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Marina Watanabe Cast in Anata o Zutto Aishiteru Film Slated for June

The official website of the Anata o Zutto Aishiteru anime film revealed a partial list of the film's voice cast, which includes actress and former idol Marina Watanabe. The website also unveiled a new visual for the film, and revealed the film's June 6 premiere date in Japan.

The partial cast list consists of:

• Marina Watanabe as Sera
• Kappei Yamaguchi as Zesta
• Kentarō Hayami as Pteranodon
• Junko Takeuchi
• Kengo Takanashi
• Yumi Kakazu

The film's story centers around Toron, an infant Tyrannosaurus who lost his mother Sera (Watanabe) and father Zesta (Yamaguchi). Left alone, Toron embarks on a journey and meets friends, learning about true strength and courage, and what love truly means.

Marina Watanabe, who is the mother of two children, commented, "I'm very nervous about the role, but I'm very honored to be playing a mother who is special, strong, gentle, and loving." Watanabe's first voice acting role was the Japanese dub of the 2000 Thomas and the Magic Railroad movie.

Anata o Zutto Aishiteru is the second film inspired by Tatsuya Miyanishi's Tyrannosaurus series of children books, after 2010's You Are Umasou. The first book and film follow a Tyrannosaurus who comes across an Ankylosaurus baby all by himself and says, "Gaō! Omae Umasou Dana" ("Rawr! You look delicious.") However, the Tyrannosaurus ends up adopting the baby as his own. The first film earned the top first-day audience satisfaction rating from the Pia service, as well as a high 4.22 rating from Yahoo! Movies Japan reviews. The books also inspired a Miyanishi Tatsuya Gekijō: Omae Umasou da na, series of television anime shorts in 2010.

Miyanishi is directly participating in the Anata o Zutto Aishiteru anime film's production, and she and Hisao Masuda co-wrote the screenplay based on her Aishite Kurete Arigatō (Thank You for Loving Me) and Deaete Hontō ni Yokatta (It Was Truly Good to Meet You) books. Kazumi Nonaka (Hana Kappa, Happy Happy Clover, Mameushi-kun) is acting as chief director of the new film with Korean director Chōe Gong-sook and unit director Hideki Takayama (Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha the Movie 2nd A's, Space Battleship Yamato Resurrection).

Source: Cinema Today