Wasabi and Hinako, Minato's spirit ascends to heaven. The next Christmas, Hinako, Yōko and Wasabi, the latter two now dating, visit the Chiba Port Tower to celebrate Hinako receiving her lifeguard certification. As Yōko and Wasabi leave, Hinako sings to a fountain, but Minato does not appear. The tower reads a message he wrote for her the previous year and Hinako sadly breaks down. Afterwards, Hinako continues spending her lifeguard duty and surfing. Voice cast A 21-year-old firefighter interested in Hinako, whom he calls his hero. He is talented in cooking. A 19-year-old college student, part-time florist and a surfer. Minato's younger sister and a high school student working part-time at a café. Her nickname is blue-ringed octopus. Minato's firefighting partner. Production The film was announced at the Tokyo International Film Festival in 2018, where Yuasa stated that he would direct. He described the film as a "simple romantic comedy" that will have "a lot of exciting scenes", including some depicting the contrast between water and fire. Yuasa compared life to "riding a wave", using it as the basis for the story. The film was produced by Science Saru. Reiko Yoshida served as the scriptwriter and Michiru Oshima served as a music composer. Rina Kawaei and Generations from Exile Tribe member Ryota Katayose joined the cast on leading roles in January 2019, with the film being Katayose's first voice acting role. Honoka Matsumoto and Kentaro Ito joined the cast on supporting roles in February 2019. The film's theme song is "Brand New Story" by Generations from Exile Tribe. A music video animated by Science Saru, featuring the members and new original scenes from the film, released on June 21, 2019. To promote the film, a two-chapter manga adaptation by Machi Kiachi was serialized in Deluxe BetsuComi, which contains an original story about Hinako and Minato. On July 2, 2019, GKIDS announced they had licensed the film in North America and was released in 2020. Release The film premiered in Japan on June 21, 2019. It premiered in the United Kingdom at Scotland Loves Anime on October 11, 2019, ahead of a home-video release via distributor Anime Limited on November 23, 2020. In China, the film was released theatrically by distributor JL Film Entertainment; the release was originally scheduled for August 7, 2019, but was delayed until December 7, 2019. The film was released theatrically in North America by GKIDS, first