Report on the completion screening of “The Hotel of My Dream” starring NON! A new writer strikes back in the literary world!

2024.11.22

The completion announcement screening of “The Hotel of My Dream” was held today, Wednesday, November 20, with the leading actors NON, Kei Tanaka, Kenichi Takito, Akari Takaishi, the original author Asako Yuzuki, and the film's director, Yukihiko Tsutsumi, on stage.

NON, who played the role of Kayoko, the protagonist who, despite adversity, rises again and again with the power of anger and rises above the unreasonable literary world with her indomitable spirit and ridiculous schemes, said, "I had a lot of fun playing Kayoko. I found it interesting and cool that even when she is put in a really unfavorable situation, she stands up to it without giving in or being discouraged. I think she has the worst character of all the roles I've played. I felt really good about it," she commented with a smile, wowing the audience.

Tanaka, who played Kayoko's senior at university and an editor at a major publishing company, was playing with NON for the first time. When asked about his impression of NON, he replied, "She is usually calm, but the moment she becomes Kayoko, she goes into a frenzy. I wondered where she kept her power. （There was a scene (in the play) where Kayoko eats yakisoba, and after the cut, Mr. Tanaka was eating yakisoba in between scenes. I was so relieved.“Tanaka laughed and replied, ”I guess she was hungry," giving a glimpse of the friendly atmosphere on the set.

And Takito, who played the role of Munenori Higashijujo, a great writer who becomes Kayoko's fated opponent, is working with Non for the third time. Takito said, "I was surprised to see that the eyes of a newborn baby, or the eyes of a baby without blemish, have not changed since ‘Amachan,’ even though many years have passed since then. I was surprised that such a thing was possible. I thought I would continue to protect my eyes from now on," she replied with a laugh. I had a lot of fun doing the scene with Higashijujo, which has a lot of weird situations," she added. When I read the script, I wondered how he would play the role of Tojujo Sensei, and I was very excited and nervous, but when I saw Takito-san play the role, he really became an adorable character. I was so impressed and thought it was wonderful,“ he added, to which Takito bowed his head and said, ”Thank you very much".

On the other hand, Takaishi, who played Miwako, Higashijujo's daughter, said, "The scene was short, but I think it was because of the short scene that I was able to add more sharpness to Miwako's eyes at the moment she appeared, or her angry look at her father during the conversation. We got along very well during the break and had a lot of fun. It was a lot of fun". He also commented on his collaboration with NON and Takito, saying, "I have always wanted to work with them, so it was a dream come true. It was a luxurious time for me to be able to tell them that in person.

Director Tsutsumi, looking at the cast members, said with a satisfied expression, "Isn't this the best casting? It's not often that I can do what I want, but I was able to do exactly what I wanted. I really love this film! Yuzuki, the author of the original story, also gave her stamp of approval, saying, "To be honest, when I heard about the live-action version with this cast, I thought maybe NON, who is a nationally popular actress, would do it, so I thought she would be a bit nice. I wondered if Kayoko would have her own reasons. I also wondered if there would be a pseudo-romance with the enemies played by Takito and Tanaka, and with this cast, I was willing to put up with any changes. But Kayoko doesn't have a single romantic element until the very end, and she doesn't become a good girl until the very end. I was really happy to see that Kayoko only thinks about herself all the way to the end and never reflects on anything. Thank you!" said director Tsutsumi, smiling as he thanked the cast and directors, "That's the biggest compliment of all. The original story and the script were really good, so I did the best I could.

The Yamanoue Hotel, where the film is set, has been closed since February 13 of this year due to aging, but Meiji University, which is located near the hotel, acquired the land and building as part of its 150th anniversary project in 2031. It was just announced on the 15th of this month that the hotel will be redeveloped. Dr. Yuzuki said, "I am glad that the university bought the hotel. When I heard that Yamanoue Hotel would be closed, I was delusional and wondered if it would be possible to save the hotel by crowdfunding, but it turned out that Meiji University bought it. I knew that a happy ending would suit "Yamanoue Hotel. I am sure there were many people who were happy to hear this news, and it was such good news before the film was released. I have a good feeling that we have a good start," he said with a smile.

In honor of Kayoko, who is trying to become the underdog in the literary world, we decided to ask each cast member about episodes in which he or she has been the underdog. First,Takaishi said, “I went from the bottom to the center” by practicing hard in dance lessons.Takito then said, "I lost an arm-wrestling match to a child. Tanaka answered, "I was a regular member of the basketball team in elementary school when I was in grade 4. Finally, NON replied, "Kayoko Nakajima. I wanted to play a role with a really bad character, so I've been saying that in interviews for a long time. No one had noticed me before, but now I'm finally here," she said with a smile. I'm going to make a name for myself as a bad actor from now on! The audience applauded his declaration, to which director Tsutsumi replied, "I didn't know that. I thought he was a person who could perform from various angles and in various ways. I didn't think he specialized in that," he laughed.

Finally, Yuzuki said, "The director and all the actors are really wonderful, and they brought the film to life. It's a story about a type of heroine that has never been seen before in Japan, who plays a very active role. And above all, it is not often that “Yamanoue Hotel” appears all over the movie. I wrote the story thinking that Kayoko is not loved by the characters, but “Yamanoue Hotel” loves Kayoko. I like the phrase “Anger is power” in the film. I think that frustration is something that gives us food for thought and makes us want to do our best again tomorrow. I hope you will enjoy this film because anger and frustration are transformed into laughter.

Takito continued, "I think there are many unfair and unreasonable things in the world. I hope you will go home with a lot of laughs.“ Tanaka added, ”This is a fun film, so I hope you will enjoy it. When I watched the film, I thought that Kayoko stuck with me and that there were many things I could learn from her. I hope everyone can see that in Kayoko.

NON also commented, "I thought it was really nice to play the role of Kayoko, who pushed forward, involving both her enemies and allies. I really enjoyed playing the role of Kayoko, who is very determined to get people to read her novel. And I was able to play with a wonderful cast. I am very happy to be able to deliver this film with the wonderful original story by director Tsutsumi and Yuzuki. I hope you enjoy it. Finally, Director Tsutsumi said, "I am happy that this film was completed with the help of everyone here and all the staff members. If you find it interesting, please spread the word and watch it again and again. It seems that Yuzuki has a plan for a sequel, so we would like to make “The Hotel of My Dream 2,” so please enjoy it and help us make it happen.

【"The Hotel of My Dream" Synopsis】

Kayoko, an unfortunate new author who won the Rookie of the Year Award but was criticized by the famous author Munenori Higashijujo, did not make a spectacular debut and did not have a place to publish her novel.

Should she make good on this grudge? With this determination, Kayoko stays at the “Yamanoue Hotel,” the hotel she has always dreamed of staying at, but the person staying on the floor above her room is... To her surprise, Higashijujo! With the help of her senior at university and editor Endo, Kayoko interferes with Higashijujo's writing and successfully gets her manuscript for a literary magazine dropped on the deadline. However, this was the beginning of Kayoko's further misfortune and trials. ...... The fateful confrontation between Kayoko and Higashijujo goes in a direction no one could have predicted!

Will Kayoko be able to return to the literary world and continue her path as a writer?

◆Credit

NON
Kei Tanaka, Kenichi Takito
Minami Tanaka, Misaki Hattori, Akari Takaishi / Ai Hashimoto
Kenichi Tachibana(EXILE), Ken Mitsuishi, Mayumi Wakamura

Director: Yukihiko Tsutsumi

Based on the novel by Asako Yuzuki, “The Hotel of My Dream” (Shincho Bunko)

Screenplay: Keita Kawajiri
Music: Ryota Nozaki (Jazztronik)

Theme Song: “Mubou Dance” by Strange Reitaro (Victor Entertainment)

Production Manager/Production Company: murmur
Distributors: NIKKATSU　KDDI
Planning Cooperation: Shinchosha
Special Cooperation: Yamanoue Hotel

Official HP：watahote-movie.com　　Official X＆Instagram：＠wands_movie

■Reference Articles：
のん主演「私にふさわしいホテル」ポスター＆本予告篇解禁！新人作家の逆襲が始まる！文壇下剋上エンタテインメント！

予告｜文壇下剋上エンタテインメント！映画「私にふさわしいホテル」完成披露上映会開催決定！（11/20）のん、田中圭氏、滝藤賢一氏、髙石あかり氏、原作者・柚木麻子氏、堤幸彦監督らが登壇！