I Give My First Love to You (2009) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

The story takes place primarily in rural Japanese countryside fields where Takuma and Mayu share childhood memories, alongside a hospital where Takuma receives treatment, an elite high school they attend, and a church that becomes significant for their final moments together.

• setting
• locations
• countryside
• hospital
• school

The movie is set in contemporary Japan, following the characters from childhood through high school and into early adulthood, spanning roughly two decades leading up to the promised marriage at age twenty.

• time period
• era
• contemporary
• modern

The film explores three central themes: love and sacrifice, with Takuma pushing Mayu away to protect her from grief; mortality and the fragility of life as Takuma battles a terminal heart condition; and promises, particularly the childhood vow to marry when they turn twenty that persists through illness and separation.

• themes
• love
• sacrifice
• mortality
• promises

Takuma Kakunouchi is the male lead, a bright and loving young man who suffers from a fatal heart condition. Knowing his time is limited, he deliberately distances himself from Mayu to spare her future pain, while secretly holding onto their childhood promise to marry when he turns twenty.

• takuma
• character
• heart condition
• illness

Mayu Taneda is the female lead, a devoted and strong-willed girl who evolves from Takuma's childhood friend into his lifelong partner. She defies social pressures and heartbreak, insisting that their love transcend his illness, demonstrating remarkable courage and loyalty throughout the story.

• mayu
• character
• devotion
• strength

Kou Suzuya is Takuma's classmate who becomes a central catalyst in the lovers' tragedy. He develops a bond with Mayu and becomes involved in the donor dilemma when he is considered as a potential heart donor for Takuma, with his family's refusal highlighting the film's exploration of sacrifice and fate.

• kou
• donor
• character role
• sacrifice

Teru Uehara is a fellow heart patient who shares a poignant moment with Takuma. Her wish for a kiss becomes a bittersweet memory that intensifies the film's exploration of life, death, and the value of genuine human connection amid terminal illness.

• teru
• heart patient
• supporting character

The bittersweet ending features a symbolic wedding ceremony that fulfills Takuma and Mayu's childhood promise after his death. This reframes the vow as both a lasting memory and a ceremonial goodbye, representing how love transcends mortality and becomes eternal through commitment and memory.

Foreshadowing: The childhood promise to marry at twenty runs throughout the film as a guiding emotional anchor.

• ending
• wedding
• promise
• symbolic marriage

The film presents love as a dual force: it strengthens Mayu's resolve to stay by Takuma's side despite his illness, while simultaneously forcing Takuma to make painful decisions to protect her from future suffering. This tension between loving someone and sparing them pain drives the central emotional conflict.

• love strength
• pain of love
• emotional conflict

The hospital serves as the space where Takuma's mortality becomes reality, contrasting with the idyllic countryside fields of their childhood. It represents the harsh medical realities of his heart condition and becomes the backdrop for crucial decisions about treatment, donors, and the couple's limited time together.

• hospital
• medical setting
• treatment
• terminal illness

The promise to marry when they turn twenty serves as the emotional spine of the narrative, shaping every decision Takuma and Mayu make. This vow persists through illness, separation, and social pressures, ultimately being fulfilled symbolically after Takuma's death, transforming from a hopeful commitment into a lasting memorial.

• childhood promise
• vow
• marriage vow
• commitment