If you are a fan of featured films, perhaps November is going to be a busy month for you. Although the drama scene includes several announcements, theatrical releases seem to dominate the headline. Following the 38th Tokyo Film Festival (TIFF), which ran from Oct 27 to Nov 5, this month’s upcoming movies include a couple releases that have been premiered during the event.
And while we’re at it, we are taking this chance to introduce you to our new segment (sort of). We are aware that not everyone is active on social media – which is where we usually post the fastest – and keeping up with bite-sized information can be quite tedious. So, for those who prefer reading things in one go, we hope this monthly curation helps make things easier to follow.
Dramas
Warui no wa Anata desu
Kudo Mio, #M!LK Yamanaka Jyutaro, #BUDDiiS Ogawa Fuminori, Kato Shiho, and Takada Riho
Release date: Nov 3 (1st Ep)
Described as an “obsessive love drama”, Warui no wa Anata desu is a live action adapted from Fusedy’s work of the same name. Kudo Mio is Riko, a temporary worker who is financially struggling while living together with her free-loading, “band member” boyfriend, Takuma (Yamanaka Jyutaro). One day, after an accidental staircase slip, Riko meets Tsutomu before eventually going to a hotel with him. This then marks the start of a downward spiral in not just Riko’s life but also her relationship with Takuma, and the possibilities of Takuma’s very own secrets.
Hirayasumi
Okayama Amane, Mori Nana, Yoshioka Riho, and Yoshimura Kaito
Release date: Nov 3 (1st Ep)
It’s been two years since Okayama Amane has led a drama. This time, he is returning as Ikuta Hiroto, a carefree part-timer in the live action series adapted from Shinzo Keigo’s manga of the same name. Categorised as a slice of life drama, this month’s yorudora focuses on Okayama’s character and his interactions as well as relationships with the people around him. This includes his friends – the elderly Wada Hanae (Negishi Toshie), who he inherited a single-story house from, and his 18 year old cousin, art student Kobayashi Natsumi (Mori Nana).
Zettai BL ni Naru Sekai VS Zettai BL ni Naritakunai Otoko Final
Inukai Atsuhiro, Shiono Akihisa, #DaiCE Wada Hayate, Yutaro, Ito Asahi, Izuka Kenta, Onodera Akira, and more
Release date: Nov 9 (1st Ep)
Inukai Atsuhiro reprises his role as protagonist Mob for the final round of Konkichi’s manga adaptation. Like its predecessors, the series follows the same formula: Mob, aka one of the many extras, is trying to live his life while avoiding any potential “BL flags” coming his way. The only difference this time is that Mob has a new seasonal enemy that can further escalate any BL developments, otherwise known as hay fever. Between watery eyes and flushed cheeks, the question at the end remains the same: can Mob continue to avoid the flags like he’s always done?
Last Samurai Standing / Ikusagami
Okada Junichi, Fujisaki Yumia, Kiyohara Kaya, Yamada Takayuki, Ninomiya Kazunari, Higashide Masahiro, Sometani Shota, Saotome Taichi, Endo Yuya, Ichinose Wataru, Yoshioka Riho, Tamaki Hiroshi, Ito Hideaki, Fuchikami Yasushi, and Jyo Kairi
Release date: Nov 13 (1st Ep)
Based on a novel by Imamura Shogo, Ikusagami (otherwise known as Last Samurai Standing on Netflix) stars Okada Junichi in a survival death game set during the late 19th century Meiji era, where 292 samurais gather around Tenryuji Temple for a battle royal to win the grand prize of 100 billion yen. Written and directed by Fujii Michihito in collaboration with Yamaguchi Kento (Dir/Wr), Yamamoto Toru (Dir) and Yashiro Risa (Wr) – as well as Okada Junichi, himself, who also serves as the show’s action choreographer-slash-producer – it should be interesting to see how they would mesh the entirety of Ikusagami into a mini Netflix series of only 6 episodes in total.
Propaganda Game
#WILDBLUE Yamashita Coki, Matsumoto Leo, Riko, #M!LK Sono Shunta, Shida Kohaku, Suwa Shuri, Kudo Mio, and Inori Kilala
Release date: Nov 18 (1st Ep)
In this adaptation of Nemoto Shoichiro’s novel of the same name, the pathway to securing a job is more than acing a string of interviews and a couple individual tests. This is because in advertising agency, Deneodo, the final test includes splitting eight university students into two teams: the Governance and the Resistance. With four students each, the teams need to lead the citizens of a fictional nation Palette through advertising propaganda. As the title suggests, this is ultimately a psychological game that somehow feels a bit like the Werewolf Game on the side. After all, a spy is all it takes to topple each team’s strategy and challenge the ideology of advertising. Starring up and rising stars #WILDBLUE Yamashita Coki and Matsumoto Leo, Propaganda Game sounds like it’d be an interestingly dramatised version of how real life advertising agencies work to nail a client pitch.
Scandal Eve
Shibasaki Ko, Kawaguchi Haruna, Asaka Kodai, Hashimoto Atsushi, Kageyama Yuka, Suzuki Kosuke, and Maeda Atsuko
Release date: Nov 19 (1st Ep)
After her last drama appearance in 2022, Shibasaki Ko returns to TV as Ioka Saki, president of talent agency Rafale, whose victory after securing a primetime lead role for her actor is cut short by a sudden, career debilitating notice at the office involving actor F. Rivalling her profession is Kawaguchi Haruna’s character, Hirata Kanade, a weekly magazine reporter for the infamous tabloid Shukan Bucho known for her celebrity exposés. Labelled as a suspense, mystery drama, Scandal Eve is, perhaps, a much needed Japanese drama to reflect on what transpires in the real world and the never-ending battle between talent agencies and tabloids, as well as the dark tunnels of conspiracies hidden underneath.
Love Begins in the World of If / If no Sekai de Koi ga Hajimaru
Daigo Kotaro, Nakagawa Daisuke, Hagiwara Mamoru, Yoshimura Sojiro, Hayama Yuki, Tosa Kazunari, and Kobayashi Motoki
Release date: Nov 20 (1st Ep)
After their last project in 2022 (Mai Agare!), Daigo Kotaro and Nakagawa Daisuke are reunited as coworkers in the sales department. As shy and soft-spoken Akihito (Daigo), life is a constant struggle between trying to fit in and loneliness, a complete contrast from Okami (Nakagawa), the ace of the sales team and the colleague with whom he has a strained relationship. Even so, Akihito wishes he could be someone of equal footing with Okami. Miraculously under the full moon, he soon finds the answer to his prayers from an old mirror at the shrine. Upon casting his prayer, a mysterious fog suddenly appears to engulf him; and just like that, Akihito sees himself transported into a parallel world where his “ideal self” exists.
Namahousou made 30 pun
Takeda Rena, Shinoda Mariko, Hashimoto Atsushi, Ozawa Kazuyoshi, and more
Release date: Nov 22 (1st Ep)
What happens behind the scenes before someone goes live on national TV? You might find the answers in Namahousou made 30pun – a series that will focus on the various incidents off-stage, off-cam and before the countdown even begins. Shot in a single take, the series is structured into four different character perspectives – Takeda, Shinoda, Hashimoto and Ozawa – to create a multi-angled experience of the same happening. The first episode will start with chief assistant director, Nakajima Miyu (Takeda Rena), and her dilemma about working in television and reality.
Shadow Work
Tabe Mikako, Sakurai Yuki, Terajima Shinobu, #JO1 Kawanishi Takumi, Ishida Hikari, Sudo Risa, Takezai Terunosuke, and Triendl Reina
Release date: Nov 23 (1st Ep)
Adapted from a novel by Sano Hiromi, WOWOW presents a mystery-drama centred on the “ultimate sisterhood” of housewives in their despair to survive from domestic violence (DV). At the centre of it all is Noriko, a “battered wife” played by Tabe Mikako. Trying to escape her violent husband, she runs away to a hospital where she encounters a woman who introduces her to a seaside house where women in similar situations reside. From this point onwards, Noriko’s supposed self-healing journey begins while uncovering the secrets nested within the house rules.
Donketsu S2
Ito Hideaki, Yasuda Ken, Kaneko Nobuaki, Imai Tsubasa, Aoyagi Sho, Hayama Shono, Saotome Taichi, and more
Release date: Nov 28 (1st Ep)
Ito Hideaki reprises his role as violent yakuza member Sawada “Rokemasa” Masatoshi in the upcoming sequel of Ta-shi’s manga series of the same name. Not much is known about the sequel yet, however, much like the manga, the live action sequel will revolve around Rokemasa and the friends (or enemies) around him.
Movies
Kanojo no Kuchizuke Kansensuru Libido
Ukawa Moeka, Watanabe Yui, Harada Erika, and Arakaki Yume
Release date: Nov 7
A live action adaptation of Kida Miyuki’s manga, the upcoming movie is said to be a wrapped-up “compilation” after three series separated into Act 1, Act 2 and Act 3. Not much is revealed about the movie, but we can assume it follows the synopsis of the manga itself: a “pure love story” between two girls who meet each other at the hospital. Like its predecessors, the movie also features Ukawa Moeka, Harada Erika and Arakaki Yume reprising their roles.
Frontline
Ikematsu Sosuke, Matsuzaka Tori, Oguri Shun, Kubozuka Yosuke, and more
Release date: Nov 14 (Netflix)
In 2020, a luxury cruise ship carrying 3,700 passengers arrives at the Yokohama port. The ship, however, might as well be a giant disease carrier as one passenger, who embarked from Hong Kong, is confirmed to have the new coronavirus. Based on a true story surrounding the Covid19 incident, Frontline quite literally foreshadows the movie’s entire synopsis. With no organisation to handle such a large-scale outbreak, it is up to the volunteering medical organisation DMAT to control the situation. Oguri Shun, Matsuzaka Tori, Ikematsu Sosuke and Kubozuka Yosuke gear up to risk their own lives, fighting against the virus while trying to save all passengers onboard.
Kimi no Kao de wa Nakenai
#KingandPrince Takahashi Kaito, Yoshine Kyoko, Nishikawa Airi, Takeichi Nao, and more
Release date: Nov 14
Alongside Blonde/Kinpatsu – mentioned a little later – it’s interesting to see another Sakashita Yuichiro movie in this list – one that is scheduled for release only one month after his TIFF premiere. However, unlike Blonde, Kimi no Kao de wa Nakenai is a drama with a supernatural theme of body swapping. Based on a novel by Kimijima Kanata, the story starts when first-year high school student Sakahira Riku (Takahashi Kaito) and Mizumura Manami (Yoshine Kyoko) fall into the swimming pool after a prank carried out by Tazaki (Nakazawa Motoki). Upon waking up, the two realise they’ve swapped bodies. With no way of reverting things back to how it was, the two start exchanging information about personal things in order to perfect the role of playing each other.
Minato no Hikari
Maeda Gordon, Tachi Hiroshi, Saito Takumi, Kurashima Yuina, and more
Release date: Nov 14
Some directors are known for their affinity for a certain genre or theme, and for director Fujii Michihito, contemporary issues found in day to day humanity seem to be his playground. After Shotai, the last movie he wrote and directed in 2024 (based on a novel of the same name), Fujii is back with a simple premise for Minato no Hikari – a story that focuses on the friendship and reunion unbound by generations, a platonic relationship between a former yakuza fisherman (Tachi Hiroshi) and a blind boy (Maeda Gordon). Not much is known about the movie other than this brief synopsis alone, but those familiar with Fujii Michihito’s works probably know it’s best to experience his craft a little blindfolded.
Hiraba no Tsuki
Sakai Masato, Igawa Haruka, Ando Tamae, Kichise Michiko, Yanagi Shuntaro, and Nakamura Yuri
Release date: Nov 14
After his last collaboration with screenwriter Sakamoto Yuji for Kataomoi Sekai, director Doi Nobuhiro is back for a second round this year, this time with another equally celebrated screenwriter, Mukai Kosuke (Linda Linda Linda, My Broken Mariko, A Bad Summer/Warui Natsu). The story follows two former middle school classmates, Aoto Kensho (Sakai Masato) and Sudo Yoko (Igawa Haruka), who reconnect after 35 years of separation as a divorcee and a widow. Fans of Doi Nobuhiro might want to check this out if they’re looking for a tender love story featuring characters that are oftentimes overlooked due to their age demography.
Blonde / Kinpatsu
#3JSB Iwata Takanori, Shiratori Tamaki, Kadowaki Mugi, and more
Release date: Oct 28 (TIFF) • Nov 21 (Cinema)
Described as a youth comedy, Blonde stars Iwata Takanori as a young teacher in his thirties struggling with two things: a generational gap and his girlfriend proposing to him. To make matters worse, he soon learns that all the students have dyed their hair blond as a way to protest against “unreasonable school rules”. Judging by the premise, it seems director Sakashita Yuichiro (who doubles as the movie’s screenwriter) is on his way to deliver social commentaries pertaining to school rules. It might be interesting to see what his ideas of “outdated” and, perhaps, modernism are, especially when the idea of dyeing one’s hair blond is still considered to be a sign of rebellion in Japanese culture.
Tokyo Taxi
Kimura Takuya, Aoi Yu, Sakoda Takaya, Yuka, Nakashima Runa, Kanno Misuzu, Lee Junyoung, and Sasano Takashi
Release date: Oct 29 (TIFF) • Nov 21 (Cinema)
From world renowned director of Otoko wa Tsurai yo and the Samurai Trilogy (The Twilight Samurai, The Hidden Blade and Love and Honor), and based on a 2022 French-Belgian drama Driving Madeleine, Yamada Yoji’s latest and upcoming work is a human drama between taxi driver Usami Koji (Kimura Takuya) and his 85-year-old passenger, a woman named Takano Sumire (Baisho Chieko) from Shibamata, Tokyo. On their way to a senior citizen’s home in Kanagawa, Sumire asks Koji to take certain detours to experience the bustling metropolitan city of Tokyo. Through this shared experience, she gradually finds herself confiding in the taxi driver about her life histories.
Tenmonkan Tantei Monogatari
#timelesz Teranishi Takuto, Muro Ryuta, Takada Sho, Ohara Yuno, and fellow #timelesz member Hara Yoshitaka
Release date: Nov 21
Nested in the entertainment district of Tenmonkan, a bartender named Usami Ren (Teranishi Takuto) is secretly accepting cases from the townspeople to resolve their troubles. From small, mundane cases such as finding missing items to catching pickpockets, Ren valiantly does it all until one day he finds himself in pursuit of Hashiguchi Nagi (Ohara Yuno), a pickpocket running away from her husband. Not long after this encounter, Ren gets caught up in a problem much bigger than he thought it was – one that might jeopardise the town he holds dear.
Ittekimasu
Nishibori Aya, Yamaguchi Shigehiro, Motohashi Kayoko, Tamura Yume, and Okazaki Shinma
Release date: Nov 21
Set in Setagaya, Tokyo, this 35-minutes family drama stars Nishibori Aya in her first leading role as Saori. Upon returning home to introduce her boyfriend to her parents, she is stunned to find a demolition notice plastered on the wall. To her surprise, her family seems unfazed by this. Saori loses her composure out of frustration with the situation and impulsively announces her decision to marry her husband. In retaliation, her father, Masaki storms out of the house.
More Movies
Mou Ichido Mitsumeru
Tsutsui Mariko, Takada Mansaku, Nakazawa Miko, and more
Release date: Nov 22
In this tender exploration centred on human empathy, Tsutsui Mariko is a struggling mountain campsite owner named Noriko. One day, she is unexpectedly visited by Yuki (Takada Mansaku), her nephew who was recently released from juvenile detention. Yuki’s sudden arrival is not without a cause as he informs Noriko that he is, in fact, searching for his mother. With a trail of a complicated background and a step-father refusing to look after Yuki, Noriko offers the teenage boy a part-time job and a listening ear. Set against the lush backdrop of mother nature as a symbolic presence working alongside the actors, Mou Ichido Mitsumeru is director Sato Yoshinori’s attempt to address the fundamental questions about juvenile justice and the lingering theme of existential difficulty.
Ani wo Mochi Hakoberu Size ni
Shibasaki Ko, Odagiri Joe, Mitsushima Hikari, Aoyama Himeno, and Mimoto Youta
Release date: Nov 28
Based on the non-fiction essay – Ani no Shimai – written by Murai Riko, this is a story focusing on a four days family reunion and struggles to clean up after the death of an older brother. Led by Shibasaki Ko as Murai Riko, the movie is said to chronicle the essayist’s real life experiences. Odagiri Joe and Mitsushima Hikari also join the cast as the older brother and Kanako, the brother’s wife, respectively. Nakano Ryota, known for Her Love Boils Bathwater (2016) and The Asadas (2020), is set to direct the family drama, marking this his second collaboration with Odagiri Joe.
Night Flower
Kitagawa Keiko, Morita Misato, #SnowMan Sakuma Daisuke, and more
Release date: Oct 29 (TIFF) • Nov 21 (Cinema)
How far would you go to give your kids a better life? Nagashima Natsuki (Kitagawa Keiko) will tell you how she juggles a part-time job by day and works at a bar when the sun goes down just to put food on the table. She will also tell you that, out of desperation, she decides to sell drugs to secure a better future for her children. Through this job, she also meets a lonely fighter named Yoshii Tamae (Morita Misato) who turns into Natsuki’s bodyguard and partner in crime by choice. Together, they navigate the underground world selling drugs until the sudden death of a female college student threatens their fate even more than it already is.
Written and directed by Uchida Eiji (The Naked Director, Midnight Swan), Night Flower first premiered at the 38th Tokyo Film Festival and is set for release this month.
Eiko no Back Home
Matsutani Takaya, Maeda Kentaro, Ihara Rikka, #CTQ Kusakawa Takuya, and Yamazaki Hirona
Release date: Nov 28
Eiko no Back Home details the story of pro baseball player, Yokota Shintaro, who passed away at the age of 28 after battling against an illness. This adaptation of Yokota’s autobiography – Kiseki no Back Home – also marks former high school baseball player Matsutani Takaya’s first acting role.
The Deepest Space in Us / Soko ni Kimi wa Ite
Fukuchi Momoko, Kanichiro, Kodama Haruka, Asakura Aki, Tsutsui Mariko, Yuya Shintaro, Ogata Atsushi, Nagatomo Ikuma, Kawashima Ririka, Isahaya Kosaku, and more
Release date: Nov 8 (KIFF) • Nov 28 (Cinema)
First premiered at the 31st Kolkata International Film Festival, Soko ni Kimi wa Ite (otherwise known globally as The Deepest Space in Us) is a human drama centred on Kaori (Fukuchi Momoko) and Takeru (Kanichiro) as they travel through a seaside town preparing for their marriage. But when tragedy strikes, Kaori is left to pick up the broken pieces. Devastated, she embarks on a journey to visit Takeru’s best friend, novelist Nakano Shingo (Nakagawa Ryutaro) to seek closure and unravel the side of Takeru she never really knew.
Sato and Sato / Sato-san to Sato-san
Kishii Yukino, Miyazawa Hio, Fujiwara Sakura, Miura Ryota, Tamura Kentaro, Maehara Kou, Yamamoto Hiroshi, Yagi Akiko, Nakajima Ayumu, Sasaki Nozomi, Tajima Reiko, and Bengal
Release date: Nov 28
What is present day modernism in filmmaking if not casting doubt on the patriarchal values and pressures imposed globally? What happens when a woman outshines her male partner, getting the dream job that he was aiming for? Director Amano Chihiro is here to open the floodgate of discussion with Sato-san to Sato-san – a story about married couple Sato Sachi (Kishii Yukino) and Sato Tamotsu (Miyazawa Hio), and the unavoidable shift in their relationship as Tamotsu reluctantly becomes a stay-at-home dad while Sachi passes the bar exam and goes to accept his dream job. Described as a realistic marriage story, perhaps it’s not too misleading to perceive Sato-san to Sato-san as the adult version of Doi Nobuhiro’s We Made A Beautiful Bouquet. Fans of the latter might want to check this movie once it’s out in theatre.
Shometsu Sekai
Makita Aju, Yanagi Shuntaro, Tsunematsu Yuri, Yuki Kosei, Shimizu Naoya, and more
Release: Nov 28
Based on a science fiction novel by Murata Sayaka, Shometsu Sekai begins in a new, dystopian world where artificial insemination has become the norm and sexual intercourse between married couples is considered a taboo. Protagonist Amane (Makita Aju), who was born out of her parents’ love for each other, wants a clean married life as a way to reject her mother’s indoctrination. As a result she’s had relationships with virtual characters and other people, but never her husband Saku (Yanagi Shuntaro). Swept by her surroundings and the strong urge to deny her mother’s old school teachings of interpersonal relationships, Amane opts to move back to her hometown, Chiba (now called the Eden), with her husband. There, she witnesses the experiments conducted on not just men but also the idea of raising children communally.