Netflix has released the teaser trailer, teaser key art, and stills forDid Someone Happen to Mention Me?, the new Japanese drama series starringKoji Yakusho, premiering October 22.
This series begins when Gen Takasegawa (Koji Yakusho) — a legendary actor once described as “known by every single person in Japan” — returns to Japan for the first time in two years after the pandemic, having found success on the London stage. The trailer shows his triumphant turn in the title role ofKing Learat London’s prestigious Shakespeare’s Globe, earning an outpouring of applause and a rapturous standing ovation — the very peak of his glory. Moments later, back in his dressing room, he anxiously asks those around him, “Did someone happen to mention me?” — exposing his deep hunger for recognition. But back in Japan, Takasegawa is confronted with an unbelievable reality: not only ordinary people, but even his own family and colleagues no longer know who he is. Thus begins a new chapter in the life of Gen Takasegawa — a “superstar actor” who nobody remembers.
The biggest highlight of the series is the breathtaking range of performances delivered by Koji Yakusho, one of Japan’s most celebrated actors. He throws himself into wildly contrasting roles across a whirlwind of transformations — from a majestic King Lear to a homeless man, a menacing figure in a fur coat, and even a sauna attendant in a pink polo shirt and towel, fanning hot air over customers, among several other guises. Once a man at the height of glory and then reduced to zero, Takasegawa — a walking bundle of raw need for recognition — struggles through all kinds of roles and situations, clawing his way back up in a desperate, awkward journey you simply can’t take your eyes off.
A colorful array of characters connected to Takasegawa appears throughout the series, played byKento Kaku, Kenichi Matsuyama, Noriko Eguchi, Yumi Kawai, Masatoshi Hamada, Hayato Isomura, Shusaku Kamikawa, Yoh Yoshidaand more. Built around the universal theme of our need for recognition,Kankuro Kudo’s original story brings together a host of quirky, irresistibly compelling characters whose paths constantly crisscross.
A comedy about a man forced to reset his life and claw his way back into the spotlight,Did Someone Happen to Mention Me?premieres October 22, only on Netflix.
Cast :
Koji Yakusho
Kento Kaku, Kenichi Matsuyama, Noriko Eguchi, Yumi Kawai / Masatoshi Hamada /
Hayato Isomura, Shusaku Kamikawa, Hiroshi Yamamoto(Robert), Chisato Nakai
Maki Sakai, Yoh Yoshida
