The Sankei Sports newspaper reported on Monday that manga creator Yuuki Obata will end her We Were There (Bokura ga Ita) shōjo romance series at about the same time that the manga's live-action film adaptation opens in Japan next spring. The producers of the two live-action films are meeting with Obata to ensure that the manga and the films have the same ending.
Takahiro Miki is directing the films with Toma Ikuta (Akihabara @ DEEP) and Yuriko Yoshitaka (Gantz) in the lead roles. The story follows a girl named Nanami Takahashi (Yoshitaka) as she struggles with her decade-long relationship with Motoharu Yano (Ikuta), her high school's most popular boy who has his own issues from his past.
The 14 volumes of the manga has sold over 10 million copies in Japan since 2002. Viz Media is publishing the 12th volume in North America this month. The manga already inspired a television anime series from Artland in 2006.