Keisuke Uyama’s Bestselling Novel Love Like the Falling Petals to receive its very first English translation. The novel, initially published by Shueisha in 2017, captivated a nation with its exploration of the beauty and pain of young love, as two souls are brought together by fate, only to be torn apart by circumstance. The novel went on to receive a Netflix adaptation in 2022, starring Kento Nakajima and Honoka Matsumoto.
The novel’s English translation is provided by Terry Gallagher, cover by artist Heikala, and variant covers by LAL!ROLE and Cheseely. Its beautiful cover art is the prefect combination to this beautifully written and emotionally charged novel, which is primed to connect with a new international audience.
Interview With Keisuke Uyama
In our last article, we interviewed Tokyo-based artist, Heikala about their creative process creating the novel’s cover. This time, we had the wonderful opportunity to ask Keisuke Uyama himself, about his popular novel,
Krystal: This is probably a question you get asked often; however, where did the inspiration to write this novel come from?
Uyama: When I was 20 years old, I came up with the outline of a story while walking down the hallway of my university: The fate of “aging” is a fate that humans can’t stop. At that time, I came up with the general content of this work, which is a love story between a heroine who has been aging ten times faster than normal people and a young man who loves her. This is the story I hoped to write if I could become a writer one day. After about 15 years, I was finally able to write it.
K: What’s the meaning of the title? Why did you choose cherry blossoms for the cover?
Uyama: In Japan, the title is called “My Lover Like Cherry Blossoms.” Cherry blossoms are a special flower for the Japanese, and the ephemeral appearance of them, which is often scattered in a blink of an eye, is likened to life. Since that matches the content of this work, I gave it that title. However, that may be a feeling particular to Japanese people, so when I made it into a movie on Netflix, I chose “Love Like the Falling Petals,” which is easier to imagine, considering it would be seen by people all over the world. As for the cherry blossoms on the cover, I think Heikala actually read this work and depicted that world.
K: This story has no typical happy ending; why did you choose this ending?
Uyama: The lives of the characters continue even after the novel ends. How will they live after this story? I wanted to close the curtain leaving such a lingering impression. I myself still sometimes think, “What are they doing?” I would be happy if the readers would think about their future after reading this work.
K: For those who are unfamiliar with the novel, would you recommend reading the novel or watching the Netflix series, and how do these mediums differ from each other story-wise?
Uyama: That’s a tough question. As the original author, I would like to say, “I would love for you
to start with the novel!” but I think that each has its merits. If you watch the movie then read the novel, you’ll get a deeper sense of the characters, such as “What were they thinking in that scene?” If you read the novel first, the characters are as you imagine them. You can enjoy your own “love like falling petals” with them. And if you read the book and then watch the movie, you will be able to enjoy the difference between the world you imagined and the world of the movie.
Support Keisuke Uyama’s Novel
To bring this new English translation of the novel, Media Do International and Clover Press are partnering together with publisher Shueisha for a Kickstarter campaign for the first-ever English publication of the book. The Kickstarter went live earlier this week, and in less than 24 hours, it reached its goal of $2,500. Kickstarter rewards for this project are still available and you can support the novel by pledging here.
“At Clover Press, we’re all about trying new genres, formats, and ways to get great books that we love into people’s hands,” said Clover Press Publisher Hank Kanalz. “Love Like the Falling Petals”is no exception and is a great example of Clover Press’s plans to expand into bringing quality international material to North America.”
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