18-year-old Nanoha Hara plays the heroine Suzume in Makoto Shinkai's new film "Suzume no tokimari! Director's comments also announced

The cast of the heroine, Suzume Iwato, has been announced for Makoto Shinkai's new film "Suzume no Togome," which will hit the road on November 11.
(Photo: 2 shots of director Shinkai and Nanoha Hara)

2016 release "Kimi no na wa. and 2019 release "Weather Child", followed by Makoto Shinkai's latest work "Suzume no Togome" after 3 years. As soon as the film was unveiled at the production announcement conference last December, it attracted a lot of attention from the international media.

In April, visuals of the heroine Suzume and a special newsreel were released, and the film became a topic of conversation with its mystical atmosphere. The film's four key words, "traveling youth," "white cat," "small chair," and "door key," were also revealed.

⇒ "Suzume no Dokkomari", Makoto Shinkai's first new work in 3 years, released special trailer and scene cuts! Roadshow on November 11!

⇒Click here for the screening schedule of anime films.

The role of Suzume Iwato will be played by 18-year-old Nanoha Hara! Director Makoto Shinkai's comment also announced!

The cast for the heroine, Suzume Iwato, has finally been cast, and after listening to the voices of over 1,700 audition participants, Director Shinkai personally found the fresh and attractive Nanoha Hara.

Nanoka Hara belongs to Tristone Entertainment and is 18 years old, born in 2003. She has appeared in TV dramas such as "True Criminal Flag," and movies such as "Taisaku ga Naru wa Kimi no Seisaku" (My Heart Beats Because of You) and "Sin no Koe.

Ms. Hara voices Suzume Iwato, a 17-year-old high school girl who lives with her aunt in a quiet town in Kyushu. She often has mysterious dreams in which her young self wanders around a grassy field amidst vast ruins. This film is a modern-day adventure story about Suzume's liberation and growth as she closes the "door" that leads to disaster in abandoned places around Japan.

Ms. Hara was told by Director Shinkai, whom she has loved for a long time, that she had been chosen to play the role of Suzume in a surprise "final selection" ceremony. Crying, she declared emphatically, "I will do my best! she declared emphatically, expressing her joy and ambitions. This will be Ms. Hara's first attempt at voice acting in an animated film, and all eyes will be on her to see what kind of "Suzume" she will create together with Director Shinkai.

Director Shinkai says that Ms. Hara's rare talent is that she is "closer to her emotions and voice than anyone else. I am sure that Ms. Hara will give Suzume plenty of dazzling and vivid emotions, like the moment a thick cloud is blown away. I can't wait to see that," she said, pinning her hopes on the birth of a new heroine.

Comments】※Original text
Director Makoto Shinkai
The distance between her emotions and her voice is closer than anyone else's. I think that is Nanoha Hara's rare talent.
I am sure that Ms. Hara will give Suzume plenty of dazzling and vivid emotions like the moment a thick cloud is blown away. I cannot wait to see that now.

Nanoha Hara (Suzume Iwato)
Even now, I can't shake the feeling that I'm still dreaming. I can't imagine that I will be the one to deliver the unforgettable, heart-shaking sensation I felt when I saw Shinkai's film for the first time in a movie theater in the summer of my first year of junior high school. But I feel as if something great has begun to happen, and my eyes are shining brightly.

I think "Suzume no Tobirakimari" is a story that reminds us of the warmth and connection between people, something that has gradually faded away in today's world, and something that is truly important. It is a wonderful work that makes you want to take care of yourself and the people around you, so that when you leave the movie theater, everything you see shines brighter and clearer than before.

As a big fan of Shinkai's works, I feel a lot of anxiety and pressure, but I hope to grow as Suzume Iwato together with the director and all the staff and cast members, through joy, anger, sadness, fun, and a lot of worries and thoughts.

<Profile
Belonging to Tristone Entertainment, Suzume Iwato was born on August 26, 2003, and is 18 years old. Born in Tokyo.
TV dramas: NTV's "True Criminal Flag," Fuji TV's "Night Doctor," Fuji TV's "Namba MG5," etc.
Movies: "My Heart Beats Because of You," "Voice of Sin," etc.

Film information
■ "Suzume no Dokkomari" (The Sparrow's Doorstep)
Release Date: November 11, 2022 (Friday)
Original Story/Screenplay/Director: Makoto Shinkai
Character Design：Masaga Tanaka
Animation Director：Kenichi Tsuchiya
Art Director: Takumi Tanji
Production: Comics Wave Film
Production Producer: Story inc.

＜Introduction
Behind the door, there was all the time...
The latest work by Shinkai Makoto, director of "Kimi no na wa. The latest work by Makoto Shinkai, director of "The Weather's Child

The world is eagerly awaiting the latest work by animation director Makoto Shinkai.
His "Shinkai World," which weaves stories of boys and girls with beautiful colors and unique music, has attracted many people beyond borders and generations, and his works have been highly acclaimed.
The unprecedentedly huge success of "Kimi no na wa. and "Weather Child" have shown the power of entertainment as world-class animated films representing Japan.
Suzume no Togome" is a modern-day adventure story about the liberation and growth of Suzume, a young girl who closes the "door" that leads to disaster, in abandoned places around Japan. Unfamiliar landscapes. Encounters and partings with people. Surprises and difficulties.
The story of Suzume, who nevertheless moves forward, brings a ray of light to the journey of those of us who live with anxiety and inconvenience in our daily lives. This is a story of "locking the door" that connects the past, present, and future. The view will be engraved in our hearts forever.

©2022 "Suzume no tojimari" Production Committee