Hot Japanese Stars Sometani Shota and Maeda Atsuko Say Sayonara Kabukicho

TOKYO — Hot young stars Sometani Shota (“Himizu,” “Wood Job!”) and Maeda Atsuko (“Tamako in Moratorium,” “The Drudgery Train”) star in Ryuichi Hiroki’s new pic, “Sayonara Kabukicho.”

Sometani plays a “love hotel” manager in the title Tokyo red-light district, while Maeda plays a failed musician who is his live-in lover.

Among the supporting cast are Minami Kaho, Matsushige Yutaka, Omoro Nao, Murakami Jun and Taguchi Tomorowo.

The script is by Arai Haruhiko, who also teamed with Hiroki on two of the director’s most critically acclaimed pics — “Vibrator” (2003) and “It’s Only Talk” (2005).

The pic signals a break from the commercial romantic dramas Hiroki has been churning out lately, including “April Bride” (2009) and “Crying 100 Times: Every Raindrop Falls” (2013), and a return to his roots in indie filmmaking, as well as being a nod to his 1980s start in Japan‘s then huge softcore porn industry.

“Sayonara Kabukicho” will open in January in Japan through distributor Tokyo Theatre.

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Reinaldo Massengill

Update: 2024-07-24

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