It has been announced that Ishii Shinji's novel "Toritsukare Otoko" (Shinchosha) will be adapted into an animated feature film and released in the fall of 2025. The film will be produced as a musical anime, directed by Takahashi Wataru, who has worked on "Crayon Shin-chan Shin-chan the Movie: Robo and Ichi-chan Strike Back," with Miura Naoyuki in charge of the script and Arakawa Shinji in charge of character design. Shin-Ei Animation will produce the anime.
"Toritsukare Otoko" was published in 2001, and a paperback edition was released by Shinchosha in 2006. It is a love story about a young man named Giuseppe, nicknamed "Toritsukare Otoko" by the townspeople, who becomes obsessed with something and is unable to see anything else when he is absorbed in it. One day, he falls in love with a balloon seller named Pechika. The story depicts Giuseppe's struggles for Pechika, who is carrying a sadness in her heart. It has been adapted into a stage play four times, and has become very popular.
A trailer showing the main character Giuseppe singing has been released on YouTube. Giuseppe, who is obsessed with anything, is also shown doing sit-ups, clam digging, collecting sunglasses, being obsessed with cameras, and meeting the balloon seller Pechika. A teaser visual featuring Giuseppe and Pechika has also been released, with the tagline "Turala, I'm crazy about you."
Ishii, the original author, commented, "A block of words written unknown to anyone in a small room in Asakusa is given color, shape, sound and movement, and thus comes out into the world. I was given a peek at the production process, including storyboarding and dubbing, and was deeply impressed by the dedication of the staff. Everyone was single-mindedly breathing new life into something that was supposed to be motionless. To borrow the title of Osamu Tezuka's manga 'Film is Alive', which chronicles his love of animation, I thought that 'Stories are Alive'."
Director Takahashi said, "It has already been four years since the producer handed me the original novel and said, "Let's make an entertainment film!" During that time, many sad and painful events have occurred in the world, and these continue to occur today. This film is a love story between a strange man, Giuseppe, and Pechika the balloon seller. It is a film that loudly proclaims that it is wonderful for someone to care about and help someone else. We were able to create this film with the help of our unique staff and cast. I am happy to be able to deliver such a straightforward story to everyone."
