and nine studio albums as of January 2019.http://www.tbs.co.jp/tbs-ch/item/d1198/ TBS listing: Crying Out Love, in the Centre of the World TV
drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...
series, directed by Yukihiko Tsutsumi, and broadcast every Friday on TBS at 10PM, from 2 July to 10 September, in 2004.http://www.tbs.co.jp/program/sekai-ai.html TBS Profile: Crying Out Love, in the Centre of the World
Like the film, the drama features an original character that doesn't appear in the novel — Aki Kobayashi, a single-mother friend of adult Sakutaro. She has feelings for him, but he struggles not to see her as the late Aki's replacement. Their situation is complicated when Aki's young son sees Saku as a father figure.
The drama's theme song, "Katachi Aru Mono" (Some Kind of Form), is notable for having been written and performed by
Kou Shibasaki
is a Japanese actress and singer who has performed in television shows, movies, and commercials. She is managed by Stardust Promotion.
Biography Acting career
Shibasaki debuted in 2000, when she portrayed Mitsuko Souma in '' Battle Royale.'' S ...
, who appeared as Ritsuko Fujimura in the 2004 film adaptation.
Kou Shibasaki
is a Japanese actress and singer who has performed in television shows, movies, and commercials. She is managed by Stardust Promotion.
Biography Acting career
Shibasaki debuted in 2000, when she portrayed Mitsuko Souma in '' Battle Royale.'' S ...
Naoto Ogata
is a Japanese actor.
Biography
Naoto was born as the second son of Ken Ogata. He made his debut in the film ''Yūshun Oracion'' in 1988.
Ogata landed a lead role in the 1992 Taiga drama ''Nobunaga King of Zipangu'', he played the role of Oda N ...
Yuika Motokariya
is a Japanese actress. She is signed with the Stardust Promotion agency.
Filmography
Dramas
* '' 3 nen B gumi Kinpachi sensei Season 6'' (2001)
* ''Satokibi Batake no Uta'' (2003)
* '' Sekai no Chuushin de, Ai wo Sakebu'' (2004)
* ''Fight'' (20 ...
Katsumi Takahashi
is a common Japanese given name used by either sex.
Possible writings
Katsumi can be written using different kanji characters and can mean:
;as a given name
*克己, "overcome, self/oneself"
*克巳, "overcome, sixth earthly branch"
*克美, "ov ...
Tomokazu Miura
is a Japanese actor.
Life and career
Miura attended Hino high school in Tokyo. He was originally a member of rock group RC Succession, but was asked to leave the group by their management when they signed a record contract. However, impressed b ...
- Makoto Hirose
*
Tatsuya Nakadai
is a Japanese film actor.
He was featured in 11 films directed by Masaki Kobayashi, including '' The Human Condition'' trilogy, wherein he starred as the lead character Kaji, plus ''Harakiri'', '' Samurai Rebellion'' and '' Kwaidan''.
Nakadai ...
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
as ''
My Girl and I
''My Girl and I'' (; lit. ''A Heavy Seas Warning'') is a 2005 South Korean film directed by Jeon Yun-su. It is a remake of the Japanese film '' Crying Out Love, In the Center of the World'', adapted from the novel ''Socrates in Love'' by Kyoichi K ...
'' on 23 December 2005. It was then released in Japan on 26 August 2006, under its Japanese title, ''You Are the Center of My World'' (僕の、世界の中心は、君だ ''Boku no, Sekai no Chūshin wa, Kimi da'').