Say Hello for Me

Should you watch Say Hello for Me?

Say Hello for Me is worth considering if you want a quiet, character-driven Japanese romance drama about childhood friends reunited after fifteen years, led by Takayuki Yamada, Masami Nagasawa, and Keiko Kitagawa under director Yuichiro Hirakawa. It rewards viewers who enjoy love stories paced around memory and long separation rather than plot mechanics, and it is best watched with subtitles rather than an English-language version. Skip it, for now, if you specifically wanted the generic English phrase rather than a 2007 Japanese film, or if streaming access in your region turns out to be limited — check the Watch providers section on this page for the most current options before planning a viewing.

Why watch this movie?

Say Hello for Me is a 2007 Japanese romance drama known in Japan as そのときは彼によろしく, romanized as Sono Toki wa Kare ni Yoroshiku — and on TMDB that original title refers specifically to this film, not to the English phrase on its own and not to any unrelated production that happens to share a similar-sounding title. Directed by Yuichiro Hirakawa and adapted from a novel by Takuji Ichikawa, the film's official synopsis describes a love story centered on three childhood friends and their reunion after fifteen years of separation. That premise brings Satoshi Toyama, played by Takayuki Yamada, back into contact with two women from his past, Suzune Morikawa (also credited as Karin Takigawa), played by Masami Nagasawa, and Momoka Katsuragi, played by Keiko Kitagawa, with the story built around how those long-separated relationships come back into focus. Running 114 minutes and released in Japanese theaters on June 2, 2007, Say Hello for Me is a quiet, character-driven film rather than a plot-heavy one — closer in spirit to the wave of literary Japanese romance dramas of the mid-2000s than to a conventional genre picture, a pattern also reflected in Ichikawa's other adapted novels. For anyone who lands on this page while searching a fairly generic English title, the clearest way to confirm you have the right film is its original Japanese title, its 2007 release date, and its Japanese-language, Japan-set production — details this page keeps at the center of everything below.

Who should watch it?

Say Hello for Me is best suited to viewers who enjoy character-driven Japanese romance dramas built around long-delayed reunions rather than fast-moving plots. It is a natural fit for fans of quieter, relationship-focused storytelling, for viewers interested in mid-2000s Japanese cinema, and for anyone specifically looking for the Say Hello for Me cast: Takayuki Yamada, who also starred in Crows Zero later the same year and, much later, voiced a role in the English-language stop-motion film Isle of Dogs; Masami Nagasawa, who went on to voice Mitsuha Miyamizu in Your Name.; and Keiko Kitagawa, who had already appeared in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift the year before this film. Because the movie is in Japanese, international viewers should expect to watch with subtitles rather than an English dub. It also helps to know upfront that Say Hello for Me is a standalone story adapted from a novel by Takuji Ichikawa, not part of a series and not connected to any other film that happens to share a similar English title.

Pros

• What Say Hello for Me is about, in plain terms: a Japanese romance drama about three childhood friends reunited after fifteen years apart, adapted from a novel by Takuji Ichikawa rather than an original screenplay.
• A recognizable cast for fans of Japanese cinema: Takayuki Yamada, Masami Nagasawa, and Keiko Kitagawa lead the film, with Nagasawa later known internationally for voicing the lead in Your Name. and Yamada later appearing in the English-language Isle of Dogs.
• A literary source with a track record: novelist Takuji Ichikawa's other work has also been adapted into Japanese romance dramas, including Be with You (2004) and Heavenly Forest (2006), giving Say Hello for Me a clear place within that tradition.
• A score from composer Yoko Kanno, credited for a wide range of Japanese film, television, and anime music, plus a theme song performed by actress and singer Ko Shibasaki.
• Themes clearly supported by the official synopsis — childhood friendship, long separation, and reunion — make it a fit for viewers who enjoy love stories built around time and memory rather than a plot twist or high-concept hook.

Cons

• The English title reads as a generic phrase, so it is easy to land on this page by mistake; confirm you have the right film using its original Japanese title, そのときは彼によろしく (Sono Toki wa Kare ni Yoroshiku), and its 2007 release date.
• TMDB's credits list Masami Nagasawa's character under two names, Suzune Morikawa and Karin Takigawa, without the synopsis explaining the connection between them — worth knowing going in, though this page will not speculate about what it means for the story.
• TMDB does not list production companies, a tagline, or an official content rating for this release, and available images and video clips are limited, so some details found on other movie pages simply are not confirmed for this one.
• Streaming and purchase listings currently on file are limited to the Japanese market; check the Watch providers section on this page for the most current options in your region rather than assuming availability.
• As with most Japanese-language films, non-Japanese-speaking viewers should expect to rely on subtitles.

If you liked this movie

The clearest connections for movies like Say Hello for Me come from its own novelist, Takuji Ichikawa, whose other novels have also been adapted into Japanese romance dramas with a similar focus on love, memory, and time: Be with You (2004) and Heavenly Forest (2006) are the closest matches in tone, genre, and period. Director Yuichiro Hirakawa's later work moves into different territory — the mystery-thriller Erased (2016) and the fantasy-adventure The Promised Neverland (2020) — and while both are worth knowing about for viewers curious about his range, neither shares this film's romance-drama tone. TMDB does not currently list official 'similar' or 'recommended' titles for Say Hello for Me, so these comparisons are editorial, based on the same novelist, director, country, and era rather than an algorithmic match.