Mitsuki Takahata plays the heroine Akari Shinohara in "5 Centimeters per Second"

It has been revealed that actress Mitsuki Takahata will be appearing in the film "5 Centimeters per Second" (directed by Yoshiyuki Okuyama, set to be released on October 10th), starring Hokuto Matsumura. Takahata will play the heroine, Akari Shinohara.

This live-action film is an adaptation of the 2007 anime film of the same name directed by Makoto Shinkai. It depicts the protagonist Tono Takaki's 18-year life journey, from his youthful days as an elementary school student when he met transfer student Shinohara Akari and bonded with her, to his high school years on Tanegashima after being separated from Akari upon graduation, to his youth as he approaches 30, when he works as a systems engineer in Tokyo and feels a vague sense of stagnation and frustration.

The childhood version of the protagonist Tono Takaki, played by Matsumura, will be played by Ueda Yuto, who is making his debut in this film, and the childhood version of the heroine Shinohara Akari will be played by Shirayama Noa, who won the grand prize at the "Toho Cinderella" audition.

"I hope we can see the cherry blossoms together again next year," Takaki and Akari said as children, believing that they would spend their lives together forever. However, they were separated when their parents were transferred, and after a promise they made when they reunited in junior high school, they went on to walk their own paths. Takahata plays the role of Akari, now an adult, living a quiet life working as a bookstore clerk in Shinjuku.

In addition, a teaser visual depicting a scene from a snowy day has also been released.

◇ Comment from Mitsuki Takahata

To be honest, when I heard about the role, I was like, "Really?! Is it really me???" I was filled with anxiety. That's because the Akari in Shinkai's anime is like the "concept of a wonderful woman," with flower petals fluttering every time she moves. To me.

However, when I opened the script I was given, I saw not a "concept" but a "human being," and I felt like the Akari I had seen was the Akari seen through Takaki's eyes. I was able to feel a little closer to Akari. The staff who brought Shinkai's worldview to life in live action are truly incredible! Above all, I feel happy to be able to take part in the first commercial feature film by Director Okuyama, a classmate of mine with whom I have worked on photography for over 10 years.

◇Comment from Makoto Shinkai

When I started watching the film, I felt a bit uncomfortable at first. I felt like I was handing over an incomplete, immature baton to younger filmmakers. But halfway through, I began to be absorbed in the images, and by the end, to my own surprise, I was crying. I wasn't sure whether I was crying over elements from the original work, or whether Okuyama's team was making me cry, or whether I was crying over the lost 2000s, but whatever the case may be, I was deeply moved.

Once again, "5 Centimeters per Second" is a strange story. It has no significant dramaturgy, no thrilling action, and no heroes or villains. Everyone is hurt and hurts others for no apparent reason, and there is always something unfulfilled. But 20 years ago, I thought that this "emptiness" was our own state, our lives, and I wanted to make an animated film that would capture that.

I'm not sure if the animated version reached that goal, but in this live-action film, that clumsy seed from back then has borne beautiful fruit, still containing its greenery. For the first time in a long time, I truly felt glad that I made "5 Centimeters per Second." Thank you so much to everyone on the Okuyama team.