I Give My First Love to You

2009 2h 2m JA

👍

7.4

SOLID

★7.4TMDB · 118

DramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Takuma knows that his life is shorter than the others and he feels that his demise is getting near. He chose to stay away from the girl that he loves so that she can easily move on. What he didn't know is that he is under-estimating her.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Mao Inoue
Mayu Taneda
Masaki Okada
Takuma Kakunouchi
Tetta Sugimoto
Minoru Kakinouchi
Yōko Moriguchi
Ryoko Kakinouchi
Yoshihiko Hosoda
Kou Suzuya
Natsuki Harada
Teru Uehara
Toru Nakamura
Dr. Takahito Taneda
Yuki Terada
Yuiko Tamura

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Takehiko Shinjo
Writers: Kenji Bando
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 6

ERA

Did you know

Released 17 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Takehiko Shinjo, shot by Mitsuru Komiyama. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Yoshihiro Ike. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Yoshifumi Fukazawa shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 6

CAST

Did you know

Mao Inoue and Masaki Okada and Tetta Sugimoto carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 6

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt1401656 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Takehiko Shinjo directs. Mitsuru Komiyama behind the camera. Yoshihiro Ike scores. Yoshifumi Fukazawa cuts. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 17 years ago.
2Directed by Takehiko Shinjo, shot by Mitsuru Komiyama. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Yoshihiro Ike. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Yoshifumi Fukazawa shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Mao Inoue and Masaki Okada and Tetta Sugimoto carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt1401656 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Mitsuru Komiyama
Original score: Yoshihiro Ike
Editing: Yoshifumi Fukazawa
Sound: Hiroaki Masuko
Runtime: 122 min · 2h 2m
Status: Released
Original language: JA
IMDB: I Give My First Love to You (2009)

Also by

Takehiko Shinjo

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Alunauwie2026-01-31
★ 7/10
I Give My First Love to You follows a romance shaped by the certainty of loss, where love is never free from the shadow of time. Growing up together, Mayu and Takuma struggle between holding on and letting go, as fear of an inevitable goodbye quietly defines their choices. Despite its narrative flaws, the film delivers an emotional reminder that loving fully—while there is still time—is an act of quiet courage. Read the full review here: (Indonesian version : alunauwie.com) and (English version : uwiepuspita.com)

Production companies