Always Sanchōme no Yūhi
Always: Sunset on Third Street (ALWAYS 三丁目の夕日, Ōruweizu: San-chōme no Yūhi) is a 2005 Japanese film co-written and directed by the Japanese filmmaker Takashi Yamazaki, based on Ryōhei Saigan's long-running manga Sanchōme no Yūhi. It was chosen as Best Film at the Japan Academy Prize ceremony.[2] The film eventually spawned two sequels, Always Zoku Sanchōme no Yūhi (2007) and Always Sanchōme no Yūhi '64 (2012).
| Always san-chōme no yūhi | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster for Always Sanchōme no Yūhi (2005) | |
| Directed by | Takashi Yamazaki |
| Produced by | Chikahiro Ando Keiichiro Moriya Nozomu Takahashi |
| Screenplay by | Takashi Yamazaki |
| Based on | Sanchōme no Yūhi by Ryohei Saigan |
| Starring | Hidetaka Yoshioka Shinichi Tsutsumi Koyuki Maki Horikita Kenta Suga Kazuki Koshimizu Tomokazu Miura Hiroko Yakushimaru |
| Music by | Naoki Sato |
| Cinematography | Kozo Shibazaki |
| Edited by | Ryuji Miyajima |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Toho |
Release date |
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Running time | 133 min. |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
Plot summary
In 1958, with the impending completion of Tokyo's TV broadcasting tower as a symbol of Japan's escalating post-war economic recovery, rural schoolgirl Mutsuko (Maki Horikita) arrives from the provinces to begin her first job with Suzuki Auto. Initially impressed by meeting company "president" Norifumi Suzuki (Shinichi Tsutsumi), Mutsuko is shocked to discover her workplace is actually a shabby auto repair shop in Tokyo's down-at-heel Yuhi district.
Suzuki is a bad-tempered employer but Mutsuko is welcomed by his wife, Tomoe (Hiroko Yakushimaru), and their impish 5-year-old son, Ippei (Kazuki Koshimizu). One of Ippei's favorite haunts is a five-and-dime store managed by struggling serial writer Ryunosuke Chagawa (Hidetaka Yoshioka). Regarding now-successful writers like Nobel-prize winner Kenzaburo Oe, as overrated, Chagawa wants to be more than a hack churning out sci-fi yarns and selling cheap toys on the side.
When alluring newcomer Hiromi (Koyuki) opens a sake bar in the area, she gathers clientele quickly—in dramatically compressed manga style—but also finds herself lumbered with Junnosuke (Kenta Suga) the orphaned offspring of the bar's previous tenant. Drunk, and smitten by Hiromi, Chagawa accepts custodianship of the boy.
Reception
The film ranked 15th at the Japanese box office in 2005 , and won 12 prizes at the 2006 Japanese Academy Awards, including the awards for Best Film, Director, Actor and Screenplay. It also won the audience award at the 2006 New York Asian Film Festival.
Cast
- Maki Horikita as Mutsuko Hoshino, the apprentice
- Hidetaka Yoshioka as Ryunosuke Chagawa, the writer
- Shinichi Tsutsumi as Norifumi Suzuki, the mechanic
- Koyuki as Hiromi Ishizaki, sake bar owner
- Hiroko Yakushimaru as Tomoe Suzuki, the mechanic's wife
- Kazuki Koshimizu as Ippei Suzuki, the mechanic's son
- Kenta Suga as Junnosuke Furuyuki, the abandoned boy
Notes and references
External links
- Always Sanchōme no Yūhi at IMDb
- Official website (in Japanese)
- Always Sanchōme no Yūhi (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
- Always: Sunset on Third Street at AllMovie
- "ALWAYS 三丁目の夕日(2005)" (in Japanese). www.allcinema.net. Retrieved 2009-05-08.
- "ALWAYS 三丁目の夕日" (in Japanese). Variety Japan. Archived from the original on 31 March 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-16.