A March 30 release date has been revealed for the live-action Kimi ni Todoke Netflix adaptation along with a teaser poster. In addition to the release date reveal, more cast members were announced as well.
Kaito Sakurai, Rinka Kumada, and Riho Nakamura are playing Sawako and Shota’s classmates Ryu Sanada, Ayane Yano, and Chizuru Yoshida, respectively. Naho Toda and Hiroyuki Hirayama are playing Sawako’s parents, while Shouhei Miura is the teacher Kazuichi Arai.
Sara Minami and Ouji Suzuka were previously announced as main characters Sawako Kuronuma and Shota Kazehaya, respectively. Takehiko Shinjou (Your Lie in April) and Takeo Kikuchi (Taisou Shiyou yo) are co-directing the drama with a script from Hayato Miyamoto (Takane no Hana-san 2).
The Kimi ni Todoke manga by Karuho Shiina, which is published in English by Viz Media, ran from 2006 to 2017 in Shueisha’s Bessatsu Margaret magazine and ended with 30 tankoubon volumes. A spin-off subtitled Unmei no Hito ran from 2018 to 2022 and was compiled into three tankoubon volumes. The manga inspired a two-season anime series, titled Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You in English, produced by Production I.G and directed by Hiro Kaburagi. The first season premiered in 2009 and ran for 25 episodes, while the second season premiered in 2011 and ran for 13 episodes.
Crunchyroll describes the anime as:
Sawako Kuronuma has had a difficult time fitting in. Some say it’s her jet black hair, others say it’s her hushed manner of speaking, while still others claim it is due to her name’s similarity to Sadako, a character from a popular Japanese horror series. On her first day of high school, Sawako meets the one boy who treats her like a normal girl-Shota Kazehaya. Through his selfless aid, Sawako slowly learns to come out of her shell and even begins to make friends for the first time in her life. However, with a new social life come social pressures. Rumors begin to circulate about her, her friends, and even the kindhearted Kazehaya. As she grows into her new identity, Sawako must learn to deal with such pressures as well as start to understand the unfamiliar feelings inside of her, especially in regards to the boy who made her new start possible.
The manga previously inspired another live-action adaptation in the form of a 2010 movie that starred Mikako Tabe and Haruma Miura in the lead roles.
Source: @NetflixJP
