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Hirokazu Kore-eda, a Palme d’Or award-winning Japanese filmmaker is working with Netflix to write and develop a traditional Japanese family drama series.
Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Asura brings a modern reinterpretation of the 1979 television series Ashura no Gotoku, based on a work of literature by Mukoda Kuniko.
Several recent Japanese family-oriented dramas, including a feature-length film in 2003, were also sequels of the first 1979 series, which was broadcast on the NHK channel in Japan.
Starring Suzu Hirose, Yu Aoi, Machiko Ono, and Rie Miyazawa, the series is now in the final stages of production.
What To Expect In The Japanese Series: Asura
Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Asura is faithful to the chronological narrative of the story as told by Kuniko Mukoda, especially in what relates to Mukoda’s examination of the complicated relationships within a family and the widely concealed feelings that often accompany such a scenario.
The purpose of Kore-eda in this retelling of Asura is to present the conflict at hand as well as the surround care, dedication and the silent affection that exists in every family.
Not only does Kore-eda shows the cast with high-profile favorites like Suzu Hirose, Yu Aoi, Machiko Ono, and Rie Miyazawa, who are seen as effective characters in the original text as each portrays a different strong woman with different challenges, but honours Mukoda’s representation of characters in the text as well.
Their characters are along the lines of the compositeness which Mukoda put in her narrative where they are angry and loving at the same time and at the same time the family is undergoing both external and internal pressure.
Kore-eda argued that it was the contribution of the team of actors which rendered Mukoda’s multi-dimensional cut-out characters real – and real in a felt way, not any other. He stressed that due to the additional layers of understanding that the actresses had concerning those difficult portrayals, the narrating while including Mukoda’s work was quite easy, although Kore-eda’s modern touch was already there.
This way of production has particularly enhanced one of the narratives in the series, adding a moral aspect of the struggle and commitment of each of the sisters amidst the family ties and the search for themselves.
Who are the Asura cast members?
Rie Miyazawa plays the character ‘Tsunako.’ The only other Netflix Original movie in which the actress played her character Takamiya Etsuko is The Naked Director. The actress is also known to audiences beyond the Netflix platform in films such as Her Love Boils Bathwater and The Moon.
Portrayed by Machiko Ono, Makiko. This actress is set to feature in her very first Netflix project, Asura, however, she has not been part of more films.
Filmography wise, she is perhaps best known for her roles which include Like Father, Like Son, Suzaku, The Dry Spell, A Family, and even in the live Kiki’s Delivery service film adaptation.
Takiko is played by Yu Aoi. The actress is known to appear in a Netflix feature film called the romance comedy, Romance Doll, and a live action movie, Rurouni Kenshin.
Sakiko is portrayed by Suzu Hirose. In spite of the fact that the actress is yet to join Netflix, similar to all of her other co-stars, she is highly sought after. She has already lined up to work in five feature films in the year 2025 alone. Most of her notable works have been in My Lie to April live action film, Wandering, Last Letter, My Teacher and Anger.
