Teaser - Hanamizuki

The official website for Nobuhiro Doi’s Hanamizuki has been updated with a teaser trailer. The teaser actually premiered on Japanese TV a few weeks ago, but it was predictably covered with morning news graphics and talked over by a chatty announcer.

The film is named after and inspired by a hit 2004 single by singer Yo Hitoto which is also used as the main theme song. Yui Aragaki stars as a Hokkaido high school student named Sae who lives with her mother Ryoko (Hiroko Yakushimaru) and dreams of attending a Tokyo university. Sae studies for her entrance exams while being watched over by the flowering dogwood tree (hanamizuki) planted by her father (ARATA), who died when she was young. Eventually, she meets and falls in love with Kohei (Toma Ikuta), who is planning to stay in Hokkaido and become a fisherman like his father. When Sae leaves Hokkaido for university, they attempt a long-distance relationship, but it’s ill-fated. However, a miracle occurs ten years later…

According to Tokyograph, this will be Aragaki’s last role as a high school student, although she also plays her character as an adult in the film. She also had to go through language training in order to convincingly deliver some English dialogue.

Toho will be releasing “Hanamizuki” in Japan on August 21, 2010.

Thanks to logboy for catching the site update.