According to Deadline, Netflix has announced three new Japanese series coming to the streamer. The series coming to Netflix includes comedic series Did Someone Happen to Mention Me? which is in production and stars Koji Yakusho (Perfect Days, Cure), who won Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival in 2023 for his performance in Perfect Days. The series is written by Kankuro Kudo (Too Young to Die! Wakakushite Shinu, Gomen ne Seishun!) and produced by Akira Isoyama (Mood Swings, Last Love) and is set to premiere next year.
As per Deadline, the series will follow Gen Takasegawa, the first Japanese actor to play the lead role at London’s Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, who has been unable to return to Japan for some time. After two years, he finally makes his way back home, only to realize that he is suddenly and completely forgotten by the entire world.
Yakusho said via Deadline: “Based on Mr. Kankuro Kudo’s brilliant script — which is intricate, wild, funny, and strangely moving — I’m having a great time filming with the cast and crew, even in the intense summer heat. This is the second time in my life that I’ve been given the role of an ‘actor.’ The shoot will be a long one, spanning into the next year, but I’ll do my best until the very end to make this a work that everyone can enjoy.”
According to Deadline, the next series to air on Netflix will be the Japanese anime Steel Ball Run based on the long-running Manga franchise JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. The manga first appeared in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump in 1987 and racked up a cumulative circulation of over 120 million copies.
Director Yasuhiro Kimura (Plastic Memories, New Game!) said via Deadline, “Steel Ball Run is a story that depicts characters running through a grand race, staking their own beliefs. My heart is pounding with excitement to be entrusted with directing this anime adaptation. The entire staff shares this feeling and is pouring their passion into daily production. I look forward to sharing our enthusiasm for this work with all of you and hope we can ride this journey together.”
As per Deadline, the third series to hit the streamer is a drama series, Straight to Hell, which tells the story of one of Japan’s most well-known real-life fortune-tellers, the late Kazuko Hosoki and stars Erika Toda (Death Note, Motherhood).
“I knew of Kazuko Hosoki, but I didn’t know what kind of person she really was,” said Toda, in a statement via Deadline. “I just thought a flashy fortune-teller had shown up on TV. People must really like fortune-telling — that was all it meant to me.
“Who would have imagined that I’d be the one to play this loud, big-laughing fortune-teller I had no interest in? She felt like someone far away, nothing like me at all. Some of you may think it’s amusing that I’m playing her, but this story portrays the real life of Kazuko Hosoki from not so long ago — one you don’t know — and I’m certain it will draw you into this world and toss you around,” added Toda via Deadline.
All three series will air on Netflix in the following year.