Takako Matsu and Hokuto Matsumura co-starred for the first time in the film "1ST KISS" written by Yuji Sakamoto and directed by Ayuko Tsukahara.

■ “(Hokuto Matsumura) seems to be unstable, but at the very end, he is a brave man who is able to jump into the scene with a ‘Yeehaw!'” (Takako Matsu)

The original theatrical release “1ST KISS” (release date February 7, 2025) has been decided, and it will be the first collaboration between screenwriter Sakamoto Yuji and director Tsukahara Ayuko, who have produced numerous hit works, and will feature talented cast members Matsu Takako and Matsumura Hokuto (SixTONES), who will also be acting together for the first time.

Yuji Sakamoto is one of Japan’s leading screenwriters, having created many classic dramas, including “Mother” (2010), “Woman” (2013), and “Quartet” (2017). His works have been highly praised for depicting the complex relationships between characters and those around them, and the lives of characters searching for meaning in life. His film credits include “We Made a Bouquet of Flowers” (2021), which attracted attention for its double starring role by Masaki Suda and Kasumi Arimura, and recorded a box office revenue of 3.8 billion yen after an unusually long run, as well as “The Monster” (2023), directed by Hirokazu Koreeda, which won the Best Original Screenplay Award at the 76th Cannes Film Festival. This will be Sakamoto’s first original theatrical film since winning the Best Original Screenplay award at the Cannes Film Festival.

The director of this film is Ayuko Tsukahara, who made her film directorial debut with Before the Coffee Gets Cold (2018) and recorded a huge hit with the box office revenue of over 2.7 billion yen with My Happy Marriage (2023). The Last Mile (2024) is also scheduled to be released on August 23rd.

The lead role is played by Takako Matsu, who has been active in a wide range of fields including film, stage, drama, and singing. She won the Best Actress Award at the 33rd Japan Academy Awards for her performance in “Villon’s Wife: Cherries and Dandelions” (2009), and has been highly praised for her wide range of acting, including her overwhelming acting ability in “Confessions” (2010), where she astounded audiences, and her comical role in “Towako Mameda and her Three Ex-husbands” (2021), which is still fresh in her memory. This is her first solo lead role in a film in about five years since Shunji Iwai’s “Last Letter” (2020). She has teamed up with Sakamoto in “Quartet” and “Towako Mameda and her Three Ex-husbands,” playing an important role in reflecting Sakamoto’s worldview. This is her first time appearing in a film written by Sakamoto and joining the Tsukahara group. In this film, she plays the main character, Kanna Suzuri, who loses her husband in an accident and travels back in time to the day just before she meets her husband.

Suzuri Kanna’s husband, Suzuri Kakeru, is played by Matsumura Hokuto of SixTONES. In the TV drama series “Kumu Kum Everybody,” he captivated viewers with his realistic acting, and won the Newcomer of the Year Award (for “Holic xxxHOLiC”) and the Topical Actor Award (for “Suzume no Tojimari” and “Holic xxxHOLiC”) at the 46th Japan Academy Awards, demonstrating his extraordinary talent not only as an idol but also as an actor. In the currently airing TV drama “Saionji-san Doesn’t Do Housework,” Matsumura’s excellent acting ability has caused a stir, with many people saying they “cried along with him.” This is his first time participating in a Sakamoto work and Tsukahara group.

A teaser video has also been released.

As the best love story writer in the Japanese drama and film world, Sakamoto Yuji has continued to produce works that represent the era. By winning the Best Screenplay Award at the Cannes Film Festival, he has proven that his stories can reach the world. What is this new love story that he has chosen to write for the first time, asking questions about our times? Why is this title given to the story of Takako Matsu and Hokuto Matsumura’s first collaboration?

All these elements come together to create a film that will move you to the core, a new cinematic experience that has never been seen before, and a new love story that will bring smiles and emotion to people all over the world, beyond Japan, and become a lifelong memory, is born.

■ Story
After 15 years of marriage, her husband died in an accident.

My husband and I had been in a rut for a long time and our relationship remained stagnant.
Just as his surviving wife was about to start a new life, she acquires the ability to time travel.
When she returned to the past, she saw her husband just before he met her.

Looking at her husband as he was when they first met, she thinks:
I really liked this guy.
When she meets her husband again, she falls in love with him all over again.
And then he thinks, 15 years later, he will die in an accident, and he must save him.

“What is a couple?” “What is a family?” “What is life with the person you love?”
Deep, simple questions with no answers that we all face in life.
This is a moving love story that questions the meaning of these things.

■ Comment from Takako Matsu
This was my fourth time coming across Sakamoto’s script, but my first time working on a film, and I feel like I was able to understand a little bit of what Sakamoto wanted to say. It was my first time working with the powerful yet sensitive Director Tsukahara. He always supported and guided me on set.
It was my first time meeting Hokuto Matsumura, and although he seemed a little shaken up, at the very end I realized he was a brave man who was able to jump right into the scene with a “whoosh!” Thanks to him, I was able to be Kanna. I’m very grateful.
And there were also this and that kind of people… In short, Kanna and I were very lucky to be able to spend time with such a wonderful cast and staff. Please look forward to the release.
■ Comment from Hokuto Matsumura
I can’t express how much I have been influenced by Yuji Sakamoto’s works and books.
It is the pride of my life to be able to take part in a production written by Sakamoto and directed by Tsukahara Ayuko.
Although I was intimidated by the work, which was too beautiful,
Thanks to the support of Takako Matsu, a regular in Sakamoto’s work.
I was able to work on the piece until I was exhausted every day.
It’s a wonderful story that is wonderful to watch and remember whenever you like.
Please look forward to its release.
■ Comment from Yuji Sakamoto (scriptwriter)
This project began with a discussion about making a film that would be a lifelong memory.
A middle-aged couple who have grown tired of each other. The story is about the wife who, over time, falls in love with her husband from his younger days. Is it infidelity? Or marital love? What does it mean to have a story about a married couple with a title like “First Kiss”? I wrote the script hoping that viewers would be thrilled by these conflicting emotions.
I am thrilled to be working with such a fantastic cast and to be confronted with Director Tsukahara’s boundless energy and ideas; I can’t wait until I see the finished film myself.
I think this movie will be enjoyable and bring lots of smiles to those who are in the middle of love, those who yearn for love, and those who look back on times when they had similar experiences. Please raise your expectations to the highest level!
■Comment from Ayuko Tsukahara (Director)
They meet, fall in love, get married, and become a family.
What exists in the overlapping time?
When I’m alone someday, what will I do with that empty half of the sofa?
It’s a magnificent and magnificent script that will touch everyone deeply.
Please look forward to seeing Takako Matsu and Hokuto Matsumura, who exist vividly in Yuji Sakamoto’s gentle world.