Always Sunset On Third Street 1
Japanese: Always San Chome No Yuhi
Year: 2005
Director: Takashi Yamazaki
Producer: Shuji Abe, Chikahiro Ando, Keiichiro Moriya, Seiji Okuda, Nozomu Takahashi
Writer: Takashi Yamazaki, Ryota Kosawa, based on the manga series “Yuyake No Uta-San Chome No Yuhi” by Ryohei Saigan
Cast:
Mutsuko Hoshino Maki Horikita
Ryunosuke Chagawa Hidetaka Yoshioka
Norifumi Suzuki Shinichi Tsutsumi
Hiromi Ishizaki Koyuki
Tomoe Suzuki Hiroko Yakushimaru
Ippei Suzuki Kazuki Koshimizu
Junnosuke Furuyuki Kenta Suga
Saburo Masaya Takahashi
Yuichiro Kaga Mochimaru
Theater Manager Toru Masuoka
Realtor Takashi Matsuo
Postmen Hiroshi Kamido, Hiroshi Kanbe
Butcher Magy
Bicycle Shopkeeper Yoichi Nukumizu
Ice Seller Pierre Taki
Policemen Kisuke Iida, Motosuke Iida
Electrician Yuichi Kimura
Kin Ota Masako Motai
Shiro “Akuma” Takuma Tomokazu Miura
Takuma’s Wife Kuniko Asagi
Takuma’s Daughter Airu Shigemoto
Kazuko Furuyuki Kaoru Okunuki
Shizuo Fujio Kenjiro Ishimaru
Secretary Shigemitsu Ogi
Yasunari Kawabuchi Fumiyo Kohinata
Full Summary: Set in a digitally recreated postwar Tokyo (in 1958), Takashi Yamazaki’s Always — Sunset on Third Street tells the story of a few people who live and work in a rundown neighborhood, and their impact on one another’s lives. Mutsuko (Maki Horikita) arrives from the country, awed by the size of Tokyo, and eager to take on her new position working for the president of an automobile company. She’s disappointed when she learns the “automobile company” is a small garage run by the struggling but industrious Suzuki (Shin’ichi Tsutsumi of One Missed Call), and he’s upset when he learns that the auto mechanic he thought he was hiring is actually a bicycle repairwoman. Soon enough, Mutsuko settles in with Suzuki, his wife (Hiroko Yakushimaru of Princess Raccoon), and their impish little boy, Ippei (Kazuki Koshimizu). Across the street, Chagawa (Hidetaka Yoshioka of The Hidden Blade) runs the candy store, but he’s also a frustrated novelist who earns a little money by writing boys’ adventure stories. He has a crush on the local pub owner, Hiromi (Koyuki of The Last Samurai), and she uses that to her advantage when she’s saddled with Junnosuke (Kenta Suga of Godzilla: Final Wars), the abandoned son of an acquaintance. One night, she convinces the drunk, smitten Chagawa to take the boy in, promising to visit occasionally. She does, and soon the unlikely trio begins to resemble a family themselves. Always — Sunset on Third Street is based on a popular manga, and was a hit in Japan, winning a number of awards. The film had its North American premiere at the Subway Cinema’s 2006 New York Asian Film Festival with director Yamazaki in attendance. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide