To Every You I've Loved Before and To Me, the One Who Loved You

Lore & Background

The novels are set in parallel worlds that arise from Koyomi's decision between his mother Mayumi Takasaki and father Shodai Hidaka after their divorce. In To Every You I've Loved Before, Koyomi Takasaki meets Kazune Takigawa, who claims to be his girlfriend from the 85th parallel world. In To Me, the One Who Loved You, Koyomi Hidaka and Shiori Satō elope to a parallel world to avoid becoming stepsiblings after their parents plan to marry.

Reader's Guide

The simultaneous release of two interconnected novels and their anime adaptations represents a unique narrative experiment in Japanese media. The novels, which can be read in any order, offer complementary perspectives on parallel worlds and romantic relationships. The anime films, produced by different studios (Bakken Record and TMS Entertainment) but sharing a scriptwriter and composer, were released on the same day. The English versions, published by Seven Seas Entertainment in 2023, brought the story to a wider audience. A spin-off novel focusing on another version of Shiori Satō was released in 2022. The cumulative print run of 240,000 copies indicates moderate commercial success.

Did You Know?

• The novels' original Japanese titles are 'Kimi no Inai Kōsaten' and 'Kimi no Iru Kōsaten'.
• A spin-off novel titled 'Boku ga Kimi no Namae o Yobu kara' was released in Japan on August 10, 2022.
• Both anime films premiered simultaneously on October 7, 2022, and were licensed by Crunchyroll outside of Asia.
• The novels can be read in either order, as they depict parallel worlds from different perspectives.