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The 100th Love with You (2017) movie poster

Characters & Themes

The 100th Love with You (2017) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

Release, runtime and language
2017 · 116 mins · Japanese
JustWatch #3,485 24
Directed by
Sho Tsukikawa
Starring
Yuki Izumisawa, Ryo Ryusei, Erina Mano, Keiko Horiuchi, Seiichi Tanabe, Goro Oishi

On July 27th, university student Aoi Hinata has an accident. When she wakes up, Aoi Hinata finds herself in a classroom from one week before the accident.

On this page (7)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 Characters explained (9)
  3. 3 Where & when it takes place
  4. 4 Themes & meaning (4)
  5. 5 Character & meaning questions
  6. 6 Movie threads
  7. 7 Every angle

Where to watch

Where to Watch The 100th Love with You (2017)

Where can you watch The 100th Love with You? Stream, rent or buy it in the US, including on Cineverse, Midnight Pulp and Night Flight Plus: current JustWatch availability with up-to-date prices.

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9 main characters · contains spoilers

The 100th Love with You Characters Explained: Who Is Who

The main characters of The 100th Love with You (2017), heroes and villains: what drives them, how they change over the course of the story and what each of them reveals about the film's bigger ideas.

  • Aoi Hinata (Miwa)

    Aoi is a university student and guitarist who anchors the band and dreams of a life beyond the classroom. She navigates confusing feelings for Riku while withholding her own heart from Naoya. As the time loop unfolds, she grows more determined to understand the pattern and to choose the present with clarity.

    • 🎓 Student
    • 🎶 Musician
    • 💖 Romantic
  • Riku Hasegawa (Kentaro Sakaguchi)

    Riku is the calm, mysterious member of the group who reveals a secret: he can rewind time using a life-record. He has long harbored feelings for Aoi and acts with a protective, sometimes enigmatic, devotion. His time-travel gift drives the romance, but he learns that true happiness may mean embracing the present rather than endlessly rewinding.

    • 💬 Enigmatic
    • ⏱️ Time traveler
    • 💗 Loyal
  • Naoya Matsuda (Ryo Ryusei)

    Naoya is a close friend and bandmate who harbors a complicated crush on Aoi. He speaks with warmth and bravery, eventually expressing his feelings though circumstances shift the focus elsewhere. He remains supportive of the band and of Aoi, even as the love triangle evolves.

    • 🤝 Friend
    • ❤️ Secret admirer
    • 🎤 Musician
  • Rina Sagara (Erina Mano)

    Rina attends band practice and plays a quieter, observant role in the group. She is later revealed to have feelings for Naoya, adding a subtle layer of romantic tension. She cares for her friends and contributes to the emotional balance within the group.

    • 👭 Friend
    • 💘 Affection for Naoya
    • 🎶 Supportive
  • Keiko Hinata (Keiko Horiuchi)

    Keiko is Aoi's mother, offering grounded support and care throughout the unfolding events. She represents stability and familial concern as her daughter navigates friendship, romance, and the strange disruptions of time.

    • 👩‍👧 Family
    • 🧡 Supportive
    • 🏡 Caregiver
  • Haruka (Rina Ohta)

    Haruka is a friend who appears within the circle, contributing to the sense of community and shared experiences in practice, performances, and festival moments.

    • 👭 Friend
    • 🎶 Band companion
  • Tetsuta Nakamura (Yuki Izumisawa)

    Tetsuta is part of the wider cast connected to the musical and campus world, adding depth to the ensemble by enriching the social environment of Aoi and her friends.

    • 👥 Ensemble
    • 🎸 Music world
  • Shuntaro Hasegawa (Seiichi Tanabe)

    Shuntaro appears in a more academic capacity, offering guidance and perspective within the campus setting as the characters navigate time-related questions and life choices.

    • 👨‍🏫 Mentor
    • 🧭 Counselor
  • University Professor (Goro Oishi)

    A figure connected to the academic world who appears as part of the time-bending journey, helping to frame the theoretical or emotional implications of changing time.

    • 👨‍🏫 Scholar
    • 🧠 Intellectual

Last updated: October 01, 2025 at 12:40

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Setting

Where and When Does The 100th Love with You Take Place?

The setting of The 100th Love with You (2017): the year and time period, the places and locations, and how they shape the characters, the mood and the tension of the story.

Time period

Modern day

The events occur in the present, anchored by a sunlit summer before a study-abroad to London. A mysterious record triggers a time-loop that rewinds a single day for the central couple and their friends. The narrative uses contemporary settings to explore fate, memory, and the importance of choosing the present.

Location

Japan

The story unfolds in a contemporary Japanese town centered on a university campus and a close-knit group of friends. The setting includes a neighborhood record shop, a seaside area, and an annual summer festival that frames the relationships at the heart of the film. These locations ground the emotional and musical journeys of the characters in a lived-in, small-community atmosphere.

  • 🇯🇵 Japan
  • 🏫 University town
  • 🌊 Seaside
  • 🎆 Festival city

Last updated: October 01, 2025 at 12:40

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4 major themes

The 100th Love with You Meaning: Themes & Message Explained

What is The 100th Love with You (2017) really about? The emotional, social and philosophical themes the film keeps returning to, its symbolism and the message beneath the surface.

  • Time & Fate

    Aoi and Riku navigate a day that repeats, testing whether people can alter fate. The time-travel record reveals how memory and choice shape relationships. The film uses the loop to explore love, loss, and the value of the present moment.

  • Romance

    Aoi and Riku's relationship evolves from friendship to romance across repeated days. The story examines communication, trust, and the pain of unspoken feelings. The relationship endures through sacrifice and a growing commitment to facing the future together.

  • Music & Youth

    Music drives the band's rehearsals, the shared songs, and the emotional arcs of the characters. The record and guitar performances symbolize connection and memory. The music anchors the romance and the band’s growth through the festival and performances.

  • Memory & Sacrifice

    Memory acts as both anchor and burden as characters revisit past moments. The story probes the cost of trying to rewrite fate, including personal sacrifices and the realization that living in the present may be the true path to happiness. Time travel is framed as a tool that ultimately tests priorities and devotion.

Last updated: October 01, 2025 at 12:40

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Character & theme questions

The 100th Love with You Characters & Meaning: Your Questions Answered

The questions people ask about The 100th Love with You (2017): who the characters really are, their relationships, what the symbols mean, where it takes place and what the movie is really about. Each answer contains spoilers.

Q1

Where is The 100th Love with You set?

The story takes place in a contemporary Japanese university town. Key locations include a neighborhood record shop, a seaside area, and an annual summer festival ground. These settings create a intimate, small-community atmosphere that grounds the characters' musical and emotional journeys.

  • setting
  • japan
  • university
  • record shop
  • seaside
  • festival
Q2

When does The 100th Love with You take place?

The events occur in modern day Japan during a sunlit summer before the main character plans to study abroad in London. The contemporary setting anchors the story in a relatable present while the upcoming departure adds urgency to the narrative's exploration of choice and memory.

  • time period
  • modern
  • summer
  • london
  • study abroad
Q3

What are the main themes in The 100th Love with You?

The film explores four interconnected themes: Time & Fate examines whether people can alter destiny through repeated days; Romance follows the evolving relationship from friendship to love; Music & Youth anchors the emotional arcs through band rehearsals and performances; Memory & Sacrifice probes the cost of trying to rewrite the past and the importance of living in the present.

  • themes
  • time
  • fate
  • romance
  • memory
  • sacrifice
  • music
Q4

What is the time loop concept in The 100th Love with You?

A mysterious record triggers a time-loop that rewinds a single day for the central couple and their friends. The time-travel mechanism allows characters to revisit and potentially change moments, but ultimately serves as a tool that tests their priorities and commitment to one another.

  • time loop
  • time travel
  • record
  • rewind
  • fate
Q5

Who is Riku Hasegawa in The 100th Love with You?

Riku is a calm, mysterious member of the friend group who possesses the secret ability to rewind time using a life-record. He has long harbored feelings for Aoi and acts with protective, sometimes enigmatic devotion. Through the time-loop, he learns that true happiness means embracing the present rather than endlessly rewinding.

  • riku hasegawa
  • time travel
  • secret
  • love interest
Q6

Who is Aoi Hinata in The 100th Love with You?

Aoi is a university student and guitarist who anchors the band. She navigates confusing feelings for Riku while also dealing with unspoken emotions from her friend Naoya. As the time loop unfolds, she grows determined to understand the pattern and choose the present with clarity.

  • aoi hinata
  • guitarist
  • protagonist
  • university student
Q7

What is the love triangle in The 100th Love with You?

The story centers on a love triangle between Aoi, Riku, and Naoya. Aoi has feelings for Riku, while Naoya harbors a complicated crush on Aoi. Rina Sagara also has romantic feelings for Naoya, adding another layer of unrequited affection to the group dynamics.

  • love triangle
  • romance
  • naoya
  • rina
  • relationships
Q8

How does music function in The 100th Love with You?

Music drives the band's rehearsals, shared songs, and characters' emotional arcs. The record and guitar performances symbolize connection and memory. The music anchors both the romance and the band's growth through festival performances, serving as a central narrative element.

  • music
  • band
  • guitar
  • record
  • performances
  • festival
Q9

Who is Naoya Matsuda in The 100th Love with You?

Naoya is Aoi's close friend and bandmate who harbors a complicated crush on her. He speaks with warmth and bravery, eventually expressing his feelings even as circumstances shift the focus elsewhere. He remains supportive of the band and Aoi throughout the story's developments.

  • naoya matsuda
  • bandmate
  • friend
  • feelings
Q10

What does the record represent in The 100th Love with You?

The mysterious record is the catalyst for the time-loop, granting the ability to rewind time. It represents fate, memory, and the power of choice. The record symbolizes how past moments can be revisited, but ultimately teaches characters that living in the present matters more than rewinding the past.

  • record
  • vinyl
  • time travel
  • memory
  • fate
Q11

What role does the summer festival play in the story?

The annual summer festival serves as a crucial backdrop for the characters' relationships and musical performances. It frames the emotional core of the film, providing a setting where bonds are tested and deepened as the group performs together amid the time-loop's cycles.

  • summer festival
  • performances
  • setting
  • celebration
Q12

What is the emotional tone of The 100th Love with You?

The film has a bittersweet tone, weaving together the joy of central romance with the inescapable sadness of loss. The narrative balances time-loop suspense with tender, character-focused scenes. It explores the contradiction that while some tragedies may be inevitable, the love experienced is transformative.

  • emotional tone
  • bittersweet
  • romance
  • loss
  • theme

Movie threads

More Movies Like The 100th Love with You, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes The 100th Love with You tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Melancholic Time-Loop Romances like The 100th Love with You

Stories where love is tested and deepened by repeating cycles of time. Discover movies like The 100th Love with You that blend romance with a time-loop narrative. If you enjoyed the bittersweet exploration of love and loss through recurring moments, these similar stories offer heartfelt journeys where characters must navigate fate and memory.

  • melancholic
  • romantic
  • reflective
  • heartbreaking
  • hopeful
  • fateful
  • Tone: bittersweet, melancholic
  • Pacing: steady, contemplative
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative typically follows a character trapped in a repeating time period, often centering on a pivotal romantic or tragic event. Each cycle allows them to understand their feelings and the situation more deeply, leading to a climax that involves a difficult choice: breaking the loop often requires a sacrifice, resulting in a emotionally resonant, bittersweet conclusion.

Why they belong together: These movies are grouped by their shared use of a non-linear time structure to explore the emotional depth of a central relationship. They consistently balance tender, hopeful moments with an underlying melancholy, creating a unique blend of romantic drama and philosophical reflection on destiny.

Bittersweet Journeys of Acceptance like The 100th Love with You

Emotional stories about finding hope and meaning in the face of inevitable grief. If you were moved by the heavy emotional weight and bittersweet conclusion of The 100th Love with You, this collection features similar movies about grief and acceptance. These dramas explore how characters find the strength to move forward after a profound loss, offering poignant and reflective stories.

  • heartbreaking
  • tender
  • reflective
  • hopeful
  • melancholic
  • cathartic
  • Tone: bittersweet, heartfelt
  • Pacing: steady, character-driven
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The story follows a protagonist grappling with a significant loss or an unavoidable tragic outcome. The central conflict is internal, as they struggle against denial and anger before gradually moving towards acceptance. The climax is not about changing the outcome, but about finding a way to integrate the experience into their life, often leaving a legacy of love or inspiration.

Why they belong together: These films are united by their heavy emotional weight and their focus on the theme of acceptance rather than victory. They share a bittersweet tone, a steady, reflective pacing, and a narrative arc that prioritizes emotional authenticity and philosophical resolution over conventional happy endings.

Every angle

The 100th Love with You (2017) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about The 100th Love with You in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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