Bandai Namco Filmworks began streaming a clip from The Obsessed, the musical anime film of Shinji Ishii's Toritsukare Otoko (Obsessed Man) novel, on Monday. The clip previews the film's musical song number "Fanfare~Koi ni Ukarete~" (Fanfare ~Giddy in Love~), an in-movie version of the theme song "Fanfare," by main actors Masaya Sano and Moka Kamishiraishi as their respective characters.
Ae! group member Masaya Sano plays Giuseppe. Moka Kamishiraishiplays Pechka.
Other cast members include:
- Hayato Kakizawa as Cielo
- Takahiro Yamamoto as Boss Twist
- Shinji Kawada as Boss Salsa
- Nana Mizuki as Pechka's mother
- Toshiyuki Morikawa as Dadan
Sano also sings the songs in the film with Kamishiraishi. Awesome City Club member atagi is contributing to a film's soundtrack for the first time with five songs in Toritsukare Otoko and part of its background music, including the song "Fanfare," which will be the film's theme song.
Wataru Takahashi (Crayon Shin-chan 2014, 2016, 2018, 2021 films) is directing the film at Shinei Animation, with a script by Naoyuki Miura(Fujoshi, Ukkari Gay ni Kokuru.). Masatsugu Arakawa (Windy Tales, Medabots Spirit) is designing the characters. Bandai Namco Filmworksis distributing.
The film will open in Japan on November 7. The 38th Tokyo International Film Festival will screen the film.
Ishii released the novel in 2001. The novel centers on Giuseppe, a man known in his town as the "Obsessed Man," due to his tendency to be obsessed about a particular thing for short amounts of time, during which he pays no heed to anything else. One day, he sees a balloon seller named Pechka, and he falls in love at first sight. Though Giuseppe tries to get close to Pechka, the sadness that Pechka holds in her heart keeps him at a distance. Giuseppe enlists the aid of his mosue friend Cielo, as he uses the things he was previously obsessed about to slowly help Pechka.