Manga Adaptation BEYOND THE MEMORIES Press Notes

Source: NTV (Nippon Television Network), Tokyo International Film Festival Official Movie Site: kiyoku-yawaku.com (Japan) Can people love again after losing someone special? The summer they were 15, Kanna’s childhood friend Haruta died. “I’ll never love anybody again...” But when she meets Roku, time -- frozen since that day -- begins to tick again. Introduction

BEYOND THE MEMORIES (????, Kiyoku Yawaku) is an exquisite, heart-wrenching tale of love. The movie is based on Kanna`s Story, the final chapter of Kiyoku Yawaku, a masterpiece by the charismatic Ryo Ikuemi, who has been a top girls manga artist for 30 years with a following of devoted fans. This legendary bestselling manga has sold over 2.95 million copies and is her first work to be adapted into film. In the role of the main character, Kanna is Masami Nagasawa, who brought Japan to tears in CRYING OUT LOVE, IN THE CENTER OF THE WORLD (????????????, Sekai no chushin de, ai o sakebu, 2004), played one of the Shobijin in GODZILLA: TOKYO SOS (???×???×???????????, Gojira tai Mosura tai Mekagojira: Tokyo S.O.S., 2003) and GODZILLA: FINAL WARS (??? ?????????, Gojira: Fainaru Uozu, 2004), and showed off a new facet to her talent as a woman who attract men like bees to honey in LOVE STRIKES! (???, Moteki, 2011). The other main character, Roku is played by Masaki Okada, who captured the hearts of Japanese women in I GIVE MY FIRST LOVE TO YOU (??????????, Boku no Hatsukoi wo Kimi ni Sasagu, 2009) and has drawn praise for his performances in CONFESSIONS (??, Kokuhaku, 2010), VILLAIN (??, Akunin, 2010) and AKKO-CHAN: THE MOVIE (?? ??????????, Eiga Himitsu no Akko-chan, 2012). These two actors consummated the best possible casting for a love story. The supporting cast includes Aoi Nakamura (THE LADY SHOGUN AND HER MEN) and Kengo Kora (A STORY OF YONISUKE, HOSPITALITY DEPARTMENT). “To love is to be alive” -- in the theaters this fall, an unprecedented story of pure love that will move you to tears.

Story Kanna and Haruta are childhood friends. During their first year of high school, one night at a fireworks festival while Kanna is listening to a classmate declare his love for her, Haruta dies in a traffic accident... right after he sends a message to her cell phone. Since the accident, Kanna is unable to feel anything romantic for guys and grows older in age but remains a 15-year-old at heart. As an adult, she starts working at a movie publicity company and one day meets Roku, an employee of a publishing firm. “What a jerk…” She is turned off by Roku, who callously stomps over her heart with his words and actions, but she gradually develops an interest in him. Roku, cheerful and seemingly without a care in the world, actually also has a tragic past. They clash and quarrel but can’t help being attracted to each other. Kanna and Roku, both carrying wounds in their hearts... what does fate have in store for them? Director: Takehiko Shinjo Takehiko Shinjo directed HEAVENLY FOREST (?????????, Tada, kimi wo aishiteru) in 2006, his first theatrically-released movie. He also directed I GIVE MY FIRST LOVE TO YOU in 2009, and PARADISE KISS (????????, Paradaisu Kisu) in 2011, which all became major box office hits. In each movie, he succeeded in portraying subtle emotions of the characters and earned the title “master of romance movies”. BEYOND THE MEMORIES is his fifth film.

Credits World Premiere: October 18, 2013 (Tokyo International Film Festival) Japanese Theatrical Release: October 26, 2013 Running Time: 127 Minutes Cast Kanna Seto: Masami Nagasawa Roku Akazawa: Masaki Okada Kazue Haruta: Kengo Kora Toshikuni Mayama: Aoi Nakamura Kiyomasa Komine: Yuki Furukawa Staff Director: Takehiko Shinjo Producers: Naoto Hatakeyama, Kasumi Yao Original Story: Ryo Ikuemi Screenplay: Sachiko Tanaka, Satomi Oshima Music: Yoshihiro Ike Theme Song: Kazuyoshi Saito Production: "Beyond the Memories" Film Partners Distributor: Toho International Sales: NTV © 2013 "Beyond the Memories" Film Partners © Ryo Ikuemi/SHUEISHA