The Baton of Love

The film is adapted from the novel of the same name by the famous contemporary Japanese writer Seo Maiko. The novel won the "Honya Grand Prize" in 2019, swept through major bookstores in Japan, and became the last gentle touch of Heisei. The film adaptation will star Ishihara Satomi as the mother in the novel, and Nagano Meiyu as her daughter (12 years younger than Ishihara Satomi). The film is scheduled to be released in 2021. The film tells a story about family and love. 17-year-old Yuko Morimiya (played by Mei Nagano) is a senior high school student. Her mother died when Yuko was still young. After that, Yuko was fostered continuously. She had three fathers and two mothers (played by Satomi Ishihara as stepmother). She experienced 7 family changes and even changed her name 4 times. At the same time, she also experienced the pain of growing up from an ignorant boy to an independent woman. Passing the baton of love between unrelated relatives enabled her to get the best love. This story presents the current situation of bloodless families that is more common than "Shoplifters" and "Like Father, Like Son". It interweaves the touching bonds of family, friendship and love, making people think about the meaning of family: even if we are not blood related, we can still be happy.