18×2 Beyond Youthful Days

18×2 Beyond Youthful Days is a 2024 Taiwanese-Japanese romance film directed by Michihito Fujii and produced by Chang Chen. Starring Greg Hsu and Kaya Kiyohara, alongside an ensemble cast including Joseph Chang, Shunsuke Michieda, Haru Kuroki, Hitomi Kuroki, and Yutaka Matsushige, the film follows a recently fired Taiwanese video game developer (Hsu) on a solo trip to Japan, reminiscing about a past romantic entanglement with a Japanese backpacker (Kiyohara) that never blossomed into a relationship.

Adapted from a travelogue published on the internet by Taiwanese video game developer Jimmy Lai in 2014, the film was stuck in development hell before Japanese filmmaker Fujii joined the project in 2019, turning it into a collaborative film between Taiwan and Japan. Fujii spent four years penning the screenplay, while lead actors Hsu and Kiyohara were announced to be part of the production in March 2023. Principal photography commenced in Japan in the same month and continued in Taiwan in April. Following the completion of filming in May 2023, the film underwent six months of post-production.

The film held its world premiere at the Ambassador Theatre in Taipei, on 14 February 2024, followed by a theatrical release on 14 March and 3 May, in Taiwan and Japan, respectively.

Synopsis
Jimmy, the founder of a video game development studio, gets fired from his own company during a board meeting. Devastated, he returns to his hometown of Tainan. While tidying his room, he stumbles upon a postcard he received 18 years ago from his dear Japanese friend, Ami. He then receives a phone call from the studio co-founder, Aaron, who invites him on the final business trip to Tokyo. After the business meeting, Aaron asks Jimmy about his future plans, to which Jimmy answers that he plans to embark on a trip without a destination.

Jimmy's thoughts drift back 18 years to when he works at the struggling Karaoke Kobe in Tainan during the summer before university. He meets Ami, a Japanese backpacker looking for a place to work to save up money for an upcoming journey. Assigned to show her around, Jimmy and Ami have a chat, and Jimmy becomes romantically interested in Ami. The arrival of a foreign lady in the secluded town soon attracts numerous customers to the karaoke. During the welcoming meal, Ami is asked about her trip. She explains that she plans to go on a trip without a destination and shows her sketchbook of drawings recording her previous footsteps in Taiwan. Impressed, Jimmy suggests she decorate a wall at the karaoke. After the meal, Ami expresses her interest in motorcycles, and Jimmy takes her to an observation deck with a stunning view of Tainan. They bond and discuss their dreams. Jimmy confesses his uncertainty, and Ami encourages him to search for a dream.

In the present, Jimmy arrives in Matsumoto and encounters Liu, a Taiwanese izakaya owner who suggests that he visits Ami's hometown, Tadami. On his journey, he meets a young backpacker named Koji on the Iiyama Line, who recommends they stop at the snowing Nagaoka, where Jimmy is captivated by the scenery, reminiscent of the film Love Letter. Jimmy recalls that his co-workers asked Ami to describe her ideal boyfriend, but her description contradicts Jimmy's characteristics. However, a co-worker encourages him to pursue her anyway and gives him tickets to a romance film, Love Letter. During the movie, Ami cries miserably and finds an excuse to leave the scene, leaving Jimmy confused.

Back in the present, Jimmy meets and befriends Yukiko, a staff member at an internet café who is playing the game he developed. Yukiko offers to drive him to the sky lantern festival. Jimmy then recalls Ami's sudden departure, where she announces one day that she is going back to Japan. Jimmy is furious with Ami and refuses to talk to her, even when she finishes the wall art. Jimmy's father, sensing his son's distress, encourages him not to have regrets. Therefore, Jimmy asks Ami out once again and brings her to the sky lantern festival. They make a promise to meet each other again after they have the opportunity to pursue and fulfill their dreams.

Upon arriving in Tadami, Jimmy meets Ami's mother, Yuko, who reveals Ami's passing. Yuko gives Jimmy Ami's sketchbook, which contains drawings of Taiwan. Through the drawings, it is revealed that Ami has been suffering from cardiomyopathy and wishes to travel around the world during the last days of her life. However, after meeting and falling in love with Jimmy in Taiwan, her desire to continue living is ignited, and she decides to seek alternative treatments in Japan. Therefore, she abruptly leaves Japan before her condition deteriorates and refuses Jimmy's requests to see her in later years while she is hospitalized. Overwhelmed, Jimmy weeps as he reaches the last page of the sketchbook—a picture of them releasing sky lanterns, symbolizing their promise.

On his journey back, Jimmy writes the first and last letter to Ami, sharing his life since their separation. He reveals that he becomes aware of Ami's death after finishing his first game and attempting to contact her. Subsequently, he spirals into emotional numbness and loses all sense of purpose, which leads to his alienation and eventual expulsion from the company. Finally, he expresses his gratitude for Ami's presence in his youthful days and promises to go on a trip without a destination in her honor.

Cast

 * Greg Hsu as Jimmy: a successful video game developer who had a devastating falling out with his business partners, which prompted him to embark on a soul-searching journey in Japan.
 * Kaya Kiyohara as Ami: a Japanese backpacker who was romantically involved with Jimmy when they worked together at a karaoke bar in Tainan 18 years before.
 * Joseph Chang as Liu: a Taiwanese izakaya owner Jimmy encounters in Matsumoto.
 * Shunsuke Michieda as Koji: a Japanese young backpacker Jimmy befriends in Nagaoka.
 * Haru Kuroki as Yukiko: an internet café staff member Jimmy acquainted during his stay.
 * Hitomi Kuroki as Yuko: the mother of Ami who resides in Tadami.
 * Yutaka Matsushige as Nakazato: a resident at Tadami who drives Jimmy to Yuko.

Additionally, Toyoharu Kitamura appears as Shimada, the Japanese boss of Karaoke Kobe. Co-workers of Jimmy at Karaoke Kobe include Buffy Chen as Hsiao-ting, Jane Liao as Shu-yi, and Lee Kuan-yi as Wei. Chu Chung Heng and Maggie Lu appear as the parents of Jimmy; and Figaro Tseng appears as Aaron, the co-founder of Jimmy's video game development studio.

Development
18×2 Beyond Youthful Days is adapted from and based on real-life events recorded in a travelogue titled Wandering Journey on Slow Train in Japan, written by Jimmy Lai under the pseudonym "Blue Fox". Lai, a Taiwanese video game developer, embarked on a vacation journey across Japan using the Seishun 18 Ticket and wrote the travelogue, aiming to reminisce about his romantic past with a Japanese backpacker. After publishing the travelogue on the Taiwanese blog Backpackers and it went viral in 2014, Lai was approached by film production studios interested in purchasing the adaptation rights. Eventually, producer Roger Huang acquired the rights and began searching for film directors and screenwriters to join the project. Actor Chang Chen and director-producer Lin Yu-Hsien became attached to the project in the early stages, with Chang making his debut as an executive producer at the invitation of his friend Huang, and he described the experience as a "learning opportunity". However, Lai became dissatisfied with the numerous screenplay drafts, feeling that the filmmakers and production companies were excessively expanding the story length and introducing new elements that deviated from the essence of his travelogue. As script after script was rejected and with Lai's subsequent migration to the United States, the project was stuck in development hell for four years. In 2019, during the Kaohsiung Film Festival, Huang met Japanese filmmaker Michihito Fujii, who expressed interest in participating in Taiwanese film productions. Huang invited Fujii to helm the project, and Fujii accepted the role of director and screenwriter shortly after reading the travelogue. After Fujii joined the project, Huang rebranded the film from a domestic production with overseas location shoots into a collaborative film between Taiwan and Japan. Fujii initiated negotiations with Japanese production companies and sponsors, including CyberAgent, and East Japan Railway Company, which also permitted the crew to film on the railways with loaned train carriages.

Pre-production
After attaching to the project in 2019, Michihito Fujii spent four years penning the screenplay. He retained several background settings from Jimmy Lai's travelogue, including Lai's occupation as a video game developer and the names of the two main characters, Jimmy and Ami. However, he made numerous amendments, such as changing the story's background from Chiayi to Tainan, the hometown of Fujii's Taiwanese grandfather, as he found an older city more fitting for the film's tone. The time period was adjusted from 1996 to 2006, aligning it with Fujii's adolescence and allowing for a better grasp of the social atmosphere. Fujii also added backstories for Jimmy, detailing his venture into starting his own video game company, and explored the reasons why Ami traveled to Taiwan and her talent for drawing, which further enhanced their character arcs. Brian Lee, a real-life friend of Jimmy Lai and a video game developer for SIGONO, also influenced the portrayal of Jimmy's entrepreneurial failure. Opus: Rocket of Whispers and Opus: Echo of Starsong, two video games developed by Lee, were featured in the film.

The film's production was officially announced under the working title Youth (Chinese: 青春) in March 2023, with Far EasTone as a major sponsor and starring Greg Hsu, Kaya Kiyohara, Hitomi Kuroki, and Chang Chen in lead roles. Chang later dropped out of the acting role to focus on his duties as producer. The casting choices were all proposed by Fujii, and Chang Chen provided advice but did not have a direct role in the casting process. Greg Hsu was recommended to Fujii by his friends due to his ability to portray both the 18-year-old and 36-year-old versions of the character, which Fujii described as having "a sense of both youthful and mature". Hsu accepted the role after reading the script and was drawn to the film's robust production crew. Kaya Kiyohara, who had previously worked with Fujii on his 2019 film Day and Night and 2020 film The Brightest Roof in the Universe, readily accepted the role as she was fond of the story and interested in joining an international project. Hitomi Kuroki was invited by Chang Chen to make a cameo appearance, following their collaboration as award presenters at the 59th Golden Horse Awards, where Chang revealed to her that he was involved in a project with Michihito Fujii, and Kuroki gladly accepted the offer. The production crew consisted of an equal mix of Taiwanese and Japanese members, and Fujii prioritized the employment of crew members who were around 36 years old to better understand Jimmy's character traits in the film. Hsu was sent to Japan on the film's budget a week prior to filming to learn Japanese.

Filming
Principal photography began in Japan in March 2023. Michihito Fujii chose to film in Japan during March as Japan undergoes seasonal change in that month, enabling the crew to capture both snowfall at the beginning of the month and cherry blossoms at the end. Taiwanese cinematographer Chan Chih-teng was initially attached to the project but had to withdraw since his wife was scheduled to give birth in that period. Keisuke Imamura, a frequent collaborator of Fujii, stepped in as the substitute cinematographer. Keisuke intentionally included a snowfall scene shot in Japan as a tribute to the 1995 romance film Love Letter. He also established a fixed colour temperature and selected lenses with Fujii prior to filming, aiming to create a contrast between the warm orange tones of Taiwan and the cold blue tones of Japan. Filming took place in Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, Nagano Prefecture, Niigata Prefecture, and Fukushima Prefecture, which the latter four are located on the JR Iiyama Line or Tadami Line. East Japan Railway Company provided assistance for the crew in set construction while filming in train carriages. Several scenes were cinematographed at Mori-Miyanohara Station, Nagaoka Station, and Tadami Station, as well as the railway crossing near Kamakurakōkōmae Station, a popular tourist spot due to its feature in the manga Slam Dunk, which Hsu himself is a fan of. On 25 March, scenes of Hsu and Haru Kuroki's character releasing sky lanterns were shot at ski resort New Greenpia Tsunan in Tsunan, Niigata. Other filming locations included Shibuya Excel Hotel Tokyu and Sumida Park in Tokyo, Matsumoto Castle in Nagano, and Yuigahama in Kanagawa.

After completing the scenes in Japan, the crew moved to Taiwan and commenced filming in April. The majority of the filming was completed in Tainan, with occasional shoots in Yunlin County, Kaohsiung, and New Taipei City. In Tainan, the filming locations included Fort Provintia, Shuei Sian Temple Market, Tiantan Tiangong Temple, Hsinchu East Gate, and Sihcao Boulevard, which served as the dating spots for Hsu and Kiyohara's characters in the film. Hsu and Kiyohara spent nine hours filming on a motorcycle, shuttling between these locations. Filming then continued at Chuan Mei Theatre, the only Taiwanese theater adorned with hand-painted movie posters, on 12 April. The film also featured Wusheng Night Market, where the crew invited local hawkers to participate in the shoot. Other filming locations in Tainan included Bao'an railway station and Yuguang Island, as well as the campus of Tainan University of Technology, which Hsu's character attended.

Hsu took a brief hiatus to attend the 59th Baeksang Arts Awards which was held on 28 April in South Korea, before returning to film the scenes depicting Hsu and Kiyohara releasing sky lanterns at Shifen railway station in Pingxi District, New Taipei City, on 29 April. The shooting schedule at Shifen was disrupted by weather conditions, resulting in a delay from nightfall to the following morning. The scenes set at Karaoke Kobe, a recurring location in the film where Hsu and Kiyohara's characters worked, were filmed at a spa centre in Huwei, Yunlin. The entire centre underwent renovation to recreate a nostalgic ambience. The exterior wall painting of the Karaoke was decorated by Fujii's sister and picture book illustrator Rumi Yoshida. Hsu mentioned that the scenes revolving around the Karaoke were grouped together and filmed intensively, describing those shoots as having "boss-fighting level of difficulty". Additionally, Fujii personally selected the observation deck of Mount Dagan in Kaohsiung as a recurring backdrop for the film due to its captivating night view. Filming ultimately concluded in late May.

Post-production
Post-production spanned across six months, and was carried out separately in Taiwan and Japan. The respective crews in each country handled the scenes shot within their jurisdiction. As the film was set in two separate timelines, Fujii personally drew storyboards for continuity editing to connect the junctions between scene changes. He also made an effort to group scenes from the same timeline together, minimizing the need for transitions. However, he allowed the two crews to employ different styles and pacing during the editing process to better convey the cultural differences between the two countries. The film was announced to be distributed by Happinet Phantom Studios in Japan, and sales were launched at the Asian Contents and Film Market on 7 October 2023. The film was officially announced to be released in Japan on 27 October 2023, with a projected theatrical release date of May 2024. In Taiwan, the film's title was changed to 18×2 Beyond Youthful Days during the official announcement on 30 October, with an expected theatrical release date of 14 March 2024, coinciding with White Day.

Music
The film is scored by Japanese composer Takashi Ohmama, featuring 32 original soundtracks. The film's theme song, "Traveller of Memories", is performed by the Japanese band Mr. Children. Production of the theme song began during the scriptwriting stage. Michihito Fujii is a long-time fan of the band who started listening to their songs in his teenage years and personally invited them to contribute to the film, which he considers a milestone in his career. Kazutoshi Sakurai, the lead vocalist of Mr. Children, described their collaboration as an effort to "eliminate all impurities and present the music in its purest form", aligning with the film's theme and emotions. Additionally, the film features the Taiwanese band Mayday's song "Peter and Mary", recommended by Fujii's Taiwanese assistant, who likened Mayday to the Taiwanese counterpart of Mr. Children. The film's score was released as a soundtrack album on 1 May 2024, in Japan.

Marketing
The Japanese version teaser of the film was released on 7 October 2023, followed by the Taiwanese version on 30 October, alongside the official promotional poster. Both Taiwanese and Japanese versions of the official trailer were released on 25 January 2024. The Taiwanese version of the official trailer was edited by filmmaker John Hsu, who shared a similar background with the protagonist Jimmy, as they both aspired to become video game developers in their early lives. Jump! Boys, the film's production company, launched a marketing campaign in collaboration with the East Japan Railway Company and Klook in March 2024, which introduced a packaged rail pass that included the filming locations of Jimmy's journey. Additionally, a special collaboration with video game developer SIGONO took place, featuring a crossover poster with SIGONO's game Opus: Echo of Starsong released in selected cinemas on 30 and 31 March. An official guidebook was released on 2 May in Japan.

Release
18×2 Beyond Youthful Days had its world premiere at the Ambassador Theatre in Taipei on 14 February 2024, and was released theatrically in Taiwan on 14 March. A special screening event took place in Tokyo on 27 March, with a theatrical release in Japan on 3 May. Additionally, the film was selected to be screened at the 48th Hong Kong International Film Festival on 29 March 2024, and at the 26th Far East Film Festival on 27 April.

Box office
18×2 Beyond Youthful Days grossed over NT$7.7 million on its first day of release, directly ascending to the top of the box office in Taiwan. By the end of the first weekend, it had accumulated a total gross of NT$28 million, securing the top position in the weekly box office. In its second week, the film grossed over NT$45 million, making it the highest-grossing 2024 domestic film in Taiwan. The film grossed over NT$50 million by the third week, and surpassed NT$60 million within the fourth week. It reached a cumulative gross of over NT$70 million by the fifth weekend. On its seventh weekend, which also marked its premiere release in Japan, the film's box office stood at NT$73 million.

18×2 Beyond Youthful Days grossed over JPY$176 million in the first weekend after its release in Japan, rising to the seventh spot in the Japanese weekly box office.

Critical response
Alan Chu, writing for United Daily News, lauded the film for its nostalgic and romantic elements, blending both Taiwanese and Japanese aesthetics, and its breathtaking cinematography. He also commended Greg Hsu for his versatile performance and Kaya Kiyohara for delivering an emotionally moving portrayal, while acknowledging the star-studded supporting cast that further enhanced the film's appeal. CommonWealth Magazine's Sumi Chen shared a similar opinion, praising director Michihito Fujii's meticulous attention to detail, the authentic performances of the actors, and the film's skillful exploration of love, nostalgia, and cultural differences, ultimately considering it a compelling cinematic experience.

Writing for HK01, Keith Ho focused on the aesthetics of the film, highlighting its capture of picturesque landscapes in Taiwan and Japan, which contributed to the film's portrayal of a poignant and beautiful love story set in 2024 Japan and 2006 Taiwan. Ying Jou Chien, reviewing for Yahoo! Lifestyle, highlighted the film as a heartfelt love story that paid homage to classic youth films, particularly those by Japanese director Shunji Iwai, and captured the essence of youth and creates a new classic in the genre of youth romance, with the nature and realistic performances of the lead actors Hsu and Kiyohara.

Conversely, James Marsh of South China Morning Post, while expressing compliments on the film as refreshingly conventional and surprisingly effective, noted that the film's formulaic story and Hsu's portrayal of the younger Jimmy lack emotional maturity. Mark Schilling of The Japan Times also described the film as emotionally disconnected, with the two lead characters lacking romantic chemistry and the last act being formulaic, although the acting talents of the leads were showcased.