The movie starts in a futuristic Japanese
society.
The government has implemented a complex nationwide
rule named “The Red Threads of Science”.
According to this rule, when a person turns
sixteen, they are assigned a romantic partner
by the government.
The partners are chosen after extensive research
about both parties like their hobbies, habits,
families, and so on.
The main aim of the law is to encourage successful
marriages and combat increasingly low birth
rates which are threatening a lack of manpower
in Japan.
Over the years, the system has proven to be
fruitful as almost a hundred percent of government-arranged
marriages are successful in producing offspring
and are less likely to get divorced.
The only drawback of the law is that people
sometimes fall in love before they turn sixteen
and do not want the government to interfere
with their love life.
In such cases, those who disobey the arrangement
face penalties and get less privilege as citizens.
The protagonist of the film is a cheerful
high school girl named Aoi.
She is about to turn sixteen in a day and
is super excited about finally getting to
meet the love of her life.
All her friends are also thrilled for her
as they have been eagerly waiting to turn
sixteen for as long as they can remember.
Today, at 12 at night, Aoi will get a federal
notification containing all basic information
about her chosen one.
She cannot wait for the notification and is
on her feet the entire day.
While returning home, Aoi meets her childhood
best friend Yuto.
The girls in the school fawn over him since
he is one of the best-looking students.
However, Yuto doesn’t take any interest
in them because he is in love with Aoi.
He has frequently tried to confess his feelings
but has always backed off because he is too
shy.
He is happy being her best friend but now
that she is about to find someone to love,
Yuto is worried their friendship will fall
apart.
As they chat about different things, Yuto
teasingly mentions that she was his first
kiss.
The scene goes into a flashback when the two
were still in elementary school.
At an annual program, Yuto got the role of
the prince.
However, Aoi was assigned a wildflower.
She wanted to be the princess so badly that
at the climax of the drama, she pulled Yuto
and kissed him.
They still laugh about the incident to this
day.
In the following scene, Aoi, her parents,
and her uncle are having a birthday dinner
at her house.
Even Aoi’s parents are excited about the
notification which is scheduled in only a
few hours.
Aoi’s parents also met through the government
program but her uncle is still unmarried.
It has always been a topic that no one likes
to talk about so Aoi doesn’t dig it.
Later, she is given a dress that she wears
to bed.
As time passes, she gets more nervous but
then, Yuto gives her a call.
They meet outside and he hands her a gift
for her birthday.
It is a penguin showpiece that goes well with
her room.
Yuto knows everything there is to Aoi, like
how she touches her hair when she lies.
He easily finds out that she is nervous when
she touches her hair and claims that she isn’t.
To calm her down, they decide to reenact how
she will introduce herself to her chosen one.
Aoi starts talking about herself which makes
Yuto feel a range of emotions, especially
because she is looking at him like she would
look at her boyfriend.
He cuts her off and confesses his love, taking
Aoi by surprise.
He also tries to kiss her but she retreats
in shock.
Yuto is dumbfounded and can do nothing but
apologize.
Before they can talk further, they are interrupted
by Aoi’s match named Sokuke.
He introduces himself and gives her a bouquet
of flowers.
The man is better than what she had imagined
and is dashingly handsome.
Mesmerized by his presence, Aoi forgets about
Yuto.
He congratulates them and leaves right after,
giving the other two some alone time to talk.
Aoi turns towards her prince charming in excitement
but he names a place and time before turning
around and leaving abruptly.
The poor girl questions if she is dreaming
before returning home.
They meet at the said place the next day which
turns out to be a fancy restaurant.
We find out that Sokuke’s father is the
chairman of a big hospital and Sokuke is supposed
to inherit the wealth and position someday.
He is also looking to go to med school.
He is smart and ambitious but not so big on
conversations.
Aoi continues talking to cut the awkwardness
but a while later, Sokuke stops her.
He pulls her outside, making her blush because
of their joined hands.
Sokuke then asks her who Yuto is but cuts
her off before she answers.
He doesn’t care what kind of girl Aoi is
and thinks of their relationship as a societal
formality.
Hence, even if she has more guys she is interested
in, it doesn’t bother Sokuke.
Aoi tries explaining that she is nothing like
that but Sokuke cuts her off again.
The next day at school, her friends are jealous
of her for landing a rich and hot boyfriend.
Aoi agrees but deep down, she doesn’t know
how to feel about Sokuke.
In the following week, they go on several
dates, all of which Aoi doesn’t enjoy.
Sokuke walks too fast for her, doesn’t talk
much, and never smiles.
At one point, Aoi feels like someone is threatening
him to date her.
Having had enough, one day, she dresses up
as a supposedly rich lady who matches his
status.
The dress-up is over the top but Sokuke doesn’t
comment about it.
Aoi again tries making conversations but he
dismisses her with simple answers.
She even inquires if he has told his friends
about her but Sokuke thinks the question is
outrageous because he would never do something
like that.
Aoi leaves the restaurant after another failed
date, losing hope that she will ever get along
with him.
Then, she meets Yuto who advises her to meet
his parents and find out more about him so
the conversations are more meaningful.
Aoi agrees and goes to his house the very
next day.
Sokuke’s mother is kind but his father is
on the stricter side.
He asks Aoi to behave herself now that she
is about to be a part of their family.
Sokuke overhears him and burns in rage.
He has never liked his father because the
old man thinks he owns his son.
Seeing him do the same to Aoi, Sokuke can
no longer control his anger.
He stands for his girlfriend, asking his father
to stay away from her.
After that, they walk to the bus stop together
talking about many things.
Sokuke apologizes for not being good enough
for her.
Aoi, in turn, claims that she hardly knows
anything about him but since he stood up for
her in front of his father, she is assured
that he is a good person.
Aoi’s bus arrives but Sokuke doesn’t let
her board it by pulling her around and kissing
her.
The bus drives away as the two continue kissing.
Aoi is over the moon the next day.
She thanks Yuto for the advice even though
it didn’t work the way he thought.
They refrain from talking about his confession
and engage in other light-hearted conversations.
Yuto’s birthday is in a few days and he
will also get to meet his assigned partner.
However, unlike Aoi, he is not too excited.
When Sokuke and Aoi are on their next date,
she brings him to a shop to buy a scarf for
Yuto as a birthday gift.
After that, they go to an aquarium but Sokuke
is not in a good mood.
Aoi registers that he is jealous and hugs
him because him being jealous means that he
likes her.
Sokuke smiles at her for the first time and
the two share a kiss.
In the following scene, Aoi gives Yuto the
scarf.
He reveals that he talked to his chosen partner
but she lives in another part of the country
so they have decided to meet in the summer.
Since Yuto has no plans for his birthday,
Aoi thinks it is a great idea if she brings
him along with her and Sokuke.
Initially, the date is very awkward but the
guys start talking when Yuto discovers that
Sokuke chose his scarf.
By the end of an hour, they get along pretty
well but then, the two are left alone without
Aoi.
Yuto asks Sokuke if he knows what things Aoi
likes and dislikes, her mannerisms, her ambitions
in life, or anything that a partner should
know.
Sokuke is guilty of never paying much attention
to his girlfriend so he has nothing to say.
Yuto, on the other hand, lists the things
that Aoi likes and explains how Sokuke can
be a better partner for her.
They eventually get into a fight and Yuto
leaves.
For the next few days, he doesn’t come to
school.
Then one night, Aoi finds out Sokuke is moving
to Tokyo to a better university.
He will spend the next six years there so
the two will have to be in a long-distance
relationship.
To avoid living apart, he suggests they move
in together.
However, this will only be possible if they
get married.
It is a trend for sixteen-year-olds to get
married and start a family, hence Aoi gives
it a thought.
To clear her head, he goes to her uncle’s
the next day.
He talks about his chosen partner who moved
abroad when they were still together.
She never returned and is happily married
to someone in London.
According to him, living with the penalties
is easy if you are with the person you actually
love.
Although scared, Aoi feels ready to start
the new chapter of her life.
In the following scene, Sokuke and Aoi are
in Tokyo attending an open-campus event.
Aoi is bored in the lecture but seeing Sokuke
enjoy it makes it worth it for her.
After the lecture, they visit several places,
eat new food, and have a lot of fun.
In the end, Sokuke brings her to a church
and gives her a little cat compartment box
that she had always wanted.
It brings her joy which is multiplied when
she finds an engagement ring inside.
Aoi says yes and the two start preparing for
the wedding.
She also informs all her friends about the
proposal but a part of her still feels empty
because of Yuto’s absence.
Elsewhere, Yuto gets the wedding invitation
through the mail but doesn’t react to it.
It is the week leading up to the wedding and
Aoi has to do a lot of work.
But the thought of her best friend never leaves
her mind as she misses Yuto terribly.
Moreover, she and Sokuke have their first
fight when he refuses to let her talk to his
parents and maintain a good relationship with
them.
Aoi gets that he doesn’t like his father
but she wants to form a connection with his
parents on her own as well.
Sokuke refuses to listen and shuts her down
whenever they have a conversation about his
parents.
The expensive dinner dates soon turn boring
as they figure out that they do not have many
things in common.
One day, Aoi goes to Sokuke’s father’s
hospital and talks to him about the wedding.
The meeting goes seemingly well as he has
finally started to respect boundaries.
While leaving the premises, Aoi notices Sokuke
walking towards his father’s office and
follows him.
She overhears him begging his father to write
a recommendation letter for a friend in need.
It is soon revealed that the said friend is
Yuto and he has a second-stage brain tumor.
His treatment can only be done in an expensive
hospital in Tokyo but after the recommendation
letter, he will finally get a chance to save
his life.
In the next scene, Sokuke hands Yuto the papers
and asks him to not lose hope since the chances
of his survival are still high.
Meanwhile, Aoi sits alone in a park, still
unable to comprehend what she heard at the
hospital.
Since Yuto doesn’t want her to know about
the disease, she decides to pretend to be
unaware.
It also makes her realize that she loves Yuto
much more than she lets on.
Then finally comes the day of the wedding.
The guests arrive at the venue where all the
preparations are done but the bride and the
groom are late.
Outside, Sokuke meets Aoi and compliments
her beauty.
He asks her what is making her sad, even though
he has a pretty good idea of what it is.
When she doesn’t reply, he inquires if she
is in love with Yuto.
Aoi is quick to deny it but then, she touches
her hair.
By now, Sokuke knows what that means.
He tells Aoi that her happiness is the only
thing that matters and if she feels like she
is about to be stuck in a loveless marriage,
she should run away right now.
He also promises to handle the guests and
the parents before encouraging her to hurry
up.
Filled with tears, Aoi thanks him and runs
to the airport where Yuto is about to fly
to Tokyo for brain surgery.
They meet at the terminal and Aoi expresses
her love as Yuto did on the night of her sixteenth
birthday.
Initially, Yuto freaks out asking her to return
to the church.
But in the end, his dream comes true and they
share
a kiss.
