Matsuyama Kenichi is an award-winning Japanese actor. He was born on March 5, 1985 in Aomori, Japan, and made his acting debut in 2002. Since then, he has appeared in numerous films and television dramas, including “Detroit Metal City” (2008) and “Residential Complex” (2018).

Matsuyama Kenichi

As children, Yui Soma (Inoue Mao) and Naoki Torino (Sato Takeru) were the best of friends. Having lived with the same foster family for a time, the two were incredibly close but as often happens in cases such as theirs, the two were separated and eventually lost touch.&nbsp;

Now adults, Yui and Naoki are both equally surprised when fate decides to bring them together once more. Picking up where they left off all those years ago, Yui and Naoki soon find that the fondness they felt for each other as children has grown into something much deeper. Desperately in love, Naoki makes plans to propose to Yui but a tragic twist of fate takes him away before he ever has a chance. Unaware of Naoki’s fate, Yui falls into despair over his disappearance but even as her heart breaks, she sets out to find him. While filing a missing person’s report at a local police station, Yui meets Yuzuru Uozumi (Matsuyama Kenichi), a homicide detective who has recently discovered he can see Naoki’s ghost.&nbsp;

With Naoki’s spirit urging Yuzuru to pass on a message to Yui, the detective has no choice but to seek her out, but in doing so, only manages to entangle himself further in her life. Ultimately accepting their twisted fate, can Yuzuru and Yui work together to solve the mystery surrounding Naoki’s untimely death?

A stirring blend of fantasy, romance, and mystery, “Why didn’t I tell you a million times?” is a 2023 Japanese crime drama directed by Fuminori Kaneko, Daisuke Yamamuro, and Juntaro Furubayashi.

Why didn't I tell you a million times?

When Masayo Tanaka (Haru) failed to pass her art school entrance exam, she had no choice but to find something else to do with her life. As the daughter of the owner of a Hokkaido love hotel, Masayo feels she has no choice but to follow in her father Daikichi’s (Ken Yasuda) footsteps. Resigning herself to her fate, Masayo takes a position at her family’s business, the Hotel Royal.

As she welcomes a variety of patrons to the Hotel Royal, Masayo resigns herself to the fact that one day, she will take over the family business. Not exactly pleased with the prospects of her future, Masayo does a good job of hiding her emotions. But when a double suicide takes place in one of the hotel rooms and her father suddenly falls ill, Masayo’s tough outer shell begins to crack.

Faced with the very real possibility of the hotel’s closure, Masayo has no choice but to step in and take charge. Seeing the hotel in an entirely different light, Masayo begins to understand what it really means to her family, its staff, and its patrons. Armed with this new perspective, can Masayo find a way to save the Hotel Royal?

Based on the award-winning novel of the same name by Shino Sakuragi, “Hotel Royal” is a 2020 Japanese film directed by Masaharu Take.

Hotel Royal

After graduating from university, Miyamoto Hiroshi (Sosuke Ikematsu) decided the time had come to leave his hometown of Yokohama, and head to Tokyo to make his way in the world as a man. Finding a job at a stationery company, Miyamoto settles into his new life but he has to admit, that he’s not good at what he does. Clumsy and awkward, Miyamoto goes through the motions of his new life but isn’t entirely convinced this is actually how he wants to spend the rest of his life.

Possessing a strong sense of justice, Miyamoto isn’t one to let injustice go without a fight. This is why when, upon visiting his client, Yasuko Nanako (Yu Aoi), he finds himself confronting her horrifying ex. Promising to protect Yasuko with his life, Miyamoto is true to his word, standing up for her whenever he can. Unable to deny the way Miyamoto makes her feel, Yasuko’s feelings only grow with time, as do the feelings Miyamoto harbors for her. But no relationship is ever easy and the obstacles that stand between Miyamoto and Yasuko are great.

Daring to face the unknown future together, Miyamoto and Yasuko find joy and inspiration in each other, but their moments of happiness are often interrupted by life’s darker side. Will these two find a way to overcome the challenges ahead?

Based on the manga series of the same name by Hideki Arai, “Miyamoto kara Kimi e” is a 2019 Japanese romantic film directed by Tetsuya Mariko.

Miyamoto kara Kimi e

Miyamoto & Yasuko Support Team

Fuji TV

Tired of living in their cramped apartment, Nana Igarashi (Kyoko Fukada) and her husband Daiki (Kenichi Matsuyama) decide to move to a cooperative house. With a much more spacious place to call home, the scuba instructor and her salaryman agree there couldn’t be a better time to start growing their little family. But having a baby isn’t as easy as it seems, especially not when they share space with such interesting neighbors.

Sharing the co-op with the Igarashis, the Komiyamas appear to be a happy, well-to-do family, but the truth couldn’t be more opposite. With Shinichiro (Toru Nomaguchi) out of work and Miyuki’s (Sei Matobu) spending habits out of control, the couple face a growing number of problems. But they’re not the only residents with issues. Not yet married, Ryoji (Hiroyuki Hirayama) and Chihiro (Maryjun Takahashi) have plans to spend a beautiful life together, but when Ryoji’s ex-wife passes, his estranged son must move in with them. Never expecting a child to enter their lives, Chihiro has a lot of adjusting to do if their impending marriage is ever going to work. Meanwhile, the co-op’s last couple faces problems of their own. Having spent his entire life living in the closet, Wataru (Hidekazu Mashima) has no plans of changing anytime soon. The polar opposite, Saku (Takumi Kitamura) wants nothing more than to live his life loud and proud, enjoying his life with Wataru to the fullest. But how can he do that when his partner refuses to acknowledge their relationship in public?

With each resident family dealing with their own set of life-changing issues, can Nana and Daiki find a way to help others while simultaneously working on their own problems? Or will the strain of living such a complicated life prove to be too much?

Based on an original story written by Mayumi Nakatani, “Residential Complex” is a 2018 family life drama directed by Aizawa Hideyuki.

Residential Complex

Residential Complex Team

Ready to set out on her own, Nana “Hachi” Komatsu (Aoi Miyazaki) boards a train for Tokyo. Full of all the hopes and dreams of so many other young women who have sought a new life in the big city, Hachi has no doubt life in the city will be nothing short of amazing. Finding her seat, Hachi is soon joined by Nana Osaki (Mika Nakashima), another ambitious young woman headed to Tokyo to fulfill her own set of dreams. Feeling they’re somehow connected by more than just their names, the two girls form an unlikely bond during their trip to Tokyo, but go their separate ways once they reach the city.

With hopes of starting a new life with her boyfriend, Shoji Endo (Yuta Hiraoka), Hachi has come to the city to do just that. Meanwhile, Nana hopes to break into the rock music scene, but both girls quickly realize that dreaming and doing are two entirely different things. Despite following two entirely different paths, the two young women are unexpectedly reunited while searching for a place to live. Interested in the same apartment, the two agree to share it as roommates and so begins an unexpected friendship.

Sharing their struggles and celebrating their triumphs, Hachi and Nana draw closer together, each a source of strength and encouragement as they set out to make their dreams come true. But will either of them find what they came to the city searching for?

Based on the manga of the same name by Ai Yazawa, “NANA” is a 2005 Japanese drama film directed by Kentaro Otani.

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