Comments from Hiroshi Kamiya, Kazuhiko Inoue and others on "Natsume's Book of Friends the Movie: Utsusemi ni Tsunagu"! Advance tickets with the second special offer will be on sale from 7/13!

Cast comments and postrecording group photos have arrived from "Natsume's Book of Friends the Movie: Utsusemi ni Tsunagu," which will be released in theaters on September 29 (Sat).

The first season of "Natsume's Book of Friends" was aired in 2008, and continued until the sixth season in 2017. It has become an unusually long series for a late-night TV anime.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the anime adaptation, and the theater version, the first feature film of the series, will feature completely new and original episodes supervised by the original creator. The general director is Takahiro Omori, who directed the first through fourth TV series (and was the general director for the fifth through sixth seasons). The director is Hideki Ito, who also works extensively as an animator. The script is by Sadayuki Murai, who has worked on numerous theater productions. Animation production will be handled by Zhu Natsu, as in the TV series.

The cast comments of Hiroshi Kamiya, who plays the main character Takashi Natsume, and Kazuhiko Inoue, who plays Nyanko Sensei Ikara, as well as comments from the production staff, have now arrived. It was also decided that special nationwide tickets with the second special offer will go on sale on July 13 (Fri.).

The movie will also be screened at "TOHO CINEMAS Shibuya" (Tokyo), "Narita HUMAX Cinemas" (Chiba), "United Cinemas Inazawa" (Aichi), "United Cinemas Hirakata" (Osaka), "109 Cinemas Hiroshima" (Hiroshima) and "Central Cinemas Miyazaki" (Miyazaki). (Miyazaki Prefecture).

Comments

Hiroshi Kamiya as Takashi Natsume

I had a lot of fun and carefully dictated the recording.
Please come to the theater and see the Natsume Book of Friends that no one has ever seen before!

Kazuhiko Inoue as Nyanko-sensei Ikara

At last, it's the theater version. Everyone has been waiting for it!
It's been 10 years...10 years and now it has come true.
It's a wonderful story. And Nyanko-sensei is in trouble.
I hope you will laugh out loud and be moved at the theater as well!

Art Director Yukihiro Shibuya comment

How did you feel when the decision was made to produce a theater version?
I have wanted to do this work in theaters since the first and second seasons, so how did you feel when you heard that the theater production was decided? When I was asked, "How did you feel when you heard that it was going to be produced in theaters? Would it be an exaggeration to say that I had been waiting for it for a long time (laugh)?
I am under a lot of pressure because it is a full-length movie and on the big screen, but I hope to be able to do my job as usual without being overawed.

What is the charm of the "Natsume's Book of Friends" anime?
I realized that it is difficult to draw natural objects when I started working in the background and art field. I think this is not only true for me, but also for many people who work in the background. I still feel the same way, and I have yet to draw a picture that I would give a perfect score of 100 points. Also, the way of drawing and expression differs from person to person, and there is no fixed way of drawing. Natsume's Book of Friends" has many scenes depicting nature, so it is very difficult to draw and organize them. I think this is the "charm" of my work.

What do you want people to pay attention to?
I try to draw backgrounds that are easy on the eyes. A single picture may look impressive and wonderful, but it becomes tiring when you have to show it for as long as 1,200 cuts.
I hope to create a background for "Natsume's Book of Friends" that is easy on the eyes as well as the mind.

Message to those who are looking forward to the opening of the film in theaters
It is hard work for the creators because we are on a tight schedule, but we will do our best to make the movie a work that will make the audience feel "something good" after watching it.
I would be very happy if they think, even if only a little, that the backgrounds are beautiful as well.

Comment from Hiromi Miyawaki, color designer

How did you feel when the decision was made to produce a movie version?
Oh, finally! I thought, "Oh, finally! At the same time, I was surprised that we had been working on it for such a long time. I would like to keep my original intention and make it a great work.

The charm of the "Natsume's Book of Friends" anime
The story is fascinating while retaining the gentle atmosphere of the original work. You will cry, laugh, and sympathize with Natsume as he grows up through his encounters with people and ghosts.

What I want you to pay attention to
It was very difficult to sort through 10 years of color models to find the data for this production. The new costumes have a slightly more stylish color scheme than usual for the theater.

Message to those who are looking forward to the theatrical release
I laughed and almost cried just reading the storyboards during our meetings, so I think it will be even better when it comes out on film! I hope you are looking forward to the release of the film in the near future.


Film Information] (*Honorifics omitted)
Natsume's Book of Friends the Movie: Utsusemi ni Tsunagari

＜Prologue
Since he was a child, Takashi Natsume has been able to see ghosts that other people cannot. Since he inherited the "Book of Friends," a contract that his late grandmother Reiko made him write down the names of the ghosts she defeated, he and his self-proclaimed bouncer, Nyanko-sensei, have been returning names to the ghosts...

＜Staff
Original Story: Yuki Midorikawa / Serialized in monthly magazine LaLa (Hakusensha)
General Director : Takahiro Omori
Director : Hideki Ito
Screenplay : Sadayuki Murai
Specter Design/Action Supervisor : Kisei Yamada
Sub Character Design: Hiromitsu Hagiwara
Art Director: Yukihiro Shibuya
Color Setting: Hiromi Miyawaki
Editing: Kazuhiko Seki
Cinematography: Hitoshi Tamura, Tetsuya Kawada
Music: Yoshimori Makoto
Animation Production: Shu Natsu
Production: Natsume's Book of Friends Project
Distributor: Aniplex

<Cast
Takashi Natsume: Hiroshi Kamiya
Nyanko Sensei, Ikara: Kazuhiko Inoue
Natsume Reiko: Kobayashi Sanae
Takashi Natsume (as a boy): Ayumi Fujimura
Fujiwara Toko: Ito Miki
Fujiwara Shigeru: Eiji Ito
Kaname Tanuma: Kazuma Horie
Toru Taki: Rina Sato
Satoru Nishimura: Ryohei Kimura
Atsushi Kitamoto: Hisayoshi Suganuma
Jun Sasada: Sawashiro Miyuki
Shuichi Natori: Akira Ishida
Hiiragi: Satsuki Yuki
Sasago: Ayako Kawasumi
Urihime: Akari Higuchi
Hinoe: Akemi Okamura
Sanshino: Takaya Kuroda
Chobihige: Cho
One-eyed intermediate level yokai: Takashi Matsuyama
Cow-faced intermediate yokai: Hiroshi Shimozaki
Kappa: Kyoko Chigiri and others


(c)Yuki Midorikawa, Hakusensha/ Natsume's Book of Friends Project