# Doko Yori mo Tooi Basho ni Iru Kimi e
*Doko Yori mo Tooi Basho ni Iru Kimi e* (どこよりも遠い場所にいる君へ, "To You in a Place Farther Than Anywhere"; English title *To You in the Beyond*) is a Japanese romance novel by Akiko Abe (阿部暁子) with illustrations by syo5, published by Shueisha in its Orange Bunko imprint on 20 October 2017[1](https://www.shueisha.co.jp/books/items/contents.html?jdcn=08680154947243000000). The story follows a boy who moves to a remote island high school and finds a girl of unknown origin collapsed in a cove associated with a spirit-taking legend; the girl's murmur of the year "1974" is the mystery that drives the plot[1](https://www.shueisha.co.jp/books/items/contents.html?jdcn=08680154947243000000). The book became a hit, was selected for Shueisha Bunko's "Natsuichi 2023" summer campaign, and has been adapted into a manga and a 2026 animated film[2](https://cobalt.shueisha.co.jp/read/cat196/post-114/) • [3](https://natalie.mu/comic/news/660803) • [4](https://eiga.com/movie/105503/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Author / illustrator | Akiko Abe (阿部暁子); illustrations by syo5[1](https://www.shueisha.co.jp/books/items/contents.html?jdcn=08680154947243000000) |
| Publication | Shueisha Orange Bunko, 20 October 2017; 320-page bunko format; ISBN 978-4-08-680154-6; digital edition 15 December 2017[1](https://www.shueisha.co.jp/books/items/contents.html?jdcn=08680154947243000000) • [5](https://www.hanmoto.com/bd/isbn/9784086801546) |
| Setting | Saiki Island (采岐島), a remote island whose "kamikakushi cove" (神隠しの入り江) carries a legend of people being spirited away[1](https://www.shueisha.co.jp/books/items/contents.html?jdcn=08680154947243000000) |
| Main characters | Kazuki Tsukigase (月ヶ瀬和希), a boy carrying a secret, and Nao (七緒), a 16-year-old girl of unknown identity[1](https://www.shueisha.co.jp/books/items/contents.html?jdcn=08680154947243000000) |
| Central mystery | The meaning of the word "1974," which Nao murmurs at the cove[1](https://www.shueisha.co.jp/books/items/contents.html?jdcn=08680154947243000000) |
| Manga adaptation | Volume 1 released 19 February 2026, art by Chinoharu, Young Jump Comics[3](https://natalie.mu/comic/news/660803) |
| Anime film | Released 9 October 2026; 116 minutes; directed by Junji Wada; animation by TMS Entertainment; distributed by Shochiku[4](https://eiga.com/movie/105503/) |
## Story
Kazuki Tsukigase, a boy carrying a secret, enrolls at Saiki Island High School specifically to enter an environment where no one knows him[1](https://www.shueisha.co.jp/books/items/contents.html?jdcn=08680154947243000000). The island has a place called the "kamikakushi cove," named for the Japanese folk belief of *kamikakushi*, in which a person is hidden or taken away by spirits. Early in summer, Kazuki discovers a girl collapsed at the cove[1](https://www.shueisha.co.jp/books/items/contents.html?jdcn=08680154947243000000).
The girl regains consciousness in a hospital. Her name is Nao, she is 16 years old, and she has no identifiable origin[1](https://www.shueisha.co.jp/books/items/contents.html?jdcn=08680154947243000000). In the film version she gives her full name as Shika Nao (秋鹿七緒) and, having no proof of identity, is taken into the care of a man named Takatsu, who helped Kazuki rescue her; Kazuki visits her repeatedly and the two grow closer over the summer, until Nao tells him something startling[4](https://eiga.com/movie/105503/). The word she murmured at the cove, "1974," is presented by the publisher as the key to the story, and the film's synopsis identifies her as a girl who came from 1974[1](https://www.shueisha.co.jp/books/items/contents.html?jdcn=08680154947243000000) • [6](https://www.allcinema.net/cinema/404512). The publisher bills the book as a boy-meets-girl story, and the film's tagline describes past and present crossing as the two characters' futures begin to move[1](https://www.shueisha.co.jp/books/items/contents.html?jdcn=08680154947243000000) • [7](https://www.shueisha.co.jp/books/items/contents_amp.html?jdcn=08322063961767000000).
## Publication and reception
The novel appeared in Shueisha's Orange Bunko line on 20 October 2017 at 792 yen including tax, with a digital edition following on 15 December 2017[1](https://www.shueisha.co.jp/books/items/contents.html?jdcn=08680154947243000000) • [5](https://www.hanmoto.com/bd/isbn/9784086801546). The [National Diet Library](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-diet-library) record lists the volume as 317 pages, 15 cm, classified under Japanese fiction (NDC 913.6), and it is held in libraries across Japan[8](https://ndlsearch.ndl.go.jp/books/R100000002-I028549640).
**Later recognition.** Shueisha's web magazine Cobalt describes the book as a hit and, to mark its selection for the Shueisha Bunko "Natsuichi 2023" campaign, published a special spinoff short story by Abe, *Tengoku e Tsuzuku Hashi* ("The Bridge Leading to Heaven"), presented as a second epilogue for readers of the main novel[2](https://cobalt.shueisha.co.jp/read/cat196/post-114/). The film's promotional materials note that the novel spread widely on TikTok, where viewers described themselves as "crying" over it[9](https://www.fashion-press.net/movies/25471).
Akiko Abe, from [Iwate Prefecture](https://www.edgepedia.org/iwate-prefecture), debuted after entering the Cobalt short-story newcomer prize with *Riku no Sakana* and won the 2008 Roman Taisho for *Itsumademo*; her other works include the *Kamakura Kobo Memories* series and novelizations of *Strobe Edge* and *Ao Haru Ride*[2](https://cobalt.shueisha.co.jp/read/cat196/post-114/). In 2025 she won the 22nd Hon'ya Taisho (Booksellers' Grand Prize) for her novel *Kafune*, a distinction the film's publicity cites when introducing her[4](https://eiga.com/movie/105503/).
## Manga adaptation
A manga adaptation drawn by Chinoharu began publication with volume 1, released on 19 February 2026 in Shueisha's Young Jump Comics imprint[3](https://natalie.mu/comic/news/660803). Comic Natalie described the work at that point as a boy-meets-girl novel by Abe whose anime film adaptation had also been decided[3](https://natalie.mu/comic/news/660803).
## Anime film
The novel was adapted into an animated feature film released in Japanese theaters on 9 October 2026, running 116 minutes and rated G[4](https://eiga.com/movie/105503/). Junji Wada, director of the television anime *HIGH CARD*, directed; the screenplay is by Sayaka Kuwamura, whose credits include *Strobe Edge* and *Josee, the Tiger and the Fish*; character design and chief animation direction are by hechima; and the music is by Hirokazu Nakamura of the band SUPERCAR[4](https://eiga.com/movie/105503/). [TMS Entertainment](https://www.edgepedia.org/tms-entertainment)'s Studio 6 handled animation, with Shochiku and [Pony Canyon](https://www.edgepedia.org/pony-canyon) as production coordinators and Shochiku as distributor[4](https://eiga.com/movie/105503/) • [10](https://anime.eiga.com/movie/113073/).
The cast pairs young voice actors with established names: Haro Ishibashi as Kazuki, Anna Nagase as Nao, Kanna Tsuchiya as Kazuki's classmate Mikiya Ozaki, and the actor Hiroshi Tamaki as Takatsu, the man who holds the story's key[4](https://eiga.com/movie/105503/). Supporting roles include [Sumire Uesaka](https://www.edgepedia.org/sumire-uesaka) as Tamaki Mishima, Takuya Watanabe... (correction: Wataru Hatano as Shuji Aiba), Nobuhiko Okamoto as Akimitsu Yano, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka as Yoshiki Suka, and Naoto Fukuki as Nishina[4](https://eiga.com/movie/105503/). The singer-songwriter Tota performed the theme song "Olive" and the in-film song "Housenka" (phoenix flower)[10](https://anime.eiga.com/movie/113073/).
## References
1. [どこよりも遠い場所にいる君へ, Shueisha books page](https://www.shueisha.co.jp/books/items/contents.html?jdcn=08680154947243000000)
2. [どこよりも遠い場所にいる君へ, Shueisha Web Magazine Cobalt](https://cobalt.shueisha.co.jp/read/cat196/post-114/)
3. [「どこよりも遠い場所にいる君へ」コミカライズ1巻発売, Comic Natalie](https://natalie.mu/comic/news/660803)
4. [どこよりも遠い場所にいる君へ, Eiga.com film page](https://eiga.com/movie/105503/)
5. [どこよりも遠い場所にいる君へ, Hanmoto](https://www.hanmoto.com/bd/isbn/9784086801546)
6. [どこよりも遠い場所にいる君へ, allcinema](https://www.allcinema.net/cinema/404512)
7. [どこよりも遠い場所にいる君へ 映画ノベライズ, Shueisha](https://www.shueisha.co.jp/books/items/contents_amp.html?jdcn=08322063961767000000)
8. [どこよりも遠い場所にいる君へ, NDL Search](https://ndlsearch.ndl.go.jp/books/R100000002-I028549640)
9. [アニメ映画『どこよりも遠い場所にいる君へ』, Fashion Press](https://www.fashion-press.net/movies/25471)
10. [どこよりも遠い場所にいる君へ, Anime Hack](https://anime.eiga.com/movie/113073/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Literature and written works › Creative written works and worlds › Prose fiction › Novel series and sagas › Novel series and sagas by language and national tradition*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license