On September 22nd, actress Ayami Nakajo appeared on stage to greet the Ami Touma at the preview screening of the film "Strawberry Moon: A Love with Half a Year Left to Live" (directed by Mai Sakai, scheduled for release on October 17th), starring Ami Touma, held in Tokyo. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Nao Akutagawa (published by Subarusha), which became a hot topic on TikTok as "the most tear-jerking film of the Reiwa era." Nakajo revealed an episode from the preview screening, saying, "I cried the whole time. When I left the screening room and saw the director's face, tears started flowing like a dam had burst," and she became overwhelmed with emotion while talking on stage.
Nakajo played Takane Mai, the best friend of Sakurai Moe, played by Touma, 13 years later. Nakajo said, "I've never felt so much pressure on a production before," and explained about her role, "I was the only one cast for this role, so it was a lot of pressure to suddenly play the role 13 years later. I saw everyone's footage in advance and thought it was really good, so I thought I could make the production better. I never had a chance to meet Moe-chan, so I kept her as my wallpaper (on my phone). It might be a little scary, but I confessed to her."
Also appearing at the event were Touma, Jun Saito Ikebata, Yosuke Sugino, Rena Tanaka, Yusuke Santamaria, and Director Sakai.
The film tells the story of Sakurai Moe (Touma), who is told she has only six months to live, and who falls in love with Hinata (Saito) for the rest of her life in the spring of her first year of high school. Sugino plays Hinata 13 years later, while Nakajo plays Takato Rei, Hinata's childhood friend and Moe's best friend, 13 years later. The script is written by Okada Yoshikazu, who has worked on numerous films such as "10 Years Left to Live" and "Now, I'm Going to See You." The film will be directed by up-and-coming director Sakai, known for "Beautiful Him: Eternal."
