Bandai Namco Filmworks and Shinei Animation announced on Wednesday that they are producing a musical anime film adaptation of Shinji Ishii’s Toritsukare Otoko (Obsessed Man) novel that will open in Japan this fall. Bandai Namco Filmworks is streaming a teaser trailer for the film.
©2001 いしいしんじ／新潮社 ©2025 映画「トリツカレ男」製作委員会
Wataru Takahashi (Crayon Shin-chan 2014, 2016, 2018, 2021 films) is directing the film at Shinei Animation, with a script by Naoyuki Miura (Fujoshi, Ukkari Gay ni Kokuru.). Masatsugu Arakawa (Windy Tales, Medabots Spirit) is designing the characters. Bandai Namco Filmworks is distributing.
Ishii released the novel in 2001. The novel centers on Giuseppe, a man known in his town as the “Obsessed Man,” due to his tendency to be obsessed about a particular thing for short amounts of time, during which he pays no heed to anything else. One day, he sees a balloon seller named Pechka, and he falls in love at first sight. Though Giuseppe tries to get close to Pechka, the sadness that Pechka holds in her heart keeps him at a distance. Giuseppe enlists the aid of his mosue friend Cielo, as he uses the things he was previously obsessed about to slowly help Pechka.
Sources: Toritsukare Otoko anime’s website, Comic Natalie
Disclosure: Bandai Namco Filmworks Inc. (Sunrise) is a non-controlling, minority shareholder in Anime News Network Inc.
