PONY CANYON

INTERNATIONAL LICENSING

YURIGOKORO

Original Title

ユリゴコロ
Yurigokoro

INTRODUCTION

She was never meant to be born into this world…
A heartbreaking story of “murder” and mystery!!

When a son reads a tragic diary of a murderer in his father’s journal, his life begins to slowly unravel…
The shocking mystery explores the true meaning of love between a parent and child, man and wife.

Mystery writer Mahokaru Numata has captured the attention of the next generation.
In 2012, “Yurigokoro” won the Haruhiko Oyabu Award and was nominated for the “Kono Mystery ga Sugoi!” and “Honya Taisho” Awards. Current book sales exceeds 200,000 copies. (“Youkame no Semi” sold over 150,000 copies before the film adaptation was released.)
Reviews of her book were polarized and controversial. Readers’ reactions ranged from “I cried!” and “I was moved by the ending.” to “The actions of the main character are hateful.” and “I can’t sympathize, yet I can’t stop crying.”
The film adaptation will certainly evoke new interpretations and reactions from both viewers and fans of the novel.

Director / Screenplay: Naoto Kumazawa’s notable film credits include: “Kin Kyori Ren Ai” (2014) starring Tomohisa Yamashita and Nana Komatsu, “Kimi ni Todoke” (2010) starring Mikako Tabe and Haruma Miura, “Oyayubi Sagashi” (2006) starring Ken Miyake and Kenichi Matsuyama and “Niji no Megami” (2006) starring Hayato Ichihara and Juri Ueno.

Co-written by: Sumio Omori’s film credits include “Itamu Hito” (2015), “Again ? 28 Nenme no Koshien” (2015), “Kaze ga Tsuyoku Fuite Iru” (2009), “39 - Keiho Dai 39 Jo”(1999). TV series credits include “Seirei no Moribito” “64” and “Climber’s High.” (2005)

STORY

A series of unfortunate events plagues the protagonist Ryosuke. His peaceful world comes crashing down when his fiancee, Chie, disappears without a trace, and the man who raised him as a single father is told he has terminal cancer. While his father is out, Ryosuke finds an unfamiliar “white bag” in his study. Inside it is a lock of hair and four notebooks with the word “Yurigokoro” written on them.
The journals are written in first person.
“I” take lives without remorse.
“Since childhood, ‘I’ had the undeniable urge to kill someone. It began with a sensation that eventually consumed me as I watched my second grade classmate die before my eyes. I called it “Yurigokoro.” It happened again in middle school when something I did caused the death of a young boy that I didn’t even know. Next, I killed the first friend I made in trade school. I did it again when I became a prostitute. Then I met a man, got married and gave birth to a son without even knowing who the father was.”

What is this? A novel written by my father? Is the “I” in these journals my mother who supposedly died in an accident? If so, is the man that “I” met my father? The lock of hair comes with a name: Misako. Who is Misako and what does the lock of hair mean? Ryosuke is utterly confused and disturbed when he finishes reading the journals. Meanwhile, he finds the whereabouts of his missing fiancee. She is actually married to a gangster and was trying to escape an abusive relationship when she met Ryosuke, but now he has taken her back and is asking for money. A kindly middle-aged female employee named Hosoya offers to intermediate and deliver the cash, but Ryosuke declines because he wants to kill this man himself. If the “I” in the journal is Ryosuke’s mother, a murderer’s blood runs in his veins. After making meticulous preparations, Ryosuke arrives at the pre-arranged location, only to find…?!
Was “Yurigokoro” a work of fiction?
Or a confession written by his mother who died when he was still young?
While unraveling the mysterious contents of the notebooks, the story plunges towards a new, and even more shocking truth…