{ "id": "epjaa8nc4r", "slug": "be-with-you-2004-film", "title": "Be With You (いま、会いにゆきます) (2004 film)", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.science-fiction-fantasy", "label": "Science fiction and fantasy films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.science-fiction-fantasy" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.science-fiction-fantasy.science-fiction-and-fantasy-films-of-the-4", "label": "Science fiction and fantasy films of the 2000s", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.science-fiction-fantasy.science-fiction-and-fantasy-films-of-the-4" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.science-fiction-fantasy.science-fiction-and-fantasy-films-of-the-4.fantasy-films-of-the-2000s", "label": "Fantasy films of the 2000s", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.science-fiction-fantasy.science-fiction-and-fantasy-films-of-the-4.fantasy-films-of-the-2000s" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.asia.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Asia (other) · 2001 to 2020: Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "path": [ { "id": "geo.asia", "label": "Asia (other)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2001", "label": "Asia (other) · 2001 to 2020", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2001" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2001.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2001.culture" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2001.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2001.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2001.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2001.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Be With You (いま、会いにゆきます, Ima, Ai ni Yukimasu) is a 2004 Japanese romantic fantasy film directed by Nobuhiro Doi, adapted from Takuji Ichikawa's novel, starring Yuko Takeuchi and Shido Nakamura; a dead wife returns during the rainy season.", "snippet": "Be With You (いま、会いにゆきます, Ima, Ai ni Yukimasu) is a 2004 Japanese romantic fantasy film directed by Nobuhiro Doi, adapted from Takuji Ichikawa's novel, starring Yuko Takeuchi and Shido Nakamura; a dead wife returns during the rainy season.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.science-fiction-fantasy.science-fiction-and-fantasy-films-of-the-4.fantasy-films-of-the-2000s", "markdown": "# Be With You (いま、会いにゆきます) (2004 film)\n\n**Be With You** (いま、会いにゆきます, *Ima, Ai ni Yukimasu*) is a 2004 Japanese romantic fantasy film directed by Nobuhiro Doi (土井裕泰), adapted from Takuji Ichikawa's (市川拓司) bestselling novel of the same name. It stars Yuko Takeuchi (竹内結子) as Mio, a wife who returns to her husband and young son during the rainy season, one year after her death, and Shido Nakamura (中村獅童) as the husband Takumi.[1](https://jfdb.jp/title/269) • [2](https://www.stardustpictures.co.jp/movie/imaai.html)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Japanese release | October 30, 2004, distributed by Toho[3](https://eiga.com/movie/41168/) |\n| Director | Nobuhiro Doi, a television drama director making his feature film debut[4](https://jfdb.jp/en/title/269) |\n| Source | Takuji Ichikawa's novel *Ima, Ai ni Yukimasu* (Shogakukan), which had passed 450,000 copies sold by the time of the film's release[2](https://www.stardustpictures.co.jp/movie/imaai.html) • [5](https://www.ehills.co.jp/rp/dfw/EHILLS/event/cinema/041022/index.php) |\n| Screenplay | Yoshikazu Okada (岡田惠和)[3](https://eiga.com/movie/41168/) |\n| Cast | Yuko Takeuchi as Mio, Shido Nakamura as Takumi, Akashi Takei (武井証) as their son Yuji[1](https://jfdb.jp/title/269) |\n| Running time | 118 minutes per the Japanese Film Database; 119 minutes per eiga.com, allcinema, and Kinenote[1](https://jfdb.jp/title/269) • [3](https://eiga.com/movie/41168/) • [6](https://www.allcinema.net/cinema/pdf/320647) |\n| Theme song | \"Hana\" by ORANGE RANGE[2](https://www.stardustpictures.co.jp/movie/imaai.html) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Plot\n\nA year after Mio's death, her husband Takumi and their six-year-old son Yuji each carry private guilt: Takumi believes he failed to make his wife happy, and Yuji believes his birth shortened her life. Mio had left behind a picture book she made herself, with the words \"I will come back in the rainy season.\" When the rainy season arrives, she appears to them in a forest, alive, but having lost all memory of her life before.[3](https://eiga.com/movie/41168/) • [4](https://jfdb.jp/en/title/269)\n\nTakumi and Yuji take her in, and the three resume their family life. Takumi retells the story of how they met and fell in love, and the two fall in love a second time, while Yuji delights in a second chance to know his mother. As the six weeks of the rainy season draw to a close, it becomes clear that Mio must leave again when the season ends.[4](https://jfdb.jp/en/title/269) • [6](https://www.allcinema.net/cinema/pdf/320647)\n\nThe film's ending reinterprets the story through Mio's diary. Takumi learns that while she was hovering between life and death after a traffic accident during her university years, Mio experienced a jump into the future: she lived the married life with Takumi, learned that marrying him and bearing Yuji would mean her early death, and chose that marriage anyway. The six weeks of her return confirm to Takumi and Yuji that she had been happy.[3](https://eiga.com/movie/41168/)\n\n## Production\n\nThe film was produced by a committee centered on TBS and Toho, with Hakuhodo DY Media Partners, Shogakukan, S.D.P., and MBS among the participating companies.[2](https://www.stardustpictures.co.jp/movie/imaai.html) • [7](https://www.kinenote.com/main/public/cinema/detail.aspx?cinema_id=36014) Doi Nobuhiro came to the film from a run of hit TBS dramas including *Beautiful Life* and *GOOD LUCK!!*, and [Be With You](https://www.edgepedia.org/be-with-you) was his first theatrical feature.[4](https://jfdb.jp/en/title/269) • [8](https://www.cinematoday.jp/movie/T0002514) The screenplay was adapted by Yoshikazu Okada, the cinematography was by Shibanushi Takahide, the music by Suguru Matsutani (松谷卓), and the art direction by Yohei Taneda (種田陽平).[1](https://jfdb.jp/title/269) • [7](https://www.kinenote.com/main/public/cinema/detail.aspx?cinema_id=36014)\n\nTakeuchi, previously known for the hit *Yomigaeri*, played a mother for the first time in this film; Nakamura, a kabuki actor, played the husband.[8](https://www.cinematoday.jp/movie/T0002514) The supporting cast includes Mikako Ichikawa as Takumi's colleague Midori, Katsuo Nakamura as his boss, Fumiyo Kohinata as a doctor, and Suzuki Matsuo as a cake shop owner.[9](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/be-with-you)\n\n## Reception\n\nThe film was a commercial success in Japan.[4](https://jfdb.jp/en/title/269) WOWOW's program notes describe it as a hit that \"made all of Japan cry,\" and note that ORANGE RANGE's theme song \"Hana\" also became a hit at the time of release.[10](https://www.wowow.co.jp/detail/019184) On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 92% Popcornmeter score from more than 5,000 audience ratings.[11](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/be-with-you-ima-ai-ni-yukimasu) On Filmarks, a Japanese review aggregator, it carries a 3.7 average from about 58,000 user reviews.[12](https://filmarks.com/movies/37329)\n\n## Legacy and remake\n\nThe film is remembered as one of the representative Japanese pure-love (純愛) films of the 2000s, and Ichikawa's novel was later adapted again in South Korea with [So Ji-sub](https://www.edgepedia.org/so-ji-sub) and [Son Ye-jin](https://www.edgepedia.org/son-ye-jin) in the lead roles.[12](https://filmarks.com/movies/37329) • [13](https://content.auhikari.tv/program/guide/pdf/auhikari2408.pdf) Doi later directed the 2025 film *Hiraba no Tsuki*, reuniting with the same production lineage.[1](https://jfdb.jp/title/269)\n\n## References\n\n1. [JFDB – いま、会いにゆきます (Japanese Film Database)](https://jfdb.jp/title/269)\n2. [Stardust Pictures (SDP) – 「いま、会いにゆきます」](https://www.stardustpictures.co.jp/movie/imaai.html)\n3. [映画.com – いま、会いにゆきます 作品情報](https://eiga.com/movie/41168/)\n4. [JFDB – Be with you (English page)](https://jfdb.jp/en/title/269)\n5. [eHills Club – いま、会いにゆきます 試写会日記](https://www.ehills.co.jp/rp/dfw/EHILLS/event/cinema/041022/index.php)\n6. [allcinema – いま、会いにゆきます (2004)](https://www.allcinema.net/cinema/pdf/320647)\n7. [KINENOTE – いま、会いにゆきます](https://www.kinenote.com/main/public/cinema/detail.aspx?cinema_id=36014)\n8. [シネマトゥデイ – いま、会いにゆきます (2004)](https://www.cinematoday.jp/movie/T0002514)\n9. [JustWatch – Be with You (2004)](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/be-with-you)\n10. [WOWOWオンライン – いま、会いにゆきます](https://www.wowow.co.jp/detail/019184)\n11. [Rotten Tomatoes – Be With You (Ima, ai ni yukimasu)](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/be-with-you-ima-ai-ni-yukimasu)\n12. [Filmarks – いま、会いにゆきます](https://filmarks.com/movies/37329)\n13. [AU Hikari content guide – Korean remake of いま、会いにゆきます](https://content.auhikari.tv/program/guide/pdf/auhikari2408.pdf)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Science fiction and fantasy films (individual works) › Science fiction and fantasy films of the 2000s › Fantasy films of the 2000s*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/be-with-you-2004-film", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/be-with-you-2004-film.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Be With You (いま、会いにゆきます) (2004 film)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/be-with-you-2004-film. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Be With You (いま、会いにゆきます) (2004 film)](https://www.edgepedia.org/be-with-you-2004-film)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/be-with-you-2004-film](https://www.edgepedia.org/be-with-you-2004-film). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Be With You (いま、会いにゆきます) (2004 film)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/be-with-you-2004-film. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Be With You is a 2004 Japanese romantic fantasy film directed by Nobuhiro Doi, adapted from Takuji Ichikawa's novel, starring Yuko Takeuchi and Shido Nakamura; a dead wife returns during the rainy season." }