Source: NTV (Nippon Television Network) Official Movie Site: tsunagu-movie.net (Japan)

SPOILER WARNING: This article contains plot details and images from a Japanese movie not yet released in the United States.

On October 6, 2012, Toho released UNTIL THE BREAK OF DAWN (???, Tsunagu) to theaters across Japan. NTV is now offering the film for international sales and has provided SciFi Japan with high-res images and English production notes...

Introduction Who do you want to see one more time? Year 2011... It was perhaps a year that dramatically changed people’s values. Feeling the limits of a material society, they contemplated what is truly important. They sought to be connected with other people and realized the importance of human bonding and the warmth of family... This seems to be how many people feel today. The movie is based on a moving novel of the same title (Tsunagu, the original title in Japanese, published by Shinchosha Bunko) for which the author was awarded the Yoshikawa Eiji Prize for New Writers. The author is Mizuki Tsujimura, a Naoki Prize winner and popular author known for her realistic character descriptions and pure, transparent style of writing. The story is about people who hope to see someone special they have lost and the emotional conflicts and growth of the young man who becomes deeply involved in their lives as the Connector, or the intermediary between the living and the dead. It is an exquisite tale about the bonding and connections between people, things that the Japanese value most today. The main character, a high school student named Ayumi, is played by Tori Matsuzaka in his first sole leading role. In 2011, he gave memorable performances in movies WE CAN`T CHANGE THE WORLD BUT WANNA BUILD A SCHOOL IN CAMBODIA and LIFE BACK THEN and won the 85th Kinema Junpo Top Ten New Actors Award. In 2012, he appeared in the movie THE WINGS OF THE KIRIN and the NHK morning TV novel series DOCTOR UME, and played the main character in the movie LOVE FOR BEGINNERS. He is currently one of the top young actors in Japan. Playing Aiko, the veteran Connector and Ayumi’s tenderly strict grandmother, is Kilin Kiki, the great actress who appears in TOKYO TOWER - MOM AND ME, AND SOMETIMES DAD -, VILLAIN, CHRONICLE OF MY MOTHER, and many others. In the supporting roles, there are Ryuta Sato, Mirei Kiritani, Ai Hashimoto, Ito Ohno, Kenichi Endou, Tetsuya Bessho, Manami Honjo, Miyoko Asada, Kaoru Yachigusa, and Tatsuya Nakadai -- an impressive list of talented actors that add definite quality to the movie. The director is Yuichiro Hirakawa, who has delivered numerous mega box office hits and has moved the audience to tears with stories that touch the heart. He also directed ROOKIES— GRADUATION, which was the top box office hit of 2009, FLOWERS IN THE SHADOW, and the TV drama JIN. For UNTIL THE BREAK OF DAWN, he was deeply moved by the novel and fervently wanted to adapt it into a movie, and he even wrote the screenplay himself. The music score was produced by Naoki Sato, the Japanese movie industry’s big hit maker who also worked on the ALWAYS – SUNSET ON THIRD STREET - series and the UMIZARU series. Sato, the composer of spectacular songs that articulate the movie’s theme, read the screenplay and immediately agreed to produce the score. Brought to you this fall by the Japanese movie industry’s leading staff and cast, a movie that urges you to ponder what’s truly important! A moving story that will connect all of Japan. Story The Connector is— Somebody who guides you to a deceased just once. An intermediary that arranges a meeting between a living person and a dead person who the living person wants to see again. Rumors of the Connector have been told like an urban legend, and it is said that you can only find him if you know about his existence and if you believe in him. From there on, it’s pure luck. If you are indeed lucky enough to find him, there are several rules for meeting with a deceased through the Connector. Rule 1: You can only meet with a deceased once in your life. Rule 2: The deceased can also only meet with a living person just once. And the request for the meeting may not be made by the deceased. Rule 3: The meeting can only be held during the night of a full moon until the break of dawn. The Connector that appears before skeptical requestors is an ordinary high school student, Ayumi. Hatada, a scornful middle-aged man, wishes to see his mother who died of cancer. Schoolgirl Arashi has a question she wants to ask her best friend, who she had a falling out with and died in a bicycle accident before they could make up. Businessman Tsuchiya continues to believe in and wait for his girlfriend, who disappeared right after he proposed to her.

Ayumi, actually an apprentice Connetor who is being trained by his grandmother, starts questioning himself as he meets these people and arranges their meetings. Isn’t it self-serving of the living person to want to meet with the deceased? Perhaps they’re better off not seeing them. Will the living person really be saved by the meeting? Will it change their lives? And as for the deceased... These doubts are soon directed towards the mysterious death of his own parents. Production Notes The long-awaited film adaptation of a moving bestseller! “Connect” Naoki Prize-winner Mizuki Tsujimura and expert producer of moving dramas Yuichiro Hirakawa! Tsunagu is the bestseller that the movie is based on and the novel with which the author, Mizuki Tsujimura, was awarded the 32rd Yoshikawa Eiji Prize for New Writers. It is her first novel to be made into a movie. Tsujimura is also the author of Kagi-nonai Yume-wo Miru, winner of the 147th Naoki Prize. The director and screenwriter is Yuichiro Hirakawa, the expert producer of moving dramas and record-breaking hits, such as the movies FLOWERS IN THE SHADOW and ROOKIES— GRADUATION and TV drama JIN. When she learned that Hirakawa would be directing the film, Tsujimura, who loved FLOWERS IN THE SHADOW, readily agreed to the film adaptation. This movie is also Director Hirakawa’s screenwriting debut. He was deeply moved by the novel and requested to write the screenplay himself. Focusing on the story of Ayumi and Aiko, he brilliantly wove together the short stories that made up the novel and impressed the producers with a screenplay whose level of perfection was so high that it was hard for anyone to believe that it was his first. It is not an exaggeration to say that this screenplay was what brought together the star-studded cast that included Tori Matsuzaka and Kilin Kiki. Tori Matsuzaka and Kilin Kiki co-starring for the first time as “Connectors”! “Connect” Tori Matsuzaka, one of the most popular young actors today, and Kilin Kiki, Japan’s leading actress! UNTIL THE BREAK OF DAWN is a story about the importance of bonding and the connections between people told through the eyes of a Connector, a missionary that mediates a meeting between a living person and a deceased. The production staff wanted to make this fantasy movie a down-to-earth “human drama.” They wanted actors who could inject realness to these fictional Connectors, and started out by casting an actress for Aiko, Ayumi’s grandmother. The first name they came up with was Japan’s leading actress Kilin Kiki. After they sent her the screenplay, the producers and the director met with her in person and conveyed their passion for the production as they requested her participation in it. Kiki, who highly regards directors writing their own screenplays, readily accepted, and furthermore, she offered her ideas about Aiko’s character. Everybody there was moved by Kiki’s enthusiasm and respect for the role.

Next, the staff looked for an actor to play Ayumi, the main character and Aiko’s grandson. Which young actor would look best when filmed next to Aiko played by Kiki? Tori Matsuzaka was the first person to pop up in Director Hirakawa’s mind. The roles that Matsuzaka was playing at the time were mainly cool, aloof characters, but Hirakawa thought that his real personality -- sincere, candid, and pure -- resembled Ayumi’s. He wanted to see the “natural Matsuzaka” and offered him the role. Matsuzaka was already busy with other engagements, but after reading the screenplay, he declared intently, “I really want to play this role.” This marks his first sole leading role in a full-length film. A star-studded cast in the supporting roles! “Connect” the top stars, from up-and-coming young actors to super big names of the Japanese film industry! The story is brought to life by individualistic actors. Kenichi Endou plays Hatada, a middle-aged man who wishes to see his mother, Tsuru, who died of cancer, played by Kaoru Yachigusa. The staff wanted to cast two actors with contrasting appearances and to capture the moment when their positions reversed. Yachigusa, who worked with Director Hirakawa on the TV drama JOURNEY UNDER A MIDNIGHT SUN (Byakuyako), plays the petite, charming mother, and Endou plays the burly man who has trouble showing his emotions. Together, they make a sometimes-endearing, realistic mother and son. Misono is a schoolgirl who dies in a bicycle accident, and Arashi is her best friend, who regrets their last moments together. To cast these two roles, the staff auditioned close to 200 actresses. Hirakawa himself directed the auditions and scrutinized the actresses’ talents, and in the end, he chose Ai Hashimoto as Arashi and Ito Ohno as Misono. Coincidentally, they were good friends in real life, and hence the realness in their roles as best friends.

Ryuta Sato plays Tsuchiya, a businessman who waits for his fiancée who went missing right after he proposed to her, and Mirei Kiritani plays the fiancée. Director Hirakawa had worked with Sato in ROOKIES and JIN, and when Sato was cast in the role, Hirakawa’s imagination about Tsuchiya’s character flourished, and he added more scenes into the screenplay. On the other hand, Kiritani, who plays a girl from the countryside who lies to her fiancée but matures through love, is thin and looks fragile, but she was unfazed by the long working hours and surprised the director and staff with her toughness. Aiko’s older brother, Sadayuki Akiyama, is played by one of Japan’s top actors Tatsuya Nakadai, known to deliver realness and depth to his roles. His acting is convincing, deep, and exact, and gives magnitude to the movie. Some of the other actors are Tetsuya Bessho and Manami Honjo, who play Ayumi’s parents whose mysterious death is an integral part of the plot, and Miyoko Asada, who plays Misono’s mother. From the young to the veterans, a diverse star-studded cast was put together for The Connector. Uncompromising direction to evoke realness! Fantasy and human drama are “connected” by Director Hirakawa’s uncompromising, meticulous direction! Shooting started on March 16, 2012. The first shot was of Arashi and Misono’s theater club practicing on the roof. As it was the first day of filming, the director gave extra detailed instructions on how the lines should be said and where the actors should stand. The scene was shot over and over again, and the director, determined to make a “down-to-earth human drama,” demanded a natural interaction between the best friends and actually took two days to shoot this sequence. Director Hirakawa also paid meticulous attention to the artwork, ornaments, and even food that appears in the movie. For example, part of the furnishings in Aiko’s house is the director’s personal belongings, and for the food, he hired a food coordinator to prepare a visually appetizing menu that Aiko’s character would feasibly cook. (There is a scene in which Aiko serves konnyaku for Ayumi from soy milk hot pot. This is Kiki’s prank on Matsuzaka, knowing he hates konnyaku. Surprised by her ad-lib, Matsuzaka inadvertently dumps it back into the pot.) Moreover, the scenes in the hotel room were shot in a studio, but the flower arrangements were changed for each episode -- another idea by the director and art staff. The last scene of the movie was shot on May 6, 2012, which was also the last day of shooting. That day on the beach, it was extremely windy, and every member of the staff was deployed to hold a reflector to block the wind. The staff and cast worked together as one, responded to the director’s uncompromising direction to the very end, and finished filming without mishap. Tori Matsuzaka’s sincere attitude in his first starring role! Tori Matsuzaka “connects” the staff’s passion! Despite the overnight filming sessions and difficult scenes like the ones in the rain, Matsuzaka, in his first sole leading role, went full throttle even in the rehearsals and responded to all the director’s demands. His professionalism was greatly praised by the director and the staff. Regarding the fact that he was working with Kiki and other top actors of Japan, he kept saying how lucky and honored he was. He never stopped being humble and was sincere and thoughtful toward everybody. He was no doubt successful in fulfilling his first sole leading role.

Matsuzaka is devoted to his family in real life, and perhaps that is why he was able to bring realness to Ayumi’s character. He was also a member of a basketball team, as was Ayumi in the movie as well as the novel. It is apparent that he is an experienced player in the scene in which he plays the sport. Kilin Kiki’s ideas that added substance to the film! Kilin Kiki’s ideas “connect” reality into the film! Aiko’s fashion in the movie is based on Kiki’s ideas. For example, Aiko’s cape was reconstructed from Kiki’s personal clothes of a famous brand. Fashionable but not extravagant -- a perfect manifestation of Aiko’s character. The poem Aiko constantly recites is called Life’s Ultimate Task (written by a friend of Father Hermann Heuvers). This stirring poem that seems to describe Aiko’s life circumstance was neither part of the novel nor the screenplay, but was proposed by Kiki in the pre-production stage. The director was also taken with the poem and used it effectively in various scenes as a message for the characters and the audience. In another scene, where Aiko meets Tsuchiya in a hospital, the snack that she offers to share with him was one that Kiki herself brought to the set. The various ideas for bringing realness to the roles added substance to the movie. Comme des Garçons cooperates for the first time with a movie! A Garçons coat “connects” the novel and the movie! The Junya Watanabe Comme des Garçons Man coat makes an impressive appearance both in the novel and the movie. Until now, Comme des Garçons has never provided its wardrobe for a movie, but after reading the screenplay and realizing the coat’s integral role in the story, they agreed to its use for the movie. Ayumi’s Comme des Garçons Man coat by Junya Watanabe is actually a rare, hard-to-get product whose sale has been discontinued. From its archive of duffle coats, Comme des Garçons provided one that fits the movie’s atmosphere. When Tsujimura, the author of the novel, visited one of the shoots, she pointed out that the coat was exactly the same design that she envisioned while writing the story, surprising everybody on the crew with this coincidence.

Cast Ayumi Shibuya (Tori Matsuzaka) Ayumi Shibuya, a high school student and The Connector, is played by Tori Matsuzaka. Matsuzaka was born on October 17, 1988 in Kanagawa Prefecture. Filmography SHINKENGER THE MOVIE (2009) BRILLIANT THIEVES ROYALE (2011) WE CAN`T CHANGE THE WORLD BUT WANNA BUILD A SCHOOL IN CAMBODIA (2011) LIFE BACK THEN (2011) BEYOND THE WORLD .hack//THE MOVIE 3D (2012) THE WINGS OF THE KIRIN (2012) DOCTOR UME (NHK, 2012) ONE NO ANATANI (2012) THE BOY INSIDE (2012) LOVE FOR BEGINNERS (2012) GATCHAMAN (2013) Aiko Shibuya (Kilin Kiki) Ayumi’s grandmother is played by Kilin Kiki, born on January 15, 1943 in Tokyo. Filmography HALF A CONFESSION (2004) KAMIKAZE GIRLS (2004) TOKYO TOWER - MOM AND ME, AND SOMETIMES DAD - (2007), awarded Best Leading Role Actress in Japanese Academy Award STILL WALKING (2008), awarded Best Supporting Role Actress in Blue Ribbon Award and Kinema Junpo Best Ten GHOST (2010) VILLAIN (2010), awarded Best Supporting Role Actress in Japanese Academy Award I WISH (2011) CHRONICLE OF MY MOTHER (2012) Yasuhiko Hatada (Kenichi Endou) Yasuhiko Hatada, a scornful man who wants to see his late mother, is played by Kenichi Endou, born on June 28, 1961 in Tokyo. Filmography CROWS-EPISODE 0 (2007) HAPPILY EVER AFTER (2007) CLIMBER`S HIGH (2008) 20TH CENTURY BOYS -Chapter 1- (2008) DROP (2009) THE VULTURE (2009) CROWS II (2009) SURELY SOMEDAY (2010) POLICE DOG DREAM (2010) BLACK DAWN (2012) Tsuru Hatada (Kaoru Yachigusa) Hatada`s deceased mother is played by Kaoru Yachigusa, born on January 6, 1931 in Osaka Prefecture. Filmography SAMURAI I: MUSASHI MIYAMOTO (1954) CHOU CHOU FUJIN (1955) YUKIGUNI (1957) OTOKO WA TSURAIYO TORAJIRO YUMEMAKURA (1972) TRANSPARENT (2001) LIKE ASURA (2003) TALK, TALK, TALK (2007) TOAD`S OIL (2008) FLAVOR OF HAPPINESS (2008) LISTEN TO MY HEART (2009) DEAR DOCTOR (2009) Misa Arashi (Ai Hashimoto) Misa Arashi, a schoolgirl who wants to see her best friend is played by Ai Hashimoto, born on January 12, 1996 in Kumamoto Prefecture. Filmography GIVE AND GO (2010) CONFESSIONS (2010) A HONEYMOON IN HELL: MR. & MRS. OKI`S FABULOUS TRIP (2011) AVATAR (2011) CONTROL TOWER (2011) HOME (2012) SADAKO 3D (2012) BLOOD-C: THE LAST DARK (2012) SOUP ~ UMARE KAWARI NO MONOGATARI ~ (2012) ANOTHER (2012) THE KIRISHIMA THING (2012) BUNGO – STORIES OF DESIRE– (2012) Natsu Misono (Ito Ohno) Arashi’s best friend who died in a bike accident is played by Ito Ohno, born on July 2, 1995 in Fukuoka Prefecture. Filmography HIGH SCHOOL DEBUT (2011) FOR LOVER`S SAKE (2012) BE CRAZY ABOUT ME (2012) ANTARCTICA (2012) THE BEST WAY TO END A LIFE: ENDING PLANNER (2012) MISS DOUBLE FACED TEACHER (2012) Koichi Tsuchiya (Ryuta Sato) Koichi Tsuchiya, a businessman who waits for his missing fiancée is played by Ryuta Sato, born on February 27, 1980 in Tokyo. Filmography ROCKERS (2003) LORELEI (2005) KISARAZU CAT`S EYE: SAYONARA GAME (2006) THE MAMIYA BROTHERS (2006) UMIZARU 2: TEST OF TRUST (2006) THE HAUNTED SAMURAI (2007) GACHI BOY (2008) ROOKIES (2009) UMIZARU 3: THE LAST MESSAGE (2010) SLAPSTICK BROTHERS (2011) WANKO - THE STORY OF ME, MY FAMILY AND MY DOG (2011) UMIZARU 4: BRAVE HEARTS (2012) TENCHI: THE SAMURAI ASTRONOMER (2012) Kirari Himukai (Mirei Kiritani) Tsuchiya’s missing fiancée is played by Mirei Kiritani, born on December 16, 1989, Chiba Prefecture. Filmography YAMAGATA SCREAM (2009) MEMOIRS OF A TEENAGER AMNESIAC (2010) ONGAKUBITO (2010) FROM ME TO YOU (2011) GENE WALTZ (2011) RUNWAY?BEAT (2011) RANHANSHA (2011) SNOW FLAKE (2011) BUNNY DROP (2011) ARAKAWA UNDER THE BRIDGE (2012) ACE ATTORNEY (2012) I HAVE TO BUY NEW SHOES (2012) Ryosuke Shibuya (Tetsuya Bessho) Ayumi’s father who allegedly killed his wife and committed suicide is played by Tetsuya Bessho, born on August 31, 1965, Shizuoka Prefecture. Filmography SOLAR CRISIS (1990) NAMI NO KAZU DAKE DAKISHIMETE (1991) GODZILLA VS MOTHRA (1992) WINDS OF GOD (1995) DAITORYOU NO CHRISTMAS (1996) PARASITE EVE (1997) MESSENGER (1999) ULTRAMAN: THE NEXT (2004) MAKOTO (2005) YOU ARE UMASOU (2010) TATSUMI (2011) AIBOU SERIES: X DAY (2013) Kasumi Shibuya (Manami Honjo) Ayumi’s mother, who is thought to have been killed by her husband, is played by Manami Honjo, born on May 1, 1975 in Osaka Prefecture. Filmography THE BLOSSOMING OF KAMIYA ETSUKO (2006) SHIAWASE NO SWITCH (2006) YUME JYUYA (2007) THE SAKAIS` HAPPINESS (2007) THE HANDSOME SUIT (2008) ELEVATOR TRAP (2009) OSAKA HAMLET (2009) LISTEN TO MY HEART (2009) ABRAXAS (2010) TADA`S DO-IT-ALL HOUSE (2011) Nanami Misono (Miyoko Asada) Natsu Misono’s mother is played by Miyoko Asada, born on February 15, 1956 in Tokyo. Filmography FREE & EASY series (1994-2009) DAIYONIGE YONIGEYA HONPO 3 (1995) LOVE NEVER TO END (2006) GABAI GRANNY (2006) DOUBLE TROUBLE (2008) OUR WONDERFULDAYS (2009) POLICE DOG DREAM (2010) SHAREHOUSE (2011) Sadayuki Akiyama (Tatsuya Nakadai) Aiko’s brother who watches over Ayumi, is played by Tatsuya Nakadai, born on December 13, 1932 in Tokyo. Filmography HI NO TORI (1956) BLACK RIVER (1957) THE HUMAN CONDITION (1959) YOJIMBO (1961) SANJURO (1962) HARAKIRI (1962) HEAVEN AND HELL (1963) FUMO CHITAI (1976) KAGEMUSHA (1980) RAN (1985) JUBAKU: SPELLBOUND (1999) SHIROI INU TO WALTZ WO (2002) LIKE ASURA (2003) LISTEN TO MY HEART (2009) HARU`S JOURNEY (2010) ZATOICHI THE LAST DAYS (2010) JAPAN`S TRAGEDY (2011) Staff Yuichiro Hirakawa, Director and Screenplay Born on January 23, 1972, Oida Prefecture. Filmography SAY HELLO FOR ME (2007) FLOWERS IN THE SHADOWS (2008) ROOKIES (2009) LOVE COME (2010) -Drama Series - STAND UP!! (2003) CRYING OUT LOVE, IN THE CENTER OF THE WORLD (2003) INTO THE WHITE NIGHT (2006) THE YAKUZA GIRL (2006) ROOKIES (2008) MR. BRAIN (2009) JIN (2009) JIN-FINAL- (2077) Mizuki Tsujimura, author of the novel She won the 147th Naoki Prize with Kaginonai Yume-wo Miru and the 32nd Yoshikawa Eiji Prize for New Writers with Tsunagu on which this movie is based. She has built a reputation for herself with realistic character descriptions and draws sympathy from her readers. Her other works include Boku-no Meja Spoon, Zero, Hachi, Zero, Nana., Honjitsu-wa Taian-nari, Ohdah-meido Satsujin Club, Minazoko Festa, and many others. One of the most noted female authors of today. Comment: "When I finished writing the novel, I hoped that the message would properly reach those in need of this story. This feeling is wholly connected into the movie. I’d be happy if it reaches out to as many people as possible." Naoki Sato, Music Born on May 2, 1970, Chiba Prefecture. Filmography ALWAYS – SUNSET ON THIRD STREET- series (2005, 2007, 2012) UMIZARU series (2004, 2006, 2010, 2012) KISARAGI (2007) K-20: LEGEND OF THE MASK (2008) THE VULTURE (2009) BALLAD (2009) SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO (2010) PEAK –THE RESCUERS- (2011) FRIENDS NAKI ON THE MONSTER ISLAND (2011) RUROUNI KENSHIN (2012) JUJU, performer of the theme song The legendary song “Arigatou” that “connects” JUJU and her fans. Since her debut, JUJU has been warming this song, a moving piece known to her fans as a legendary masterpiece. This song and the movie were no doubt brought together by fate -- the song’s theme being gratitude for the fateful encounters between people and the miracle of their meeting, which is exactly what the theme of the movie is. After seven years, filled with gratitude to her fans, the song was finallyreleased on October 10 (JUJU’s Day, certified by the Japan Anniversary Association)! Comment: "I am so honored to perform the theme song for the movie that gave Tori Matsuzaka his first sole leading role. I had been warming this song, `Arigatou` (Thank You), for seven years, and it is a very special song to me. The movie is about the importance of human bonding, and the song says “thank you” for having met that precious someone in your life. I hope that the song will touch the hearts of the movie viewers." Credits 2012 / 129 min / Color / Dolby Digital Screen Size: 1:2.35 Japanese Theatrical Release: October 6, 2012

Ayumi Shibuya: Tori Matsuzaka Aiko Shibuya: Kilin Kiki Koichi Tsuchiya: Ryuta Sato Kirari Hinata: Mirei Kiritani Misa Arashi: Ai Hashimoto Natsu Misono: Ito Ohno Yasuhiko Natada: Kenichi Endou Ryosuke Shibuya: Tetsuya Bessho Kasumi Shibuya: Manami Honjo Nanami Misono: Miyoko Asada Tsuru Hatada: Kaoru Yachigusa Sadayuki Akiyama: Tatsuya Nakadai Original Story Tsunagu by Mizuki Tsujimura (published by SHINCHOSHA Publishing Co., Ltd) Screenplay / Directed by Yuichiro Hirakawa Music by Naoki Sato Theme Song “Arigatou” by JUJU (Sony Music Associated Records Inc.) Production Commander: Tomoko Jo Production: Suzuko Fujimoto, Nobuhito Nagasaka, Minami Ichikawa, Kazuaki Ito, Hiroyasu Asami, Hiroyuki Fujikado, Yozo Matsuda, Naoki Kitagawa Executive Producer: Seiji Okuda Co. Executive Producer: Yasuyuki Jin Producers: Takuya Ito, Seiichiro Kobayashi Cinematography: Koichi Nakayama Lighting: Norito Matsumoto Sound Recording: Hajime Komiya Production Design: Hidefumi Hanatani Decoration: Jun Terao Editor: Junichi Ito VFX Supervisor: Kazuyori Kosaka Director Assistance: Jun Shiozaki Assistant Director: Yosuke Toki Scripter: Mayuko Inada Production Manager: Emiko Fujiwara Assistant Producer: Ikumi Taguchi Line Producer: Yoshihiro Suzuki Planning & Production: NTV Production Companies: NTV, Office Crescendo, TOHO, VAP, D.N.dreampartners, YTV, THE YOMIURI SHIMBUN, Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc. / STV?MMT?SDT?CTV?HTV?FBS Production Company: Office Crescendo Production Assistance: DRAGONFLY Planning Assistance: SHINCHOSHA Publishing Co., Ltd Theatrical Distribution: Toho International Sales: NTV © 2012 “TSUNAGU” Film Partners