■The main characters will be played by three actors who were selected through auditions: Nagase Ren, Bando Ryuta, and Maeda Kentaro!
The release date of the original feature-length animated film “Touch.” has been decided as October 4th. This time, the main trailer and key visual of the film, the three main cast members, and the theme song artist have all been released at once.
The director is Nagai Tatsuyuki, who made his directorial debut with “Honey and Clover II” (2006) and has worked on “A Certain Scientific Railgun” (2009) and “Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans” (2015). The screenplay is by Okada Mari, who also wrote and directed the film “Making a Promised Flower Bloom on the Morning of Goodbye” (2018) and last year’s “Alice and Teresa’s Phantom Factory” (2023). Character design is by Tanaka Masayoshi, who has worked on megahits such as character design for “Sparrow’s Door Lock” (2022) and animation director for “Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time” (2021).
Ren Nagase plays Aki Onoda, a boy who is not good at verbal communication. While active as a member of King & Prince, he has also been active in numerous films and dramas, including his first starring role in a live-action film, “What My Butler Says” (2019), and the drama “Tokyo Tower” (2024), which just aired its final episode recently. In “Doraemon the Movie: Nobita and the Sky Utopia” (2023), he made his debut as a voice actor, but was well-received, and this will be his second appearance in an animated film (his first leading role).
Bando Ryuta plays Sobue Ryo, a childhood friend with whom Aki meets Fureru, a creature with mysterious powers, and their hearts connect. Bando also co-starred with Nagase in Yowamushi Pedal (2020). In addition to his lead role in the movie Waka Musha (2024), which is currently in theaters, Bando has expanded his horizons to include dramas and stage plays, and is set to star in the movie Kimi no Wasurekata, scheduled for release in January 2025. This is Bando’s first time appearing in an animated film and his first leading role.
Similarly, childhood friend Inohara Yuta will be played by Maeda Kentaro. Maeda, who has always loved animation, will also be making his first appearance in an animated film and his first leading role. He starred in the drama series “Kamen Rider Revise” (2021) and has appeared in various video works, including “Utsukushii Kare ~Eternal~” (2023). This will be his first time acting alongside both Nagase and Bando.
Along with the lead cast, the main staff of the film have also been announced, including Shiraishi Haruka as Kamozawa Juri, Iwami Manaka as Asakawa Nana, Minagawa Sarutoki as Wakida, and Tsuda Kenjiro as Shimada Kouhei.
The opening of the recently released trailer shows Aki, Ryo, and Yuta as young children living on the island. The island’s folklore is about a mysterious creature called “Fureru.” Fureru’s cute, round eyes have been portrayed in the news up until now, but now it casts a large shadow over the three of them. The story moves on to the fact that the three have grown up and moved from the island to Tokyo, where they live together with Fureru in Takadanobaba. The friendship between the three, who are connected by the power of “touch” and spend their time as “best friends,” seems like it will last forever, but…
The second half of the trailer shows cracks appearing in the relationship between the three. When Aki says, “We became best friends thanks to touching each other,” Yuta questions in a cold voice whether they are really best friends. What will happen to the three who gradually drift apart? And what is the true identity of the “thread” that makes an impressive appearance throughout the trailer? This footage will definitely make you excited for the release of the movie.
The key visual, which was also released, shows three people and one pet smiling and relaxing on the veranda of the house they live in together. At first glance, it looks like a peaceful everyday life, but… The visual gives a sense of the story’s expansion, raising expectations for the movie.
In addition, a four-shot interview video featuring Nagase, Bando, Maeda, and director Nagai was released. They discuss the deciding factors behind the casting of the film “Touch.”
■The theme song has been decided to be “Monotone”, a newly written song by YOASOBI!Director Nagai explained the reason for hiring YOASOBI, saying, “These days, anyone can connect with anyone through social media and other means. For that reason, I believe that each and every person is required to choose what they want to communicate to whom and what feelings they want to share. We put that feeling into this work, and in order to convey that to the audience in terms of music as well, we wondered who we should ask to sing the theme song. After pondering this as a whole staff, we came to the conclusion that only YOASOBI is capable of creating songs that have a unique power in their lyrics (words) and can strongly “touch” people’s hearts, so we asked them.”
A charming and heartwarming theme song has been born that will stay in your head once you hear it, enriching the work.
■ Comment from Ren Nagase
I was extremely happy that I was able to grab the opportunity and play the role of “Aki” among so many other people who auditioned. At the same time, I was excited to see how I would go about playing “Aki” from now on. “Touching” is a work that makes you think again about the importance of communication and the connections with people in your daily life. It is a work that I would like people of all ages and generations to see, especially now. Please look forward to it.■ Comment from Ryuta Bando
When I auditioned, I was honestly very happy because I never thought I would get the role.
It was my first time doing voice work, so I was excited, but also a bit anxious about whether I could do it.
The story was so fascinating that I was instantly drawn in and couldn’t stop reading the script.
It’s a story that makes you think about how you connect with people and your relationships. I hope to deliver this story in a more powerful way.■ Comment from Kentaro Maeda
At the end of last year, I set a goal for myself for 2024: “I want to be an animation voice actor.”
Then, at the end of last year, my dream came true when I auditioned for it, and I was so happy that I was jumping up and down in my room.
I’ve always loved animation, so I was really fired up to audition. I was really nervous, but I think I was able to calm down and take the audition in a good condition.
We all worked hard on this production, laughing and getting emotional during the recording.
I would be happy if many people could see it.■YOASOBI Comment
I am honored to be performing the theme song for the movie “Touch.”
The song I wrote this time, “Monotone,” was produced while facing the “relationships between people” that I felt through the work, as well as the loneliness and feelings of missing someone that I feel in my own life.
The world is constantly evolving and we now have an environment where it is easy to communicate using a variety of tools, so I feel it is important to deal with the loneliness that we may feel as a result of this, and I have included this sentiment in the song.
I hope you enjoy the movie.
Movie Information
“Touch”
Nationwide release: Friday, October 4th
Cast: Ren Nagase, Ryuta Bando, Kentaro Maeda
Haruka Shiraishi and Manaka Iwami
Sarutoki Minagawa and Kenjiro Tsuda
Distributor: Toho Aniplex
Production manager: Aniplex STORY inc.
Produced by: “Touch.” Production Committee
(c)2024 FURERU PROJECT #TouchingMovies
“Touch” movie website
fureru-movie.com
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