Beyond the Memories (2013 Film)
Beyond the Memories (Japanese: 潔く柔く, Hepburn: Kiyoku Yawaku) is a 2013 Japanese romance film directed by Takehiko Shinjo. The screenplay was written by Sachiko Tanaka and Satomi Oshima, based on the manga series of the same name by Ryo Ikuemi. The film was released in Japan on October 26, 2013, and distributed by Toho.
Plot
The story follows Kanna Seto (Masami Nagasawa), who has struggled with the emotional trauma of losing her childhood friend, Haruta, in a car accident during their high school years. As an adult, she remains deeply affected by this past tragedy. Her life intersects with Roku Akazawa (Masaki Okada), a man who also carries a heavy sense of guilt stemming from an incident in his childhood where a girl he was with died in an accident. Roku attempts to help Kanna move forward and rediscover love.
Production
The film is an adaptation of the final story arc, titled Kanna Story, from Ryo Ikuemi's manga series Kiyoku Yawaku, which was serialized in Cookie magazine between 2004 and 2010. Production for the film began in February 2013.
Cast
- Masami Nagasawa as Kanna Seto
- Masaki Okada as Roku Akazawa
- Kengo Kora as Kazue Haruta
- Chizuru Ikewaki as Manami Sakuraba
- Haru as Tomomi Kawaguchi
- Aoi Nakamura as Toshikuni Mayama
- Yuki Furukawa as Kiyomasa Komine
- Kaoru Hirata as Momoka Senke
- Ryosei Tayama as the bar master
- Soko Wada as Yanagihara
- Megumi as Chikako Nohara
Reception and Festivals
The film was screened at the 26th Tokyo International Film Festival, held from October 17 to 25, 2013, as part of the Special Screenings section. Chizuru Ikewaki received the Best Supporting Actress award at the 38th Hochi Film Awards in December 2013 for her performance in the film.
