Ice Cream and the Sound of Raindrops was inspired by Matsui's personal experiences. Matsui, who is also the head of a
theatre company, had one of his planned plays canceled two months before its opening: "I have never experienced such a rage before ... In a sense, [this film] was a revenge for a lost play." Matsui put out a casting call that was open to junior and senior high school students, regardless of background, saying, "It doesn't matter if you've never acted before. I want to believe in the sparkle in the eyes." Eight were selected out of the 400 who auditioned. Matsui had trouble finding an actress for the lead role, with Kokoro Morita, who plays the protagonist, being chosen last. Reiko Tanaka, who plays Morita's friend, and two supporting cast members had no prior acting experience. After rehearsing for two weeks, the movie was shot on the same days Matsui's canceled play would have been performed. Many of the stage crew who had worked on the play returned to work on the film, including the assistant director, art director, and video team. Matsui wanted to shoot the film in a continuous take to evoke the feeling of a live stage show; four takes were shot, with the final one being used for the film. == Release ==