Director: Saiji Yakumo
Cast: Rinka Kumada, Ryubi Miyase, Sôta Nakajima
It Takes More Than A Pretty Face To Fall In Love is a 2025 Japanese romantic drama film directed by Saiji Yakumo, running 104 minutes. It follows a high-school girl whose fixation on outward appearances collides with the messy reality of the boy she has long admired, forcing her to reconsider what she truly values in another person.
What is It Takes More Than A Pretty Face To Fall In Love about?
Sana has always judged potential love interests by looks alone — a habit that shapes every crush she has ever had. When fate places her face to face with Kanato, the very boy whose appearance she has idolised from a distance, she quickly discovers that his life is far more complicated than his looks suggest. Kanato has been absent from school for weeks and stands on the edge of expulsion, carrying a burden he has kept hidden from everyone around him. He turns to Sana with an unexpected request, drawing the two into an unlikely partnership. As they spend time together navigating the pressures Kanato faces, Sana begins to see past the surface she once found so irresistible, and something more genuine starts to grow between them. The film asks, gently but earnestly, what it actually means to connect with another person beyond first impressions.
Cast & crew
Director Saiji Yakumo helms this tender high-school romance with a light touch. Lead actress Rinka Kumada brings warmth and relatability to Sana, grounding the story's emotional arc. Ryubi Miyase plays Kanato with quiet intensity, hinting at layers beneath the character's guarded exterior. Sôta Nakajima rounds out the central cast, adding depth to the social world the story inhabits.
Context & significance
Japanese high-school romance films occupy a beloved corner of Asian cinema that has long resonated with Persian-speaking audiences across the diaspora. The genre's emphasis on emotional restraint, personal growth, and the gap between idealised expectations and lived reality speaks to universal experiences that cross cultural boundaries. For Iranian viewers abroad — many of whom grew up watching Japanese animation and drama alongside Persian content — this film fits naturally into a tradition of East Asian storytelling they already love. The title is available on K-Time with Persian dubbing, making it fully accessible to viewers who prefer to watch in their own language without subtitles.
Where & how to watch
It Takes More Than A Pretty Face To Fall In Love is available on K-Time with full Persian dubbing and Persian subtitles. You can watch on the web browser, your TV, or your phone — no VPN needed, no geo-blocking, and no extra download required. Start or cancel anytime.