Apollo's Song Live-Action Blu-ray Box

A dark parallel love story confronts the endless trials of love. Shori Sato and Akari Takaishi star in this live-action interpretation of Osamu Tezuka’s provocative exploration of human love and the burdens people carry. First serialised in Weekly Shonen King in 1970, Apollo’s Song is an expansive science-fiction story of youth and part of the darker body of Tezuka’s work often called Black Tezuka. Within its sweeping narrative, it confronts and celebrates love. This modern interpretation was developed under the supervision of Tezuka Productions and began broadcasting in the MBS/TBS Dramaism slot on February 18, 2025. Tezuka’s stated aim was to explore different forms of love and their relationship to how people live.

Director and screenwriter Ken Ninomiya brings that vision into the present as a dark fantasy. Shori Sato plays Shogo Chikaishi, a university student who despises love because of childhood trauma involving his mother. After debuting with Sexy Zone in 2011, Sato established himself as an actor with leading roles in Haruchika, Black Kosoku and Aono-kun ni Sawaritai kara Shinitai. The series marked his return to a leading television drama role after two years. Akari Takaishi plays Shogo’s childhood friend Hiromi Watari, who works at a bar while dreaming of becoming a singer. Known for the Baby Assassins films, she was also selected as the heroine of NHK’s Bakebake for the second half of the 2025 broadcast year.

Drawing on Tezuka’s star-system approach, the cast takes on different roles across the story’s worlds as Shogo and Hiromi face their trials. Takumi Nishigaki plays Shogo’s university friend Shimoda, Kokoro Morita plays Hiromi’s bar colleague Yasuko, and Aoba Kawai plays Shogo’s mother Junko. Ryo Fukawa appears as the mysterious Yamabe, while Hiroyuki Ikeuchi plays the university professor Enoki.

Having grown to hate love, Shogo moves from one woman’s home to another, accepting money from women for whom he feels nothing. Only his relationship with Hiromi seems to hold something special. When he discovers that she has feelings for him, his hatred drives him to make a terrible mistake that causes her death.

In the world where he next finds himself, a goddess imposes a punishment: however many times he is reborn, he must love one woman and die before they can be together. Caught in an inescapable cycle of reincarnation and guided by the goddess’s revelation, Shogo wanders through different worlds and is forced to confront love.

The box contains all seven episodes, an outer sleeve case and two booklets covering the story and behind-the-scenes photographs. Video extras include an episode 1 visual commentary with Shori Sato and Akari Takaishi, the episode 1 advance screening and talk event with Sato, Takaishi, Takumi Nishigaki, Kokoro Morita and director Ken Ninomiya, and making-of footage.