Japan’s biggest film company, which produces, distributes and exhibits its own product in partnership with leading media companies, Toho has brought a line-up to TIFFCOM full of present and future hits.
The biggest is “Weathering with You,” the love story animation by Makoto Shinkai that surpassed the $100 million mark only a month after its July 2019 release. Its worldwide box office, with distribution in 135 countries, now totals $380 million.
Also high on the line-up is “Love Me, Love Me Not,” an ambitious dual-media project that includes an animation produced by A-1 Pictures, and a live-action film directed by romance genre veteran Takahiro Miki. Both are based Io Sakisaka’s hit comic about four high school students – two guys and two girls — who have complex family situations and tangled feelings about each other. The endings, however, are different, motivating fans to experience both anime and film. Release is set for 2020.
Targeting an older demographic is “Baragaki: Unbroken Samurai,” Masato Harada’s period drama about the real-life Toshizo Hijikata, the second-in-command of the Shinsengumi, a legendary unit of fighting samurai dedicated to defending the Shogun in the waning days of the feudal era. The film is based on a historical novel by Ryotaro Shiba that sold more than 5 million copies in Japan. Release is set for 2020.