Image: Kirin Tendou / ASYL, Produktionskomitee des Films „Koi Kizu“
AMBot | 08/21/2026 | Reading Time: 3 Min.
The manga "Koi Kizu" by Kirin Tendou is being adapted into a live-action film. The film adaptation of the ensemble drama about people who have been hurt in love yet still seek closeness will open in Japanese theaters on November 27, 2026 – including in Tokyo at Ikebukuro HUMAX Cinemas and nationwide in other theaters. The film carries an R15+ rating.
The source material was serialized in Shueisha's Grand Jump Mucha and Grand Jump magazines and was released as a collected volume in February 2020. Author Tendou, known for works like "Kimi ga Kokoro ni Sumitsuita," which was adapted into a TV series in 2018, tells the story of two married couples and the people around them: a young wife who suffers from her husband's overwhelming kindness, a married woman who begins an affair with her husband's younger brother, who looks strikingly similar to him, and other characters whose loneliness, desire, regret, and guilt gradually intertwine.
The lead role of Natsumi Hiyama is played by Yuki Takahata. The former SKE48 singer, who left the group in 2024 and has since worked as an actress in theater and television, makes her film debut with "Koi Kizu" and also lands her first leading role on the big screen. Her character has carried feelings of inferiority since childhood and becomes increasingly isolated. As her husband Keita, Shuichiro Naito is featured, known among other things for the lead role in "Kamen Rider Saber." Kaito Hori, known from the drama series "Fake Factory Lips," plays Keita's brother Hisashi, who makes mistakes out of excessive kindness; Manami Shindo portrays his wife Akika, who grows lonelier despite her love for her husband. Other roles are taken on by Mari Iriki as colleague Ryoko, Haruka Miwa as single mother and sex worker Beru, Taiki Sawada as student Joji, and Ryo Sekoguchi as his friend Mafuyu. The cast is completed by Keisuke Koide and Chizuru Azuma.
Toshiyuki Morioka is responsible for the screenplay and direction. He is known for films like "Junpei, Kangaenaose" and "Mukoda Barber Shop" and leads the theater ensemble Straydog. Morioka, who had wanted to adapt the source material for some time, was surprised by the swift approval of the film and praised Tendou as a manga artist who, like no other, masters an "eroticism that moves to tears." The author herself thanked the team for the adaptation and stated she is curious to see how the unvarnished, raw emotions, which were possible in the source material thanks to the R15+ rating, were realized on the big screen.
The film was produced by Legend Pictures, with distribution handled by Showgate. Additionally, official channels on X, Instagram, and TikTok will accompany the production until the theatrical release on November 27, 2026.
The source material was serialized in Shueisha's Grand Jump Mucha and Grand Jump magazines and was released as a collected volume in February 2020. Author Tendou, known for works like "Kimi ga Kokoro ni Sumitsuita," which was adapted into a TV series in 2018, tells the story of two married couples and the people around them: a young wife who suffers from her husband's overwhelming kindness, a married woman who begins an affair with her husband's younger brother, who looks strikingly similar to him, and other characters whose loneliness, desire, regret, and guilt gradually intertwine.
The lead role of Natsumi Hiyama is played by Yuki Takahata. The former SKE48 singer, who left the group in 2024 and has since worked as an actress in theater and television, makes her film debut with "Koi Kizu" and also lands her first leading role on the big screen. Her character has carried feelings of inferiority since childhood and becomes increasingly isolated. As her husband Keita, Shuichiro Naito is featured, known among other things for the lead role in "Kamen Rider Saber." Kaito Hori, known from the drama series "Fake Factory Lips," plays Keita's brother Hisashi, who makes mistakes out of excessive kindness; Manami Shindo portrays his wife Akika, who grows lonelier despite her love for her husband. Other roles are taken on by Mari Iriki as colleague Ryoko, Haruka Miwa as single mother and sex worker Beru, Taiki Sawada as student Joji, and Ryo Sekoguchi as his friend Mafuyu. The cast is completed by Keisuke Koide and Chizuru Azuma.
Toshiyuki Morioka is responsible for the screenplay and direction. He is known for films like "Junpei, Kangaenaose" and "Mukoda Barber Shop" and leads the theater ensemble Straydog. Morioka, who had wanted to adapt the source material for some time, was surprised by the swift approval of the film and praised Tendou as a manga artist who, like no other, masters an "eroticism that moves to tears." The author herself thanked the team for the adaptation and stated she is curious to see how the unvarnished, raw emotions, which were possible in the source material thanks to the R15+ rating, were realized on the big screen.
The film was produced by Legend Pictures, with distribution handled by Showgate. Additionally, official channels on X, Instagram, and TikTok will accompany the production until the theatrical release on November 27, 2026.
Images
This article was originally published in German. It was translated with technical support and editorially reviewed before publication.
Comment(s) 0