One Second Ahead, One Second Behind

One Second Ahead, One Second Behind (Japanese: 1秒先の彼, Hepburn: Ichibyou Saki no Kare) is a 2023 Japanese romantic comedy film directed by Nobuhiro Yamashita. The screenplay was written by Kankuro Kudo. The film was released in Japan on July 7, 2023, and has a runtime of 119 minutes.

Background and Production

The film is a Japanese adaptation of the 2020 Taiwanese film My Missing Valentine, originally directed by Chen Yu-Hsun. A notable departure from the original source material is the decision to swap the personality traits and backgrounds of the two primary characters, Hajime and Reika.

Plot

Set in Kyoto, the story centers on the lives of Hajime, a post office worker who is consistently a second faster than those around him, and Reika, a young woman who is characteristically a step slower than others. The narrative follows their connection, which is complicated by a mysterious incident occurring after Valentine's Day, leaving Hajime unable to recall the events of that day.

Cast

The film features an ensemble cast, including:

• Masaki Okada as Hajime
• Kaya Kiyohara as Reika
• YosiYosi Arakawa as Ken Mikurube
• Aki Hano as Hajime's mother
• Masaya Kato as Hajime's father
• Rion Fukumuro as Sakurako
• Yuki Katayama as Mai Sumeragi
• Shimiken as Mitsuru
• Shohei Shofukutei as the radio DJ and photo shop owner
• Kiyo Matsumoto as Emiri
• Shima Ise as Ozawa
• Hinata Hiiragi as young Hajime
• Yuzuna Kato as young Reika