The Anthem of the Heart Star Inori Minase Also Appears in Live-Action Version

The official Twitter account for the the live-action film based on The Anthem of the Heart (Kokosake or Kokoro ga Sakebitagatterun Da.) anime film revealed on Wednesday that Inori Minase, the voice of the main heroine Jun Naruse in the original anime film, will appear in the live-action film. She will play an extra as a student of Ageha High School.

A new web-exclusive trailer for the film also began streaming on Wednesday.



The film will open in Japan on July 22.

The cast includes:

• Kento Nakajima as Takumi Sakagami
• Kyōko Yoshine as Jun Naruse
• Anna Ishii as Natsuki Nitō
• Ichirō Kan as Daiki Tasaki
• Nene Ōtsuka as Jun Naruse's mother
• Yoshiyoshi Arakawa as homeroom teacher

Naoto Kumazawa (live-action Kimi ni Todoke, Kin Kyori Renai) is directing the film. Filming began in March in Chichibu, where the film is set.

The official English website for the original anime film describes the story:

Jun is a girl whose words have been sealed away. She was once a happy girl, but because of a [certain thing] she said when she was very young, her family was torn apart. One day, the egg fairy appeared in front of her and sealed away her ability to talk in order to stop her from hurting anybody else. Since this traumatic experience, Jun lives in the shadows away from the limelight. But, one day she is nominated to become an executive member of the "community outreach council." On top of that, Jun is also appointed to play the main lead in their musical...

The anime film opened in Japan in September 2015, and opened in selected theaters in the United States and Canada in November 2015.

The anime film reunited staff members from the anohana and Toradora! anime. Tatsuyuki Nagai (A Certain Scientific Railgun, Waiting in the Summer) again directed the film at the studio A-1 Pictures. Mari Okada (A Lull in the Sea, Hana-Saku Iroha) wrote the script, and Masayoshi Tanaka (Highschool of the Dead, your name.) designed the characters. Like the anohana anime, the story of the film is set in Chichibu. The idols of the Nogizaka46 group contributed their 13th single, "Ima, Hanashitai Dareka ga Iru" (Now, There Is Someone I Want to Talk With) as the film's theme song.

The Anthem of the Heart anime is ranked the 35th highest grossing domestic Japanese film for 2015, and earned 1.12 billion yen (about US$9.46 million).