Fly Me to the Saitama (2019)

In a world where people are discriminated based on their birthplace, a resident of the much-reviled Saitama Prefecture embarks on a revolutionary campaign to improve things for his home.

Director:

Hideki Takeuchi

Writers:

Mineo Maya (manga), Tomokazu Tokunaga (script)

Stars:

Kumiko Asô, Gackt, Yûsuke Iseya

Cast

Credited cast:
Kumiko Asô	...	Maki Sugawara
Gackt	...	Rei Asami
Yûsuke Iseya	...	Sho Yakyukozo
Ryô Katô	...	Nobuo Shimokawa
Masaki Kyômoto	...	Duke Saitama
Shôtarô Mamiya	...	Saitama resident
Akaji Maro	...	Sojuro Saionji
Tsubasa Masuwaka	...	Okayo
Akira Nakao	...	Takezo Dannoura
Ryô Narita	...	Haruto Igarashi
Fumi Nikaidô	...	Momomi Dannoura
Haruka Shimazaki	...	Ami Sugawara
Kumiko Takeda	...	Keiko Dannoura
Naoto Takenaka	...	Kanagawa Prefectural Governor
Brother Tom	...	Yoshimi Sugawara

Storyline

In a world where people are discriminated based on their birthplace, Saitama Prefecture is particularly criticized by the people in Tokyo. One day, a mysterious male student named Rei Asami transfers to Hakuhodo Academy, a prestigious high school in Tokyo, from America. However, Rei is revealed to have been born in Saitama Prefecture. He leaves Hakuhodo and returns to Saitama, and forms a revolutionary movement to acquire respect and rights for Saitama citizens. Following him is Momomi Hakuhodo, the male president of the school's student council and the grandson of the school principal.

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Plot Keywords:

asian comedy | based on manga | hiragana in title | kanji in title | live action | 

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Taglines:

"We apologize for the people of Saitama Prefecture for making this film."

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan] Official Twitter [Japan]

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

22 February 2019 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Fly Me to the Saitama

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$32,802,347

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fuji IG Laboratory for Movies (FILM), Fuji Television Network, Television Saitama (TVS)

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is the second time Ryô Katô has worked on a live-action adaptation of Mineo Maya's comic, after Patalliro! (2017).

User Reviews

Revolution, Androgyny and Mayhem Rolled Into One Gorgeous Package

Momomi (Fumi Nikaido) is the son of the governor of Tokyo, a prestige position that puts him in the top echelon at his school, where he is (naturally) President of the students. When Rei Asami (Gackt) joins the school from America, Momomi's position is threatened; Rei is exotic, smart *and* beautiful. Momomi wants to dispose of Rei, but cannot. But then he learns that Rei is actually from Saitama, a degraded part of Japan that has no sea and therefore is considered worthless, its people even more so - people from there even need visas to enter Tokyo! But *then* Momomi's hatred for Rei turns to something else, and they join forces to lead Saitama's people from oppression to freedom....

Some 5 years ago, I was privileged to see "Thermae Romae," a Japanese film in which a modern Japanese man enters a bath in his world and emerges in the baths in ancient Rome; it was easily one of the most inventive, funny and memorable films I saw that year. So when I saw that "Fly Me" was made by the same director, I knew I had to see it. And I certainly was not disappointed! The above description only scratches the surface, as I didn't mention the framing device or all the complications of the many other characters. Suffice it to say that director Hideki Takeuchi brings in whimsy, mixed-up historical detail from real periods in Japanese history, scary monsters that turn out to be something much different, corruption in government, hilarious moments and the most androgynous characters (something that seems to be a "thing" in Japanese cinema), along with a bit of innocent love and dastardly deeds. Oh, did I mention absurdity? Yum!