Shochiku and Pony Canyon have released the first teaser trailer for the anime film adaptation of the To You in the Beyond (Doko Yori mo Tooi Basho ni Iru Kimi e/ どこよりも遠い場所にいる君へ ) novel by Abe Akiko. The film trailer confirms that the film will premiere in Japan on October 9th, 2026.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4IwK9EtKeU]
Wada Junichi is directing the anime at TMS Entertainment, and Shochiku is distributing the film. Kuwamura Sayaka is in charge of writing the screenplay, and Hechima is acting as the character designer and chief animation director.
Author Abe and director Wada have provided comments in celebration of the news, and Hechima has released an illustration.
Abe Akiko (Original Author)
“I wrote this story in the summer of 2017. The novel, affectionately nicknamed “Dokokimi” by my editor, has always held a special place in my heart. Nine years later, I am honored to see it adapted into an animated feature film. It feels as if characters who left long ago have come back to visit, saying, “Hello, how have you been?” The film is not an exact copy of the novel, and I am genuinely grateful that the adaptation does not simply follow the story verbatim. There are things I could not have written nine years ago, and things that can only be expressed through animation. I am deeply thankful that these have been brought to life with such beautiful visuals, music, and voices. I hope that everyone—whether discovering this story for the first time in theaters or returning as a fan of the novel—will enjoy the animated film “To You in the Beyond.””
Wada Junichi (Director)
“When I finished reading Akiko Abe’s original novel, I felt a quiet sadness, yet also a comforting warmth. I cried alone in bed that night. Each character carries their own loneliness and pain, yet they love someone deeply and are loved in return. The moments when hearts reach across distance and time—full of both longing and warmth—are at the heart of what I wanted to bring to the film. From the bright summer light on the beach, to the scent of rice fields, to the roaring sound of storms, the emotions of the characters shift and sway within these landscapes. We are working hard to translate the novel’s brilliance into animation and to touch the deepest parts of the audience’s hearts with ‘To You in the Beyond.’”
Shueisha published Abe’s novel in print in October 2017, with cover art by sy05. The novel won the 22nd Honya Taisho Award.
The novel was adapted into a manga by Chino Haruka in August 2025 on Shueisha’s Tonari no Young Jump website, and Shueisha will release the manga’s first tankoubon volume on February 19th, 2026.
The story centres on a boy named Kazuki Tsukigase, who transfers to a high school on a remote island to get away from anyone who knows him.
Kazuki finds out that there is an inlet on the island where people are rumoured to disappear, and one day, while exploring the inlet, he finds an unconscious girl. When she comes to, she is unable to give out anything about her identity except that she is named Nao, is 16 years old, and the year, 1974.
