The Nighthawk’s First Love

All her life, Aiko Maeda (Rena Matsui) has suffered from low self-esteem. Born with a large and very visible birthmark on her face, Aiko has spent her entire life trying to hide from other people. Even now, as a graduate student, she continues to shy away from others rather than embrace the opportunity to make friends and find love. Despite her tendency to shy away from social situations, Aiko agrees to an interview with an author writing a book about facial scars and birthmarks. When the book takes off, Aiko is pleasantly surprised, but that joy leads to uncertainty when she learns the book is being adapted into a film, and the director, Shota Tobisaka (Ayumu Nakajima), wants to cinematize her story. Agreeing to work with the Shota, Aiko soon finds herself in unfamiliar territory when she realizes the handsome director completely accepts her for who she is. Entirely unfamiliar with love, Aiko finds herself unable to stop herself from falling for the amiable Shota. Will these new feelings of hers be reciprocated or will her first real crush end in heartache? Adapted from Naoki Prize-winning author Rio Shimamoto’s romantic novel, “The Nighthawk’s First Love” is a 2022 Japanese film directed by Yuka Yasukawa.