TSUTAYA CREATORS' PROGRAM FILM 2018 Runner-up: "Teacher, Could You Please Sit Next to Me?" to be released on Friday, September 10th!

2021.03.26 Press Releases
Tsutaya Bookstore Co., Ltd.

--Starring Haru Kuroki and Tasuku Emoto, a psychological battle between a married couple of manga artists where lies and true feelings intersect--

"Teacher, Would You Like to Sit Next to Me?", which won the runner-up prize at the TSUTAYA CREATORS' PROGRAM FILM 2018 (TCP), a video planning and creator discovery program sponsored by Culture Entertainment Inc. (CE) and Tsutaya Bookstores Co., Ltd. (TSUTAYA), will be released nationwide on Friday, September 10th at Shinjuku Piccadilly and other theaters, starring Haru Kuroki and Tasuku Emoto.

Official Twitter and Instagram: @watatona_2021

"Teacher, Would You Like to Sit Next to Me?" won the runner-up prize in 2018 at the TCP, a video creator support program that has produced high-quality films such as "A Woman Who Loves Lies" and "Aishuu Cinderella." The project was written and directed by Takahiro Horie, an up-and-coming video creator who submitted the project. Horie Takahiro is also the director of the BS TV Tokyo drama "Takane no Hana-san," which will start in April, and is attracting attention as he expands his field of activity to include dramas and films.

The one and only actress, Haru Kuroki, who won the Best Supporting Actress Award for the third time at the 44th Japan Academy Awards, will play the role of manga artist Sawako. The role of Sawako's husband, Toshio, who is also a manga artist, will be played by talented actor Tasuku Emoto, who has starred in a number of films in 2021, including ``Healing the Wounds of the Heart'' and ``A Painless Way to Die,'' and who garnered attention for his role in the TBS drama ``Heaven and Hell.''

The story begins when Sawako suddenly announces one day that she wants to draw a new manga on the subject of adultery. The story depicts the couple exactly as they are, and Toshio, who has been having an affair with Sawako's editor, becomes mentally cornered, thinking that Sawako may have found out. The manga then takes a sudden turn as Sawako develops a faint love affair with her driving school teacher. Toshio continues to read the manga, trembling with fear and jealousy...

In addition to the psychological battle between a married couple of manga artists where reality and the world of manga, lies and true feelings intersect, the show also humorously depicts the discrepancies in perceptions between men and women that everyone can relate to, and the common experiences of couples in their fifth year of marriage are another major highlight. Additionally, the manga in the play will be written by manga artist Arata Aki and Torikai Akane, whose popular manga "Saturn Return" (published by Shogakukan) is currently being serialized. This is a film that will be of interest not only to movie fans but also to manga fans.

■ Comments from the cast, scriptwriter and director

□ Role of Sawako Hayakawa: Haru Kuroki
When I first read the script, I thought the way the manga and live-action parts were connected was interesting, and I was excited to see what kind of movie it would turn out to be. There are some thrilling scenes that are like a mystery, so please enjoy seeing where the two manga artists end up.

□ Role of Toshio Hayakawa: Tasuku Emoto
Director Horie's script was extremely well-made, and it was impossible to predict what kind of film it would be until it was finished. I think the film that was created through such hard work is one that will really get your imagination going. Enjoy it flat!

□ Screenplay and Director: Takahiro Horie
Thanks to the combined efforts of our wonderful staff and cast, we have completed a mysterious film about a married couple that mixes fact and fiction! Kuroki Haru delicately portrays the unfathomable character "Sawako" with her dual cute and cool personalities, creating a character that is both sad and terrifying. And as Toshio, a man writhing in agony from fear and jealousy, Emoto Tasuku played him with a charming performance that was sometimes cool, sometimes uncool. Where will this unusual marital dispute between this couple of manga artists lead? I hope you enjoy watching it with a smile on your face and a sense of suspense!

■ "Teacher, Could You Please Sit Next to Me?" Film Information: September 10th (Friday), Shinjuku Piccadilly and other theaters nationwide

□Synopsis: The summer of the fifth year of marriage. My husband had an affair. It was supposed to be a typical married couple's experience...
The title of manga artist Sawako's new manga is "Teacher, Would You Like to Sit Next to Me?" It is a realistic depiction of an affair between Sawako's husband Toshio and her editor Chika. The story then takes a sudden turn as Sawako develops a faint love affair with her driving school teacher. Is this manga a complete fiction? Or just a delusion? Or is it Sawako's way of getting revenge on her husband for his infidelity? Toshio is trembling with fear and jealousy, and the line between reality and manga begins to blur...

□ Starring: Haru Kuroki and Tasuku Emoto
□ Screenplay and Director: Takahiro Horie
□ Manga in the play: Arata Aki, Torikai Akane
□ Production: "Teacher, Could You Please Sit Next to Me?" Production Committee
□Production Manager: Culture Entertainment
□Production company: C&I Entertainment
□Distribution and Promotion: Phantom Films
□TSUTAYA CREATORS'PROGRAM FILM 2018 Runner-up Award Winner

□Official Twitter・Instagram: @watatona_2021

This program was launched with the aim of giving shape to the ideas and hopes of film fans and creators who say things like, "I have a plan for a movie I want to make, but I don't know how to make it a reality," or "I have no place to share the work I shoot."TSUTAYA will provide support for the total production costs and production structure to turn the winning works from the proposals submitted by both professional and amateur artists into films.

Materials related to this matter

TSUTAYA CREATORS' PROGRAM FILM 2018 Runner-up: "Teacher, Could You Please Sit Next to Me?" to be released on Friday, September 10th!

Inquiries regarding this matter
Tsutaya Bookstore Co., Ltd. Public Relations TEL: 03-6800-4764 MAIL: tsutaya_pr@ccc.co.jp