On February 3, rakugo performer Shofutei Tsurube attended the premiere screening of his starring movie "35th Year Love Letter" (directed by Tsukamoto Renpei, to be released on March 7) in Tokyo with the main cast. When asked about his goals for this year, Tsurube said with a hint of self-deprecation, "Even though I'm a rakugo performer, I started doing rakugo at the age of 52 (laughs)." He continued, "I've had to increase the number of stories since then, so every time is a challenge. But I'm 73 now, so I have a really bad memory. Every time is a challenge."
The film is based on the true story of a couple that was featured in the Asahi Shimbun in 2003, and was featured on television and in magazines, and even turned into an original rakugo story, inspiring many people. The story follows the husband, Nishihata Tamotsu (Tsurube), who was born during wartime and grew up unable to read or write, attending night school in order to convey his gratitude to his beloved wife, Kyoko (Harada Tomoyo), in letters.
Regarding playing the role of a married couple with Harada, Tsurube said, "(During filming) people around me would ask me, 'Why do you look so happy?' but I really was happy," and added with a smile, "I was really looking forward to meeting her today for the first time in a while. I got to know both her older sister and her niece, and it felt like I had relatives nearby."
The main cast members Harada, Shigeoka Daiki, Mone Kamishiraishi, Ken Yasuda Ken, Kuwabata Rie, and director Tsukamoto also appeared at the preview screening.
