Exclusive Photos from the Set of the Hotly Anticipated “Downtime”: Yumi Adachi as the “Woman with the Slit Mouth” and Naoko Ken, “Unrecognizable,” “Cause a Stir with Their Appearance in Tokyo”

Shocking special effects makeup

The corners of her mouth, tied into a straight line—were they split wide open all the way to her cheeks? The appearance of a woman reminiscent of the “Woman with the Split Mouth,” who terrified Japanese elementary school students in the ’70s and ’80s, sent a chill down the spines of people passing through the shopping district in Shinjuku, Tokyo.W-why has Yumi Adachi (45) become the Woman with the Split Mouth…? Even this FRIDAY photographer couldn’t wrap his head around it and had been unable to write an article about it. This took place last November.

“It was a shoot for the much-talked-about series ‘Downtime’ (Netflix). It’s a drama that delves into the inner workings of the cosmetic surgery industry, featuring patients undergoing various procedures such as breast augmentation, rhinoplasty, and facelifts.

Ms. Adachi plays the role of Saori Itai, a hostess addicted to plastic surgery, and her character is supposed to be in the ‘downtime’ period following a ‘corner-of-the-mouth lift’ procedure,” said a source from the production company.

It’s still fresh in our memory how, immediately after Adachi’s appearance, the internet was flooded with comments like, “Who is this person?”

The photo below shows Naoko Ken (73), who played Yuriko Sakashita, a terminally ill cancer patient seeking full-body plastic surgery. As soon as Ken, wearing full special effects makeup, appeared in a shopping district in Minato Ward, Tokyo, the area was thrown into a frenzy.

“Since it was a large-scale shoot, I was watching, expecting a celebrity to show up. But what appeared was a mysterious blonde woman in her 50s—I had absolutely no idea who she was. Some people even said, ‘Maybe it’s a photoshoot for a famous international fashion model,’” said one onlooker.

Harumi Nakayama, a drama enthusiast and film journalist, comments:

“The script was meticulously crafted based on extensive research, and it depicts reality quite realistically. It shows how Ms. Adachi finds the strength to meet her son, who lives far away, and how the terminal cancer patient played by Ken regains a sense of emotional fulfillment. It also firmly focuses on the psychological issues facing modern women that lead them to undergo plastic surgery.The two actors’ performances—as if they’d lived through life many times over—were truly impressive. They were clearly thoroughly enjoying their roles.”

Although conditions on set were grueling—with special makeup alone taking three hours—the production team made it a top priority to create an environment where the actors could focus on their performances.

“From security, of course, to even something as small as boxed lunches and catering, we listened to the requests of each and every actor and established a comprehensive support system for their health,” said a representative from the production company mentioned earlier.

Their efforts paid off with a massive hit. While no announcement has been made regarding a Season 2, anticipation is already building.

From the October 23 & 30, 2026, combined issue of *FRIDAY*