reblog

The blurb of 2023 Japanese Netflix Original film Call Me Chihiro describes the titular Chihiro (Kasumi Arimura) as an unapologetic former sex worker. Unapologetic is possibly too strong of a term for the passive protagonist of prolific filmmaker Rikiya Imaizumi’s latest film. Based on the manga of the same name, by Hiyoyuki Yasuda, we follow Chihiro (Kasumi Arimura) as she leaves her old life behind and serves bento to a welcoming town of friendly faces.

While it’s true that Chihiro (Arimura) displays no shame or remorse for her life choices, in this sedentary seaside town she doesn’t need to, the stigma of sex work isn’t really present. There is an allusion to the hardship she has faced, but this is definitely a more sanitized portrayal of that world. It’s an interesting choice of past life for the main character, but it’s almost irrelevant; it’s as if Chihiro would be equally lost if she was an architect or a doctor. The very adult nature of her previous life does, however, provide a stark and interesting juxtaposition to her childish attitudes and playful way of seeing the world.

This childishness becomes quite grating but makes sense for a character somewhat stuck in arrested development. Her companions are teenaged Okaji (Hana Toyoshima) and school boy Makoto (Tetta Shimada), though she is notably not in a position of authority with these two. If anything, they are her peers.

Chihiro’s ex-employer, Utsumi (Lily Franky) describes her as missing something inside, and Kasumi Arimura’s acting has to be praised. She does a great job of portraying this lack of engagement with the wider world, wearing the same expression whether she’s apologising for some unauthorised babysitting, watching a bar fight, or burying a corpse.

The film is brilliant at showing rootlessness and transience. Chihiro’s loneliness is made evident as she crawls on all fours to get attention from a disinterested cat. Inhibitions don’t plague her, and the eagerness she displays for some attention is very telling.

One aspect that is interesting in the first quarter of the film is Okaji’s obsession with Chihiro, the voyeurism and photographs a potential metaphor for the ownership of sex workers. But as the film goes on, and the two become friends, this doesn’t amount to anything. It is simply never explained why this teenage girl has taken hundreds of photos of a nearly-thirty-year-old woman playing on the swings.

Alongside food, which is an obvious motif – the rice and vegetables nourishing the characters’ bodies whilst the conversations and interactions nourish their souls – the other main theme running throughout the story is the importance of found family. Unfortunately, parents don’t fare well in this world, all of them unable to offer their children what they need. Chihiro’s found family are a motley crew, as lost and lonely as she is. But her impact on their lives, whilst on the surface wholly inappropriate, is nothing but positive.

In a survey held by Oricon Japan last month, some 500 Japanese females aged 10 to 50-plus chose the face of the Japanese female celebrity that they want to have the most. Topping the ranking is actress Keiko Kitagawa, who was also the first in last year’s ranking.

Here are the top 10 Japanese celebrities whose beauty is most envied among women in Japan.

This consecutive win not only marks Kitagawa’s sixth No. 1 place in this ranking that has been running for the 14th time, it is also the first time since 2009 when an actress who is also a mum topped the ranking. That winner 11 years ago was none other than Nanako Matsushima, who is known for starring in the 1998 horror film Ring.

Although Kitagawa had just given birth to a girl last September, her beauty remains dazzling as she attended a movie promotion event earlier this month, after her maternity leave. The survey participants have described her looks as “perfect” and “gorgeous”, and even wanted to “live a day with this face”.

Shukan Bunshun has revealed that Suzu Hirose and Kento Yamazaki are dating! The tabloid spotted Suzu returning home from work on June 18 around 10:30 PM, minutes before her 24th birthday. Kento was seen waiting for her to arrive.

Around 11:20 PM, the two left Suzu’s condo separately, and headed for a parking lot, where they got into a luxury card together, with Kento at the wheel.

Around 12:20 AM, the two returned to Suzu’s home.

According to an entertainment industry official, Suzu recently moved into her current condo and has still yet to fully unpack. Her inviting of Kento over to her still unfinished home shows their level of closeness.

The couple starred together in the live action version of “Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso” in 2016. The entertainment industry official continues, saying that the two were friendly during filming and it was rumored that they were dating, a common rumor when a man and woman are filming together. When filming finished, it was reported that the two were both dating other people.

Going back to June 19, Suzu and Kento were seen leaving her home around 2 PM that day. They were joined by a middle aged woman and a young man. The four got into a luxury car driven by Suzu. They headed for Tokyo Dome to watch the kickboxing match “Yogibo presents THE MATCH 2022 Tenshin VS Takeru.” Kento gets out the car separately, while Suzu leaves the car later with the other two people, going to buy event goods.

According to an event official, the four reunite in one of Tokyo Dome’s private boxes to watch the fight, in an attempt to stay out of the public eye.

After leaving the fight, the couple walked to the parking lot together, not worrying about being seen together, perhaps due to the excitement from the fight. He puts his arm around her, and she accepts it.

Suzu gets in the car first, with Kento getting in later. They then go and pick up the two people they came with. They return to Suzu’s home, and the two other people leave soon after in a taxi.

The next morning, Suzu is picked up at 7 AM by her management for work. Kento leaves her home an hour later, then returns to his home. He is later picked up by his management to go to work as well.

Is this relationship officially recognized by their management companies? Kento is often dropped off at Suzu’s condo by his management. It’s rare that he goes to his own home, meaning that the two are essentially living together in her condo.

When asked, both Suzu and Kento’s management teams said that they leave their private lives to themselves.

As reported on Nikkan Sports, the couple shared the good news in a joint-statement, saying, "We as a couple would like to announce that our third child, a healthy baby boy, was born without a hitch. Both mother and child are doing well."

They continued, "We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who supported us. We will continue to work hard both professionally and privately, so we hope that you will continue to watch over our family with warm eyes. Thank you for your continued guidance and encouragement."

Aya married HIRO, real name Hiroyuki Igarashi, in September 2012, with their daughter born in August 2015. The two then welcomed their first son and second child in July 2019.

Hashimoto becomes the undisputed, certified Queen of Tissues.

It was eight years ago that a photo of young idol Kanna Hashimoto dancing spread through the Internet like wildfire and earned her the title of “the once in a millennium idol.” Since then, it’s been a non-stop rise in show-business appearing in TV, film, and eight out of 10 commercials at any given moment.

A crucial aspect of this record is that it can only be done with one hand, but Hashimoto seemed confident she could surpass the previous record of 140 tissues in one minute. As the Guinness official watched on, Hashimoto started with her palm flat on the table and then began plucking like the wind when time started.

She showed a keen sense of conservation of movement in her technique, swinging her forearm at the optimum angle for tissue removal and displacement far from the box. This would be the key to her success, because Hashimoto knew that after enough time a large enough pile of tissues could develop around the box that would severely hamper her ability to keep plucking.

Still, with the sheer speed of her endeavor tissues had eventually begun to gather around the working area. However, without missing a beat, she used her one available hand to sweep away the mess and resume plucking. Hashimoto also used her knees to help keep a steady momentum.

In the end, a casual count by show regular Shinichi Hatori had her at 160 tissues. However, it was clear there were some post-buzzer tissues, so it would be up to the Guinness official to review the tape for an official count.

When the judge was finished, Hashimoto was given the plaque declaring her the world record holder for tissue plucking with 157 sheets in a single minute. It was a triumph of the human spirit, but unfortunately online comments were mostly crass remarks about Kanna Hashimoto and reaching for tissues quickly. We removed those comments for the sake of decency.

That’s it. That’s all that’s left.

Regardless of all the dirty minds out there, it is still an amazing accomplishment but hopefully one that people don’t try to emulate because it would be a huge waste of paper. Even Hashimoto said after her win that this was only the second time she’s ever pulled tissues like that.

Surely, joining the ranks of fellow Guinness World Record holders like the Sega Shinjuku Kabukicho Game Center and Lawson will go down as a career highlight for her. One surpassed only by the time she sold me a pair of glasses.