Model and actor Airi Ikumi attended the preview screening of the film "The Last Song You Left Behind" (directed by Takahiro Miki, scheduled for release on March 20th) held in Tokyo on February 24th, along with lead actor Shunsuke Michieda of Naniwa Danshi. She revealed that she lost her memory due to nervousness during filming.
The film is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Misaki Ichijo (KADOKAWA). It is a love story depicting the 10-year romance between the protagonist, Haruto Mizushima (played by Michieda), whose secret hobby is writing poetry, and Ayane Tohsaka (played by Ikumi), who has developmental dyslexia, making it difficult for her to read and write, but has a natural talent for singing and composing.
To prepare for the role, Ikumi spent about a year and a half taking singing and guitar lessons. She said she felt a lot of pressure, saying, "It was the most difficult thing I've ever done. The character is a woman with professional-level talent, so I had no experience, so I didn't have enough time to practice, even though I wanted to get close to that level. The year and a half went by in a flash."
Director Miki Takahiro expressed his gratitude, saying, "He was crying when we wrapped up filming. I realized he had been carrying such a heavy burden. I was moved by what he did." When music producer Kameda Seiji revealed, "He doesn't show how hard he works. That's a good thing!", he blushed and laughed, saying, "No, no, no."
Looking back on the live performance scenes, he said he was nervous, saying, "So this is the view that Michieda normally sees! I was so focused that I don't remember (laughs). When I saw the finished video, I was surprised to see that my expression was like that."
During the event, Kameda gave him a surprise gift of the guitar he used for practice, and he was overjoyed, saying with a smile, "It has scratches from when it was dropped, but it's the real thing!" He then said, "Good thing I don't have to buy a new guitar," drawing laughter.
