5th OKINAWA INTERNATIONAL MOVIE FESTIVAL

Senko, an office worker, is the daughter of ramen shop owner “Ajiyoshi,” located on a shopping street in old town Shinsekai, Osaka, famous for Tsutenkaku (a famous tower in Osaka). After the death of her mother, Senko’s father, Genko, takes over the ramen shop; however, the business does not go well because the ramen he makes is terrible. Senko is a dependable daughter in support of her father’s business.

Senko, however, agonizes herself over an affair with her boss and cannot tell anyone about it. This film depicts the love between a warm-hearted father and a dependable daughter, while showing the strong spirit of the people around them who also have problems in their lives, such as losing their jobs, love affairs and child abuse. This film is a heartwarming drama in an old town that provides laughter amongst the drama.

This film takes place in the Kansai area, and is set in Shinsekai, Osaka, where all the cast and staff are from. Haruka Kinami, who had previously acted in “Twentieth Century Boys” and “Yusha Yoshihiko to Akuryo no Kagi”, was cast as Senko. Haruka Kinami, from Toyonaka, Osaka, is an increasingly popular actress who has been receiving a lot of recognition. Ren Osugi, who is from Tokushima, but is a native of the Kansai dialect, was cast as Genko. Ren Osugi is a talented actor who received the Japanese Academy Award. The other actors and actresses were cast based on their native Kansai dialect.

This film successfully depicts the cheerful and warm-hearting people of Kansai from the perspective of people of Tokyo, such as an adulterous lover, or a childhood friend who moves to Tokyo because of their hatred to the no-privacy atmosphere in Osaka.