Trailer: NEKO NI MIKAN, A Kore-eda-esque Family Drama

From Toda Akihiro (Hana no Fukuru) comes a family drama that seems very much influenced by Kore-eda Hirokazu's brilliant body of work. Neko ni Mikan (literally Tangerines on Cat, although the English title is still not known) tells the story of a family, whose life takes a chaotic turn after the arrival of a stranger. Kurokawa Mei (A Story of Yonosuke, Killers), known for her many performances in Japanese films and dramas, plays the leading female role, opposite Daito Shunsuke (Crows Zero, Ace Attorney), one of Japan's teenage heartthrobs.

Tomohiro brings his fiance Machiko to his hometown of Aridagawa, Wakayama to visit his parents' home. However, Tomohiro's family life is quite chaotic. His younger brother Takashi hasn't been attending school, his sister Yumi completely ignores the family, and his other sister Sayaka is afraid of relationships due to her inferiority complex.

Meanwhile, there's also a woman named Satomi whom everyone calls "Mama" in charge of all the housework, a beautiful snack bar manager named Kayoko who they call "Kaka", a high school teacher named Narumi who they call "Haha", and finally the father Shoichiro who's known as "Chichi".

In spite of their complicated living arrangement, they seem to manage to maintain some sense of balance. However, the arrival of Machiko causes a ripple effect throughout the family.