A new trailer just dropped for one of the most anticipated romance anime films of the year, and it’s got fans buzzing about a love story tangled up in fireworks, fate, and a mystery that stretches back generations. If you haven’t been following Kimi to Hanabi to Yakusoku to yet, now’s the time to catch up.
The film, known in English as You, Fireworks, and Our Promise, is set to hit Japanese theaters on July 17. It’s based on the light novel by Kaori Mado, illustrated by Akamoku, which originally ran online before Shogakukan picked it up for print under its Gagaga Bunko imprint. A manga adaptation by Yomiya Ririura is also currently serializing on Sunday Webry.
What Is ‘You, Fireworks, and Our Promise’ About?
The story centers on Makoto Natsume, a shy Tokyo high schooler who gets pulled into the orbit of Aki Hayama, a girl he’s never met but who somehow already knows his name. As it turns out, Aki was told by her great-grandmother that she’d one day meet someone called Makoto Natsume, a promise tied to a mysterious painting of fireworks that Aki has kept close since childhood.
The film unfolds against the backdrop of Niigata’s Nagaoka Fireworks Festival, one of Japan’s three major fireworks displays and a real event that draws hundreds of thousands of spectators every year. Together, Makoto and Aki dig into the origins of that painting, chasing a promise the story teases as spanning 81 years.
The voice cast is stacked with names fans will recognize. Shori Sato of the idol group timelesz voices Makoto, while Nanoka Hara (known for live-action Oshi no Ko and Mieruko-chan) plays Aki. Rie Takahashi joins as Haru, a mysterious girl tied to the film’s central puzzle, and Natsuko Yokosawa rounds out the cast as Makoto’s mother.
The Team Behind the Film
Director Kei Suzuki, who previously worked on Tower of God: Return of the Prince, is helming the project from a screenplay by Kohei Mori. Character designs are by Yuji Watanabe, with animation split between SynergySP and The Answer Studio, and production planning handled by Shin-Ei Animation.
The film’s emotional core gets a boost from its theme song as well. timelesz recorded “Kienai Hanabi” (Eternal Fireworks) for the movie, and a recent promotional video mashed the track together with real fan-submitted photos of memorable fireworks displays, a nice touch that leans into the film’s whole thesis about fleeting moments that stick with you.
Early marketing has leaned hard into themes of fate and time. One teaser line asks simply, “Hey, do you believe in destiny?” It’s the kind of hook built for a summer release, pairing the seasonal backdrop of fireworks festivals with a love story that fans are already calling one of the more ambitious romance premieres in recent memory.
You, Fireworks, and Our Promise opens in Japanese theaters on July 17.