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Calling You (anthology)
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese fictional short story
collection written by Otsu-ichi
and published on May 31, 2001 by Kadokawa Shoten
. All three stories in Calling You are stories focused on unusual friendships with a supernatural
twist. In December 2003, a manga adaptation written and illustrated by Setsuri Tsuzuki was published by Kadokawa. The Calling You manga only includes the first two stories of the novel, and makes some changes to both of those stories. Both the novel and manga adaptations were given an English language release in North America by Tokyopop
.
The first story from Calling You has been adapted into a drama CD that was released by Kadokawa Shoten on June 28, 2003. Toei Company
has adapted both the first and second stories into feature films. Both films are directed by Hagishima Tatsuya. Calling You was released to theaters on June 13, 2007, while Kids was released on February 2, 2008.
Ryo goes to his funeral and afterwards finds his locker where he left a cassette radio he'd promised her. Ryo also realizes that Yumi is really her future self.
An unnamed Boy is put in the special class at school after he attacks a classmate who teased him about the burn mark on his back. The Boy's father regularly abused him, including leaving the burn on his back by throwing an iron at him. His mother abandoned him, and he now lives with an aunt and uncle he feels don't care anything about him. In the class, he meets Asato, a quiet boy who rarely talks. Asato's mother murdered his father and then tried to kill Asato as well. While alone with Asato after school, the Boy hurts himself carving. Asato comes over and touches him, and half the wound leaves the boy's arm and moves to Asato's so that they are equally sharing the pain. They become friends that day, and begin exploring the depths of Asato's powers. After Asato removes a scrape from a little boy's knee, the child's mother treats them to ice cream. At the parlor, they meet Shiho, a young woman with a burned face who hides her scars behind a mask. When a kid the Boy had pushed out of a window breaks his arm with a baseball bat, Asato takes that wound as well, but then moves it to the kid with the bat. The Boy decides Asato should move all of his wounds to his father, who is lying unconscious and dying in the hospital. Whenever gets new injuries, the Boy would take Asato there to use his father's dying body as a "dumping ground." Eventually, they share the secret of Asato's powers with Shiho and she asks Asato to remove the burn for just three days so she can remember what its like to live without it. She leaves town afterward, however, and Asato sinks into a depression. No one can stand looking at him with the scar on his face, even the Boy, so they go to the hospital to give it to the Boy's father. However, when the arrive, they find he had just died. The Boy cries for him, and asks Asato to move all the scars back from his father's body to him instead. Asato says he can't and runs, and the Boy realizes Asato had never given any of the wounds to his father after all. Asato runs from through the hospital, curing everyone he touches and taking on their wounds. The Boy realizes Asato wants to die because he thinks no one wants him. Outside, he takes on the fatal wounds of an accident victim, but the Boy convinces him to give him half, just like the day they became friends, so that they could share the pain equally. The wounds are serious and both spend a long time in the hospital, but during the stay the Boy comes to the conclusion that Asato was given the power because he had a pure heart, and that he wants Asato to always know someone is there willing to share his pain.
A patient at a hospital finds a flower with the face of a girl, that hums a beautiful melody.
, Calling You is a Japanese light novel
consisting of a collection of three supernatural short stories.
as part of their Sneaker CD Collection line. The cover art is illustrated by Miyako Hasumi.
short story from the novel series was adapted into a motion picture by Toei Company
. It premiered in theaters in Japan on June 13, 2007. Directed by Hagishima Tatsuya, Calling You stars Narumi Riko and Koide Keisuke in the roles of the story's central characters Aihara Ryo and Shinya Nozaki, who also performed those roles in the drama CD. The film was released to Region 2 DVD on December 7, 2007 by Media Factory
. The theme song for the film "Calling You" was performed by the musical group Dreams Come True. The CD soundtrack
, containing twenty tracks including the theme song, was released on June 13, 2007 by Nayutawave Records.
The second short story, Kiz/Kids, was also being adapted into a motion picture entitled Kids. Also produced by Toei, this second film is also directed by Tatsuya and was released to theaters on February 2, 2008.
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
collection written by Otsu-ichi
Otsu-ichi
is the pen name of , born 1978. He is a Japanese writer, mostly of horror short stories, as well as a filmmaker. He made his debut with Summer, Fireworks and My Corpse while still in high school...
and published on May 31, 2001 by Kadokawa Shoten
Kadokawa Shoten
is a well-known Japanese publishing company based in Tokyo, Japan. Kadokawa has published both manga novels and magazines, such as Newtype magazine...
. All three stories in Calling You are stories focused on unusual friendships with a supernatural
Supernatural
The supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...
twist. In December 2003, a manga adaptation written and illustrated by Setsuri Tsuzuki was published by Kadokawa. The Calling You manga only includes the first two stories of the novel, and makes some changes to both of those stories. Both the novel and manga adaptations were given an English language release in North America by Tokyopop
Tokyopop
Tokyopop, styled TOKYOPOP, and formerly known as Mixx, is a distributor, licensor, and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa, and Western manga-style works. The existing German publishing division produces German translations of licensed Japanese properties and original English-language manga, as well...
.
The first story from Calling You has been adapted into a drama CD that was released by Kadokawa Shoten on June 28, 2003. Toei Company
Toei Company
is a Japanese film, television production, and distribution corporation. Based in Tokyo, Toei owns and operates thirty-four movie theaters across Japan, a modest vertically-integrated studio system by the standards of the 1930s United States; operates studios at Tokyo and Kyoto; and is a...
has adapted both the first and second stories into feature films. Both films are directed by Hagishima Tatsuya. Calling You was released to theaters on June 13, 2007, while Kids was released on February 2, 2008.
Plot
Ryo is a high school freshman who tends to take people's words literally. After being hurt several times because she misunderstood someone, she avoids people. She creates an imaginary cell phone, feeling it would be pointless to buy one when no one would call. One day while she is on the bus, however, her imaginary cell phone begins to ring. At the other end is a boy named Shinya who is also calling with an imaginary cell phone. Ryo is shocked and after they disconnect, she tries calling people and connects with a college student named Yumi, who instructs her in the ways of imaginary phones. Though Shinya lives an hour in the past from Ryo, they talk regularly through their imaginary phones, staying constantly connected. Through their friendship, Ryo is able to find her voice and begin talking in the real world. They eventually talk on the real phone, and decide to meet. Ryo takes a bus to the airport, but a car nearly runs her over. Shinya pushes her out of the way and is struck instead. In the ambulance, Shinya dies. Ryo calls Shinya in the past. She tries to save him by saying she hated him on sight, but he sees through her and gets her to admit what happened. He is determined to save her, so they frantically say their good-byes.Ryo goes to his funeral and afterwards finds his locker where he left a cassette radio he'd promised her. Ryo also realizes that Yumi is really her future self.
An unnamed Boy is put in the special class at school after he attacks a classmate who teased him about the burn mark on his back. The Boy's father regularly abused him, including leaving the burn on his back by throwing an iron at him. His mother abandoned him, and he now lives with an aunt and uncle he feels don't care anything about him. In the class, he meets Asato, a quiet boy who rarely talks. Asato's mother murdered his father and then tried to kill Asato as well. While alone with Asato after school, the Boy hurts himself carving. Asato comes over and touches him, and half the wound leaves the boy's arm and moves to Asato's so that they are equally sharing the pain. They become friends that day, and begin exploring the depths of Asato's powers. After Asato removes a scrape from a little boy's knee, the child's mother treats them to ice cream. At the parlor, they meet Shiho, a young woman with a burned face who hides her scars behind a mask. When a kid the Boy had pushed out of a window breaks his arm with a baseball bat, Asato takes that wound as well, but then moves it to the kid with the bat. The Boy decides Asato should move all of his wounds to his father, who is lying unconscious and dying in the hospital. Whenever gets new injuries, the Boy would take Asato there to use his father's dying body as a "dumping ground." Eventually, they share the secret of Asato's powers with Shiho and she asks Asato to remove the burn for just three days so she can remember what its like to live without it. She leaves town afterward, however, and Asato sinks into a depression. No one can stand looking at him with the scar on his face, even the Boy, so they go to the hospital to give it to the Boy's father. However, when the arrive, they find he had just died. The Boy cries for him, and asks Asato to move all the scars back from his father's body to him instead. Asato says he can't and runs, and the Boy realizes Asato had never given any of the wounds to his father after all. Asato runs from through the hospital, curing everyone he touches and taking on their wounds. The Boy realizes Asato wants to die because he thinks no one wants him. Outside, he takes on the fatal wounds of an accident victim, but the Boy convinces him to give him half, just like the day they became friends, so that they could share the pain equally. The wounds are serious and both spend a long time in the hospital, but during the stay the Boy comes to the conclusion that Asato was given the power because he had a pure heart, and that he wants Asato to always know someone is there willing to share his pain.
A patient at a hospital finds a flower with the face of a girl, that hums a beautiful melody.
Light novel
Written by Otsu-ichiOtsu-ichi
is the pen name of , born 1978. He is a Japanese writer, mostly of horror short stories, as well as a filmmaker. He made his debut with Summer, Fireworks and My Corpse while still in high school...
, Calling You is a Japanese light novel
Light novel
A is a style of Japanese novel primarily targeting junior high and high school students . The term "light novel" is a wasei-eigo, or a Japanese term formed from words in the English language. Light novels are often called or for short...
consisting of a collection of three supernatural short stories.
Drama CD
An eleven chapter drama CD based on the novel series was released in Japan on June 28, 2003 by Kadokawa ShotenKadokawa Shoten
is a well-known Japanese publishing company based in Tokyo, Japan. Kadokawa has published both manga novels and magazines, such as Newtype magazine...
as part of their Sneaker CD Collection line. The cover art is illustrated by Miyako Hasumi.
Manga
Films
The titularTitular
Titular means existing in title only. It may refer to:*Titular ruler, a person in an official position of leadership who possesses few, if any, actual powers*Titular , bishop or titular cardinal, whose see is in name only**titulus**titular see...
short story from the novel series was adapted into a motion picture by Toei Company
Toei Company
is a Japanese film, television production, and distribution corporation. Based in Tokyo, Toei owns and operates thirty-four movie theaters across Japan, a modest vertically-integrated studio system by the standards of the 1930s United States; operates studios at Tokyo and Kyoto; and is a...
. It premiered in theaters in Japan on June 13, 2007. Directed by Hagishima Tatsuya, Calling You stars Narumi Riko and Koide Keisuke in the roles of the story's central characters Aihara Ryo and Shinya Nozaki, who also performed those roles in the drama CD. The film was released to Region 2 DVD on December 7, 2007 by Media Factory
Media Factory
is a Japanese publisher. It was founded on December 1, 1986, and its headquarters are situated in Shibuya, Tokyo. It is a subsidiary of Recruit Co., Ltd...
. The theme song for the film "Calling You" was performed by the musical group Dreams Come True. The CD soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
, containing twenty tracks including the theme song, was released on June 13, 2007 by Nayutawave Records.
The second short story, Kiz/Kids, was also being adapted into a motion picture entitled Kids. Also produced by Toei, this second film is also directed by Tatsuya and was released to theaters on February 2, 2008.