HomeScreen Alchemist

LOL. Marty Friedman the ex-Megadeth guitarist is in the movie as guest judge.

This might be seen as "favoritism", but honestly I wish Anna Yamada to be in the role of Sakura instead of Kaya Kiyohara. She can balance the strong acting + very attractive aura/energy of Hana Sugisaki (everytime Hana cries in her movies, for some reason I found myself in tears) and the cute/pretty look of Suzu Hirose, because she has both qualities.
But I know she's been in a much popular movie with Ryusei already (Shotai/Faceless), so it can't be in both.

This is realistic actually. If you encounter wealthy families (business tycoons, etc.) you'll find out that most of them are creepy. They live in their own bubble & only socialize with other wealthy clans. I've worked in a few big private group of companies (those with over 1000 employees), and the family-clans who own these companies are definitely strange and creepy (even more than the family in the drama). Everything seems fake because they wanted to be portrayed as "nice & cool" to the public.

I've watched until ep.8 so far, and it's a decent drama TBH.

The story is actually quite interesting, a mix of typical Japenese "detective-style" genre with a bit of psychological thriller & romantic comedy. Something fresh. But the downside is that only Sadawo Abe here that delivers top-notch acting (as expected from him) who can switch between paces & intensities. The rest of the cast are not quite up to his "standard", definitely not on-par with him. This is the main issue, not the story but the selection of other casts. In comparison, his previous drama, Extremely Inappropriate!, is really good because the other supporting casts really deliver top-notch acting that can "balance" his acting style.

Teaser + interview!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzuV0q8cEzw
Official Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sx3P1uXI_4

Non is so beautiful here in the interview session 😍😍

Yuna Taira 😍
Check out the movie Nemurubaka, you'll love her even more!
https://mydramalist.com/777674-nemuru-baka

Had to drop it. Sorry! :(

Hope this is good. I like both Hayato Isomura & Mayu Hotta.

Yuna Taira shines here. Not only she's very cute & visually attractive, but she embodies the role perfectly here, without being too much or overwhelming.

This movie has a two-fold meaning, which is really good IMO. On the "surface level" it is about juggling between personal aspiration vs friends, a typical drama focusing on friendship dynamics. There's also the more "deeper, esoteric/spiritual level" which is very intriguing, because it's all about recognizing life itself, and once we set intention that we no longer want to be running-around in an endless vicious cycle, we would be given a chance to escape the "merry-go-round", but when the chance does happen, we need to face the reality of leaving the old, incl. relations with those we currently cling to (friends, family, etc.). To me, this is 100% spiritual movie.

For full synopsis, you can read here (but be aware that might give a bit of spoiler):
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/03/13/film/nemurubaka-hypnic-jerks/

She's completely out of character on this one TBH, and as a fan of Non myself, I found it rather "cringey" to watch. Not sure why she decided to take the role on this movie (??) I agree with the review on Japan Times, Non is way too "high-vibration" to ever be involved in a manipulative, dirty schemes in the role given to her in this movie (maybe someone like Nagano Mei would better fit for this kind of role, and she knows how to make good chemistry with Tanaka Kei).

Non's best 'most-recent' movie is still Hold Me Back, IMO. She did perfect on that one, fits her character very well.

Much of the mainstream entertainment industry is very corrupt. It's not a one-off thing (in Korea it's probably even more scummy & closer to the US/Hollywood craziness with "initiation rituals" involving s** org**s and the "p-word"). We live in a very dark & broken world, and the people that are holding the light need to navigate through the difficulties & intrigues, but they are protected nonetheless. In case of Non, she's been doing well, & because Amachan contributed so much in lifting the morale of the people in Iwate prefecture (after the devastating tsunami) & helped with tourism there, many local businesses out there still use Non as a model for advertising and she has worked with the local government over there in promoting tourism. Not to mention her music has also gained moderate success in Japan, so there's nothing to be worried about her. I'd rather see her this way, being able to explore other creative avenues (music, fashion-design, film directing, etc.) & express herself authentically, than continually being exploited by the mainstream agency system. (The scene where Kanako killed the middle-aged groper man in the train who whispers to the victim "unlike you, Ive contributed to society" is one of my fav. just because it actually speaks much about the current system. And people can only "imagining justice" through mangas, movies, etc.)

@Mertseger I don't think the public will ever know when it comes to sexual harassment involving the "higher-ups" in the entertainment industry. They are "untouchable" because of their positions, influence, & connections with other industry executives (media, corporations, etc.). Exposing it means whistleblowing, and the risk of whistleblowing is just too high as it would only do harm to those who exposed it. In Japan, homicide rate is very low, but suicide rate is high. How many percentage of suicides that's actually homicide? We never know. This has been "discussed" in various movies. I believe some of the high-profile "suicides" involving a number of Korean celebs, for example, are not quite real suicides.

I'm not familiar with the actual reason(s) why, but she had a dispute with her agency at that time, LesPros, and in the end after terminating the contract she cannot use her name Nounen Rena (which is "owned" by her agency), and even after changing to Non she was still banned on terrestrial TV appearances (both tele-dramas & TV commercials).

However, from reading some Japanese fans comments, there are trivial statements like "she's left in the cold because she refused the pillow". In some of the movies she played, like "Stardust Over The Town" and "Hold Me Back" (and even here on "Shiawase Kanako") there are flashback scenes regarding sexual harassment involving the higher-ups. Maybe that was the case (something like "if you want to get more gigs you need to do this or that") and she refused? I don't know. I could be wrong. But one thing I can observe: Non is a person with integrity, and many respected individuals in the arts/film industry support her. Her recent appearance in TV drama Caster (as a guest in one episode) was a surprise, perhaps because she received a prestigious award in 2024.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_ZPVzVFRnk

I wondered that too after watching the film. My "educated guess" is that JR East as the main sponsor (by letting the cast & crew to use their trains, stations & facilities for this movie) cannot let this to have anything to do with "political terrorism" so that the public will be 100% sure that the JR East Shinkansen is fully safe & secure. I think the story has to go with the most novel & not-making-sense reason, to ensure that this is 100% pure fiction and only for entertainment.

Anna Yamada's acting : 9/10
This movie's story, plot, etc. : 1/10

My overall verdict : 3/10

Makita Aju 😍
She's very underrated. Need more recognition.

I'd recommend these 2 movies played by Non (she does the main roles) if you're interested in non-action type movies. Both are excellent IMO.
Hold Me Back (Stop Me)
https://mydramalist.com/64941-stop-me
Three Sisters of Tenmasou
https://mydramalist.com/728661-three-sisters-of-tenmasou

If you like this movie, I'd highly recommend Saotome Kanako no Baai wa. Ai Hashimoto plays the leading role and Non also plays a bit-part/guest role there.

This is a really good movie, to be honest. Probably the best one when it comes to Ai Hashimoto as the main role. Of course, not too many people like Hashimoto due to her being given "negative roles" multiple times in the past (psycho killer, etc.) even when she was still in her early teen, so it's hard for us viewers to empathize with the roles she's taken. But she's a very good actress nonetheless, and this movie proves it. And then, there's Anna Yamada with her usual magnetically attractive aura! 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

As For Me (Saotome Kanako no Baai wa) is adapted from the novel written by Asako Yuzuki, the same author as another movie released last year, Watashi ni Fusawashi Hotel, featuring Non/Rena Nounen as the main cast (both Ai Hashimoto & Non were "trading short guest roles" between this and Watashi ni Fusawashi Hotel). But this movie is definitely better than the weird and rather cringey comedy of Watashi ni Fusawashi Hotel, even though I'm a fan of Non.
https://mydramalist.com/771731-watashi-ni-fusawashi-hotel

Personally, I'd rather compare this movie to be more in the same "box" as the 2020's Hold Me Back (played by 3 actresses that also play here: Non, Ai Hashimoto, & Asami Usuda), both exploring complex emotions and insecurity of the female lead role leading to indecisiveness in engaging on romantic relationship, although this movie also display insecurities of the supporting roles as well.
https://mydramalist.com/64941-stop-me

(this is not a review, just a long comment)