The classic youth film "Tokiwa-so no Seishun" has been revived after 25 years, and the digitally remastered version will be released on February 12th.

2021.02.05 Press Releases
Culture Convenience Club Co., Ltd. / Culture Entertainment Co., Ltd. / Tsutaya Bookstore Co., Ltd.

--The youthful days of legendary manga artists who gathered at "Tokiwa-so," the home of the "god of manga," Osamu Tezuka.--

The Culture Convenience Club (CCC) Group will be releasing a digitally remastered version of the coming-of-age film "Tokiwa-so no Seishun," which was independently produced and released in theaters in 1996, at theaters including Theater Shinjuku and Cine Libre Ikebukuro nationwide from Friday, February 12, 2021.

Directed by the late Jun Ichikawa, who also directed "Tsugumi" (1990) and "Tony Takitani" (2005), this film received high praise, ranking 7th in the 1996 Kinema Junpo Best Ten and 7th in the Readers' Choice, and was invited to the International Film Festival Rotterdam.

■ Behind-the-scenes stories and passionate feelings about the film shared by those in charge of the 1996 release and the 2021 digitally remastered version:

This work is a fictional portrayal of the daily life at Tokiwa-so, where young talented artists who would later become legendary manga artists spent their time, based on historical facts. The film depicts the warm yet bittersweet memories of youth when young people with dreams competed with each other, with a nostalgic atmosphere of the Showa era, and depicts the younger days of manga artists who, despite having no money, no work, and barely enough to eat, were unrivaled in their passion for manga.
The cast includes a lineup of up-and-coming actors from the worlds of theater and film, including Motoki Masahiro as Terada Hiroo, who was like an older brother to the residents of Tokiwa-so, and the manga artists surrounding Terada, including Omori Yoshiyuki (Akatsuka Fujio), Abe Sadao (Fujiko F. Fujio), Furuta Arata (Moriyasu Naoya), Namase Katsuhisa (Suzuki Shinichi), Suzuki Takuji (Fujiko Fujio A*), Sato Koji (Ishinomori Shotaro), and Okina Kae (Tsunoda Jiro), all of whom were active in small theaters and independent films at the time and are still active today. The beautifully recreated scenery and atmosphere of the 1950s, including "Tokiwa-so," recreated using art sets, are brought back to life through digital remastering.

※Note: The A in Fujiko Fujio is circled.

■ Information about "Tokiwa-so no Seishun"

□ Synopsis
Tokiwa-so is a wooden apartment building located in Toshima Ward, Tokyo. The "god of manga," Tezuka Osamu (Kitamura So), lived there, and editors flocked to him day and night. Terada Hiroo (Motoki Masahiro), who lives in the room opposite, watches the scene and continues to steadily submit his works to publishers. Eventually, when Tezuka Osamu left Tokiwa-so, young aspiring manga artists began to move in one after another. Fujimoto Hiroshi/Fujiko F. Fujio (Abe Sadao), Abiko Motoo/Fujiko Fujio A* (Suzuki Takuji), Ishinomori Shotaro ((Ishinomori Shotaro) Sato Koji), Akatsuka Fujio (Omori Yoshiyuki), Moriyasu Naoya (Furuta Arata), Suzuki Shinichi (Namase Katsuhisa). Tsunoda Jiro (Okinabe Kaei), who lived nearby, also frequented Tokiwa-so. They were all fellow contributors to Manga Shonen, and formed the "New Manga Party" with Terada at the center. Despite their poor living conditions, they continue to encourage each other and have passionate discussions about the future of manga. Among them, Terada, the oldest, quietly watches over the young boys as an older brother figure, and his eyes are also directed towards Tsuge Yoshiharu (Tsuchiya Ryota), a friend of Akatsuka's who has a completely different style of writing from Terada's. One day, Gakkosha, the publisher of Manga Shonen, suddenly went bankrupt. This incident gradually changes the paths the eight friends take. Someone who is becoming increasingly popular. Those who decide to move from manga to animation. Some even left Tokyo. Terada, who seemed to be unfazed by trends and silently pursuing the manga he wanted to draw, gradually begins to have doubts. As the times change rapidly, the youthful days of these aspiring manga artists slowly begin to show signs of coming to an end.

※Note: The A in Fujiko Fujio is circled.

□ Director: Ichikawa Jun □ Screenplay: Ichikawa Jun, Suzuki Hideyuki, Morikawa Koji □ Cinematography: Kobayashi Tatsuhiko, Tazawa Yoshio □ Music: Shimizu Kazuto, Reichi □ Art direction: Mano Shigeo □ Lighting: Nakamura Hiroki □ Sound: Hashimoto Yasuo □ Editing: Watanabe Yukio
□ Produced by: Culture Publishers □ Digitally remastered by: Culture Entertainment
□ Cast: Masahiro Motoki / Yoshiyuki Omori, Arata Furuta, Takuji Suzuki, Sadao Abe, Koji Sato, Kae Okina, Tomoko Matsunashi, Katsuhisa Namase, So Kitamura / Saburo Tokito, Kaori Momoi
[1995 / Japan / 110 minutes / Mono / Vista / Color / DCP]

■Comments from celebrities who watched the program

□Isshin Inudo (film director)
Youth, the allure and cruelty of that undecided time. The irreplaceable warmth of friends, the joy of those who see the light, and the compassion for those who are leaving. Ichikawa Jun's brilliant narrative style depicts "Tokiwa-so," reviving the brilliance of the early days of manga. This movie will last a lifetime. Why do you want to do this? Will you throw yourself into the flow of the times? Will you give up? Will you hold on? When you find yourself stuck in endless hesitation, you'll want to meet Tera from Tokiwa-so.

□ Izuru Narushima (film director)
A hidden masterpiece has been resurrected. I'm really happy. There is absolutely no waste, yet everything is conveyed deeply. Their youth is both interesting and sad.

□ Shunji Iwai (film director)
The newly revived works of Ichikawa Jun were simply beautiful. Manga artist Hiroo Terada's failure. The greatness of actor Omori Yoshiyuki. Once again, I was impressed by director Ichikawa Jun's unique direction. The idea for the last cut took my breath away.

□ Hitoshi Oone (Video Director)
I don't know how many times I've seen it in the theater, on VHS, and on DVD, but I cry every time I watch it. The other day, I watched the digitally remastered version and found that there were more scenes that made me cry. The visuals, lighting, art, direction, acting - everything is beautiful; it's the most beautiful movie in the world.

©1995/2020 Culture Entertainment Co., Ltd

Materials related to this matter

20210205_The classic youth film "Tokiwa-so no Seishun" has been revived after 25 years. The digitally remastered version will be released on February 12th.

Materials related to this matter
Tsutaya Bookstore Co., Ltd. Public Relations Unit TEL: 03-6800-4764 MAIL: tsutaya_pr@ccc.co.jp