<figure id="attachment_437369" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-437369" style="width: 1020px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="2b50c0b6"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/08/24140b1f695df34cc7a90719cb289934.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-437369" class="wp-caption-text">Mei Nagano&#8217;s &#8220;Kakukaku Shikajika,&#8221; which failed miserably at about one-tenth of the ¥11 billion-plus &#8220;National Treasure</figcaption></figure>
<h2><span class="strongInContent"> How close will it come to the 17.3 billion yen &#8220;Odoru Daisousasen&#8221;?</span></h2>
<p> The Japanese film industry is abuzz.</p>
<p> The movie &#8220;Kokuhou&#8221; starring actor Ryo Yoshizawa (31) recorded box-office revenue of over 11 billion yen on its 77th day of release. Audience attendance exceeded 7.82 million.</p>
<p> The film surpassed &#8220;Antarctic Tales,&#8221; released in 1983, to become the second highest-grossing live-action Japanese film of all time, and No. 1, &#8220;Bayside Shakedown 2: Rainbow Bridge Blockade! (‛03), which came in at No. 1, at 17.3 billion yen.</p>
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<p> I participated in this film because I wanted to make a film that would be close to the lives of those who saw it, even if only a few, and that they would truly cherish. I can only express my gratitude that so many people loved this film.</p>
<p> I can only be thankful that so many people loved this film,&#8221; commented Yoshizawa, who played the lead role.</p>
<p> Kokuho&#8221; is based on the novel of the same title by Shuichi Yoshida. Yoshizawa&#8217;s character Kikuo, born into a chivalrous family, is taken in by Hanai Hanjiro, the head of a prestigious Kamigata kabuki family, and plunges into the world of kabuki after his father is killed in a fight. The film was directed by Lee Sang-il of &#8220;Hula Girls&#8221; fame.</p>
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<p> Ryo Sakamoto, former head of the Culture and Society Department of the Tokyo Sports Newspaper and still a member of the Japan Film Pen Club, said,</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> The film was well received and was expected to be a hit film worth around 3 billion yen, but no one would have imagined that it would become a national mega-hit that would be close to the number one hit film of all time. One reason for the hit was that Yoshizawa and Ryusei Yokohama (28), who starred in the film, spent a year and a half training in kabuki, and were able to perform dance and acting so well that real kabuki actors, including Danjuro Ichikawa, admired them. Another reason is that the interesting storyline, in which the positions of Yoshizawa and Yokohama change from one to the other, appealed to a wide range of audiences.</span></p>
<p> He analyzes the reasons for the success of the film.</p>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" Why &quot;Kakushika,&quot; which was highly acclaimed, failed"></div>
<h2><span class="strongInContent">The affair with Kei Tanaka casts a shadow.</span></h2>
<p> On the other hand, &#8220;Kakukakashika,&#8221; starring Mei Nagano (25), which had been rated twin-peaks with &#8220;Kokuhou&#8221; in the preliminary reviews, has been buried before long.</p>
<p> The film is a live-action adaptation of Akiko Higashimura&#8217;s autobiographical manga of the same title. The film was released nationwide on May 16, and was reported to be &#8220;the best start for a live-action Japanese film&#8221; with 170 million yen in its first three days of release, but as of July 28, it had grossed 877 million yen, and the number of viewers had dropped to 1.5 billion yen. However, as of July 28, it had not grown to 877 million yen at the box office and 664,000 in attendance. A person involved in the film industry said</p>
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<p><span class="strongInContent"> In addition to the splendid cast, the promotional costs are in the hundreds of millions of yen. For a film of this scale, I think the minimum box-office revenue is 2 billion yen. It is a disappointment to see the film reach 1 billion yen or less as of the end of July. To begin with, 170 million yen in the first three days of its opening was not a figure that could be considered that prestigious, and many in the industry said, &#8220;It&#8217;s not good, is it? It was completely different from the &#8220;National Treasure,&#8221; which expanded rapidly through word of mouth.</span></p>
<p> He said, &#8220;It was completely different from &#8216;National Treasure,&#8217; which grew rapidly by word of mouth.</p>
<p> Although the film itself was highly acclaimed, with comments such as &#8220;it makes you cry&#8221; and &#8220;it was very moving,&#8221; there was a difference of more than 10 times the box-office revenue of &#8220;Kokuhou. Needless to say, one of the reasons for this is the news of the alleged affair between Nagano and actor Kei Tanaka (41), which came to light just before the film&#8217;s release.</p>
<p> This was reported by &#8220;Shukan Bunshun&#8221; (May 1-8, 2011), and depicted Nagano inviting a drunken Tanaka to his apartment, and private photos and LINE records that appeared to belong to the two were leaked. Both denied having an affair, saying that they were senior and junior members of the couple, but the TV commercials they had been holding were not made public. A reporter in charge of entertainment for a sports newspaper revealed, &#8220;Ms. Nagano was involved in a drama series for TBS.</p>
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<p><span class="strongInContent"> After cranking up the TBS drama &#8220;Caster,&#8221; Ms. Nagano reportedly changed her hair to blonde and left Japan. It turns out that Mr. Tanaka also participated in international poker tournaments as a celebrity. Just recently, he participated in a tournament in Spain. I think that many people are questioning their behavior, which could be seen as a &#8220;reopening&#8221; of their relationship.</span></p>
<p> Nagano and Akiko Higashimura, the author of the original novel, made a surprise appearance at the 29th Fantasia International Film Festival held in Montreal, Canada, on July 28, and the event became a topic of conversation, but it did not help the film&#8217;s cause. The film has already closed its doors in the Tokyo metropolitan area, and is currently being shown only once a day at one theater in Miyazaki Prefecture.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> If the film had been a hit, even if it did not become a &#8220;national treasure,&#8221; Ms. Nagano&#8217;s reputation would have been revised, despite the allegations of infidelity. Ms. Nagano would like to continue to pursue her acting career, but the fact that she was unable to produce results with &#8220;Kakushika,&#8221; which was a major film, is still a tough sell. It will not be the same as before.</span></p>
<p> says a reporter from a sports newspaper. There are dark clouds hanging over Nagano&#8217;s comeback.</p>


 Kazuhiko NAKAMURA

 Kokuhou" has become a national blockbuster. The film "Kakukashika" starring Mei Nagano was equally or even more well-received than "Kokuhou. However, its box-office performance was less than one-tenth of that of Kokuhou, and the film has been ......

Behind the backdrop of &#8220;Kokuho&#8221; grossing over 11 billion yen&#8230; &#8220;Kakushika,&#8221; which had a &#8220;twin-peak reputation,&#8221; failed miserably, casting a pall over Mei Nagano&#8217;s comeback.

Behind the backdrop of “Kokuho” grossing over 11 billion yen… “Kakushika,” which had a “twin-peak reputation,” failed miserably, casting a pall over Mei Nagano’s comeback.

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