King & Prince‘s Ren Nagase stars in his first Netflix Original movie, called “Drawing Closer” (Japanese title: 余命一年の僕が、余命半年の君と出会った話), which will be streaming worldwide in 2024!
Akito Hayasaka (Ren Nagase), an aspiring artist, is diagnosed with a cardiac tumor and is given less than a year to live. Devastated and hopeless, he abandons his dream of having his work displayed at the prestigious Nika Exhibition. However, while struggling through his dark days, he meets Haruna Sakurai, who has only six months left. With her support, Hayasaka finds inspiration and brings life back to his once-colorful canvas. The movie is directed by Takahiro Miki, who has directed several other films, including “Even If This Love Disappears from the World Tonight” (2022) and “Tang and Me” (2022).
Comment from Ren Nagase:
From the moment I first read the script, I was totally drawn to the sense of tenderness and fragility. The literal ticking clocks of the characters’ respective illnesses make their nascent feelings for each other all the more precious, and I tried to focus hard on capturing the single-minded devotion Akito has for Haruna.
Regardless of the acting challenge, I can’t help but feel extra pressure from this being globally syndicated on Netflix! The theme of love in spite of hardship is one which I think to be capable of transcending any culture or border, but I will still work very hard to do my part in presenting this film as a suitable representative of Japanese entertainment for audiences around the world!
OK Asia 