Yokohama Ryusei drives the live-action film of 'Like the Stars'

The novel Like the Stars, by Nagira Yū, will be adapted into a film with Yokohama Ryūsei and Hirose Suzu as the leading couple. The project originated with the actor himself, who after reading the work wanted to bring its protagonist to life and convinced the author and the director to move it forward.

The film adapts the story that won the first Honya Taishō prize, the award given by Japanese booksellers. As Yokohama explained in the production notes, when he finished the novel he knew he wanted to play Kai, a young man who dreams of becoming a manga artist and lives alone with his mother. "The instant I read Like the Stars, I felt the desire to live as Kai in that beautiful landscape of the Seto Inland Sea," he said.

Yokohama Ryūsei plays Kai, a young man who dreams of becoming a manga artist.epochtimes.com

Yokohama didn't stop at just the idea. He took his proposal to Nagira Yū and director Fujii Michihito, whom he considered the ideal person to bring the story to the screen. He also asked for the female lead to be Hirose Suzu, with whom he had previously worked on Wandering Moon. Both requests were granted, and the actor says he was moved even before filming began: "I will take on the responsibility of conveying how wonderful this work is."

Hirose Suzu plays Akemi, a girl raised on the island who wants to turn her embroidery hobby into a profession. About the project, the actress said the story is full of "forms of love that are hard to explain but very direct," and that she approached the two characters with care and tenderness. She also confessed she had long wanted to work with Fujii Michihito, so this shoot was special to her for two reasons.

Hirose Suzu plays Akemi, who wants to pursue embroidery.epochtimes.com

The director, for his part, admitted that he accepted the job because he wanted to respond to the passion Yokohama had poured into the project. "It's a film that the lead actor wants to make from the heart. I put all my determination into living up to that feeling," he said. He also noted that it was his first collaboration with Hirose Suzu.

A long-distance love story in the Seto Inland Sea

The story begins on a small island in the Seto Inland Sea, a setting the production describes as having a particular beauty, with its sea and sky. That's where Kai, a high school student who moves from another city, arrives and meets Akemi, who grew up on the island.

The two carry complicated family situations and become each other's support until they fall in love. But their paths separate when Kai leaves for Tokyo to pursue his dream and she stays on the island working to help her family. From there, distance and the decisions they make shape their relationship.

The film does not yet have a confirmed release date in English-speaking territories. Do you like the pairing of Yokohama Ryūsei and Hirose Suzu? Tell us in the comments what you expect from this adaptation.