Always

Always


ALWAYS 三丁目の夕日
Always San Chōme No Yūhi
Always: Sunset on Third Street
Director
Screenplay
VFX
Takashi Yamazaki
Original Story Ryohei Saigan
Screenplay Ryuta Kosawa
Music Naoki Sato
Photography Kozo Shibasaki
Lighting Kenichi Mizuno
Sound Jin Tsurumaki
Art Anri Jojo
Editor Ryuji Miyajima
VFX Director Kiyoko Shibuya
Production Companies Nippon TV Network, ROBOT, Shogakukan, Toho, Vap, Dentsu, Yomiuri TV, Yomiuri Shimbun, Shirogumi, IMAGICA, Sapporo TV, Miyagi TV, Chukyo TV, Hiroshima TV, Fukuoka Broadcasting
Release Date November 5, 2005
Runtime 133 minutes
Followed by Always 2 (2007)

ALWAYS 三丁目の夕日
Always San Chōme No Yūhi
Always: Sunset on Third Street
Director
Screenplay
VFX
Takashi Yamazaki
Original Story Ryohei Saigan
Screenplay Ryuta Kosawa
Music Naoki Sato
Photography Kozo Shibasaki
Lighting Kenichi Mizuno
Sound Jin Tsurumaki
Art Anri Jojo
Editor Ryuji Miyajima
VFX Director Kiyoko Shibuya
Production Companies Nippon TV Network, ROBOT, Shogakukan, Toho, Vap, Dentsu, Yomiuri TV, Yomiuri Shimbun, Shirogumi, IMAGICA, Sapporo TV, Miyagi TV, Chukyo TV, Hiroshima TV, Fukuoka Broadcasting
Release Date November 5, 2005
Runtime 133 minutes
Followed by Always 2 (2007)

In the late 1950s, construction is nearly complete on Tokyo Tower. Mutsuko arrives from her school in the boonies for a work study program; she’s assigned to work with Suzuki in his auto repair shop. Suzuki is gruff, but Mutsuko quickly endears herself to his wife, Tomoe. Across the street, Chagawa is a struggling novelist who runs a convenience store on the side. One day he is approached by Hiromi, a former dancer who has recently opened a bar on the same street. She has become the guardian of Junnosuke, the abandoned son of one of her old dancer friends, and requests his help in looking after him.

Although Chagawa’s failure to break through in the literature world has left him bitter and resentful, his experiences with Junnosuke over the course of the year begin to change him for the better. He also begins to develop a romance with Hiromi, culminating in a modest proposal on Christmas Eve. However, immediately afterwards Hiromi’s bar is shuttered and she disappears; it appears that she has some long standing debts that were coming due and was forced back into dancing. Chagawa returns home dejected, only to find Kawabuchi, a rich business man and Junnosuke’s father, has come to take the boy into his custody. No sooner does Kawabuchi depart with Junnosuke then Chagawa flies into a panic and chases after them. Coincidentally, Junnosuke has also fled from Kawabuchi, and they are reunited in the street. They return to Chagawa’s store, where he hopes Hiromi will return someday to find them.

Mutsuko, meanwhile, has rebuffed all attempts by the Suzuki’s to give her a vacation. She is the sixth child of a crowded, struggling, rural family, and she fears that she is not wanted at home during the busy holidays. Tomoe reveals that Mutsuko’s family has been writing to the Suzuki’s every week since she moved to Tokyo to inquire after her. Mutsuko is encouraged and finally takes leave of the Suzuki’s for the holidays. On the train ride out of town Mutsuko finally sees the newly completed Tokyo Tower in all its glory.

Top Billed Cast

Hidetaka Yoshioka
Ryunosuke Chagawa
Shinichi Tsutsumi
Norifumi Suzuki
Koyuki
Hiromi Ishizaki
Maki Horikita
Mutsuko Hoshino
Magy
Maruyama
Yoichi Nukumizu
Yoshida
Hiroshi Kanbe
Postman
Kisuke Iida
Constable Nakajima
Shigemitsu Ogi
Yukihiro Satake
Kenta Suga
Junnosuke Furuyuki
Kazuki Koshimizu
Ippei Suzuki
Hajime Okayama
Student Work Program Teacher
Kentaro Shimazu
Debt Collector
Kaoru Okada
Elementary School Teacher
Masako Motoi
Kin Ota
Erina Moribayashi
Hatsuko Ishibashi
Namiko Nakahama
Sue Koike
Seiya Takahashi
Saburo
Kaga Mochimaru
Yuichiro
Eru Shigemoto
Takuma's Daughter
Kenjiro Ishimaru
Shizuo
Kaoru Okunuki
Kazuko Furuyuki
Kuniko Asagi
Mrs. Takuma
Pierre Taki
Mizuno
Yuichi Kimura
Electrician
Takashi Matsuo
Realtor
Toru Masuoka
Theater Manager
Fumiyo Kohinata
Yasunaru Kawabuchi
Tomokazu Miura
Dr. Shiro Takuma
Hiroko Yakushimaru
Tomoe Suzuki
Top Billed Cast

Ryunosuke Chagawa
Hidetaka Yoshioka

Norifumi Suzuki
Shinichi Tsutsumi

Hiromi Ishizaki
Koyuki

Mutsuko Hoshino
Maki Horikita

Maruyama
Magy

Yoshida
Yoichi Nukumizu

Postman
Hiroshi Kanbe

Constable Nakajima
Kisuke Iida

Yukihiro Satake
Shigemitsu Ogi

Junnosuke Furuyuki
Kenta Suga

Ippei Suzuki
Kazuki Koshimizu

Student Work Program Teacher
Hajime Okayama

Debt Collector
Kentaro Shimazu

Elementary School Teacher
Kaoru Okada

Kin Ota
Masako Motoi

Hatsuko Ishibashi
Erina Moribayashi

Sue Koike
Namiko Nakahama

Saburo
Seiya Takahashi

Yuichiro
Kaga Mochimaru

Takuma's Daughter
Eru Shigemoto

Shizuo
Kenjiro Ishimaru

Kazuko Furuyuki
Kaoru Okunuki

Mrs. Takuma
Kuniko Asagi

Mizuno
Pierre Taki

Electrician
Yuichi Kimura

Realtor
Takashi Matsuo

Theater Manager
Toru Masuoka

Yasunaru Kawabuchi
Fumiyo Kohinata

Dr. Shiro Takuma
Tomokazu Miura

Tomoe Suzuki
Hiroko Yakushimaru