The 27th Year of "Kaede" Stirs the Heart—A New Love Story Woven by Director Isao Yukisada, "Kaede," to be Released Worldwide on December 19

2025年07月17日 16:31

1. Introduction: The Day "Heisei Rock's Pure Literature" Becomes a Film

In the late 1990s, Spitz dominated the Japanese rock scene. Among their songs, "Kaede" has been loved across generations for its lyrics that embrace both sadness and hope. The opening phrase, "Goodbye, I walk holding your voice," is still quoted as one of the most famous lines in J-POP history.

The news of this song being adapted into a film surprised not only many fans but also international media.Natalie

2. The 27 Years to Film Adaptation: Walking with "Farewell"

"Kaede" gained popularity immediately after its release, but the film adaptation project had long been considered a "phantom." According to Director Isao Yukisada, there was an offer in the early 2000s, but "the story I wanted to tell wasn't ripe yet." This time, screenwriter Izumi Takahashi presented the universal motif of "rebirth brought by loss," and the project was restarted.

Experiencing "farewell" is what allows people to move forward—a proposition that resonated with the lyrics of "Kaede."Fan's VoiceFashion Press

3. The Story: "Remembrance and Rebirth" Woven in New Zealand

The protagonists are Aoi, a Japanese photographer who lost his beloved in an accident, and Liam, a New Zealand guide who lost his young son to illness. They meet by a lake on the South Island and begin to share the pain of loss, despite the language barrier. The screenplay minimizes dialogue, conveying emotions through landscapes and expressions. Director Yukisada says, "I filmed the 'wind' instead of dialogue."eiga.com

4. The Auteurism of Isao Yukisada: The Intensity of "Silence"

Yukisada's works are characterized by quiet camerawork that captures the atmosphere surrounding the characters and the depiction of "absence." In "Crying Out Love, in the Center of the World," he captured the void left by the heroine's absence, and in "Narratage," he filmed the air of unspoken feelings. In "Kaede," the "presence of the lost person" blends into the landscape.

The director says, "The title 'Kaede' embodies the beauty of things that scatter," and autumn leaves are symbolically used throughout the film.MANTANWEB

5. Filming Location New Zealand: The Rhythm of the Story Created by Seasons and Time Differences

The film was shot entirely on location, traversing lakes near Queenstown, the starry skies of Tekapo, and the autumn leaves of the Nelson region. The staff chose the Southern Hemisphere, where "seasons are reversed from Japan," to visualize the "time differences" of past and future, night and day, life and death. The visual beauty is supported by the drone team from "Top Gun: Maverick."

The clusters of autumn leaves filmed with IMAX cameras create a gigantic canvas that seems to envelop the audience.Fan's VoiceFashion Press

6. Music: Spitz's New Recording and World-Class Score

Spitz recorded "Kaede (2025 Cinema ver.)" as the theme song. While the key and tempo remain the same as the original, strings and chorus are added for a more cinematic expansion. Additionally, Academy Award-winning composer Gustavo Santaolalla provided additional scores, intertwining Japanese lyrics and instrumental music.

The sound production aimed at an "intercultural hybrid" as film music is a lineup conscious of the overseas market.Natalie

7. Casting: "Cross-Border Chemical Reaction"

Sakura Ando, who made her mark on the world with "Monster," plays Aoi. Finn Vaughan, a rising star from New Zealand, plays Liam. Despite their different nationalities and acting methods, they reportedly built emotions through non-verbal communication by deliberately banning each other's native languages during rehearsals. Director Yukisada says, "I wanted to capture the tremor of the soul, not in English or Japanese."

8. Overseas Market and J-POP: The Export Model from "Song to Film"

Recently, "K-POP originals" like BTS songs being adapted into dramas are becoming established, but there are still few live-action films based on J-POP making inroads overseas. "Kaede" is scheduled for limited release in theaters in Taiwan, Singapore, and North America on the same day as its release in Japan. The method of expanding the space in the lyrics with visuals is said to easily transcend language barriers, avoiding the "rhyme translation problem." If this film succeeds, it could pave the way for other J-POP songs to be adapted into films.eiga.com

9. Festival Strategy: "The Next Wave of Romance Films"

The production committee aims to screen at the Toronto International Film Festival's Contemporary World Cinema section, followed by the Berlinale Special Gala in Berlin. Globally, "cross-genre romance" is seeing a resurgence, and the retelling of "pure love" without parallel worlds or meta-structures is gaining attention.

In addition to the English-subtitled version, a "sing-along screening" displaying the lyrics in multiple languages is also being planned.

10. Conclusion: Beyond "Goodbye"

While "Kaede" sings of farewell, it subtly hints at the hope of "meeting again" in the end. Similarly, the film "Kaede" depicts loss while presenting a quiet expectation for rebirth. Director Yukisada said, "The pain of farewell doesn't disappear, but over time, the pain changes its contour and eventually becomes a shade within oneself."

True to those words, it is sure to be a film that delivers "shade" to each of our hearts. With only a short time until its release, let's prepare to embrace "goodbye" once again.Fan's Voice

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