PROGRAM NOTE
A small fishing town''s most mischievous boy, nine year old Hanada Ichiro enjoys a fun-filled life with his happy family. One fateful day Ichiro gets hit by a truck. On his way to heaven, Ichiro''s spirit is pushed back to earth by Seiko, a ghost in a high school uniform. From this point on, Ichiro discovers that he can see and speak with ghosts, and a ghost named Sawaii claims that he is Ichiro''s father...< Boy Meets Ghosts>, based on the cartoon < Hanada Shonen-shi> by well known Japanese cartoonist Isshiki Makoto who is also the creator of < The Perfect World of Kai> which was made into an animated TV show in 2002 and introduced to Korean audiences. Nobuo Mizuta, a big fan of the original cartoon himself, made his reputation over the last 25 years with a string of successful TV dramas such as < Second Chance for Love>, < Romantic Vacance>, < My Darling Little Witch> and < Psycho Doctor>. While the original focused on Ichiro''s helping the troubled ghost, the film version creates a heartwarming family drama based on Ichiro''s interaction with the ghosts and the family secret. Suga Kenta, as the sparkling Ichiro, is adorable. Iwashiro Taro, famous for his previous work in < Blood and Bone> and < Memories of Murder>, composed the score for the film, and the theme song ''Itoshisa to Kokoro no Kabe'' was composed and performed by Japanese popular rock band Sambo Master.