Did Someone Happen To Mention Me? (Ore no koto, nanka itteta?), directed by Fuminori Kaneko (Let’s Get Diverced), Takuya Sakaue, and Atsushi Watabe, and written by Kankurō Kudō, is a comedy/drama series about a famous actor, Gen Takasegawa (Kōji Yakusho, Belle), who is forgotten due to a strange side effect from a vaccine and must restart both his career and his life at the age of 66.
The story of someone at the top of their profession who falls from grace and has to claw their way back from nothing is a classic. Everyone loves a redemption arc. Did Someone Happen To Mention Me? takes the concept to a far greater degree, as its protagonist is truly reduced to square one. With no one even recognizing him, Takasegawa must rebuild to a degree he initially can’t even comprehend.
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From his penniless, homeless second beginning, Takasegawa learns through new eyes the full breadth of showbiz. Born the son of a famous actor, he was never privy to many of the harsher elements of the industry. As he begins as an extra and a stagehand, he quickly comes to understand what everyone who isn’t the star goes through.
Kōji Yakusho perfectly captures Takasegawa’s journey in Did Someone Happen To Mention Me?
The fresh view of the industry comes to serve as the perfect vehicle for the lead’s rebirth. His new perspective on those around him, both at work and in his personal life, becomes a believable catalyst for the transformation of the arrogant, self-absorbed Takasegawa. You see him find new appreciation in smaller things and triumphs others may miss, but a single person’s heartfelt praise grants true meaning.
Yakusho does a fantastic job of capturing his character’s rapid development over the course of the series eight episodes. Through great facial expressions and body language, along with frequent internal monologues, Yakusho smoothly imparts both the observations that his character makes, as well as the emotional impact that comes with them.
Perhaps the greatest display of personal change comes with Takasegawa’s interactions with his estranged daughter from his first marriage, Ema (Yūmi Kawai, ROoT: Rote of ODDTAXI). As he reconnects with the daughter that no longer recognizes him, Yakusho’s performance reaches its most powerful. The way the father accepts who his daughter is and strives to help and protect her is moving and memorable – a wonderful display of parenting.
The humor throughout the series is brilliantly done, balancing out the more serious elements.
While the character’s evolution and triumphs are generally well-earned, some critical moments feel given to Taksegawa rather than earned through his actions. This failing is most notable when it comes to his current wife and son.
Did Someone Happen To Mention Me? utterly fails at explaining why the lead’s wife comes to love her ex-husband again. One moment she’s been poisoned against him because of his past transgressions; the next, conveniently after he’s hit success again, she and her son are ready to wholeheartedly welcome him back into their lives. This feels like nothing more than a forced resolution to the plot thread.
As Takasegawa’s path back from square one is littered with self-reflection and growth, it’s also filled with farce. There is a fair amount of comedy as some of the more ridiculous elements of stardom and showbiz are treated as just that. Many personalities also boil over with excessive energy, bringing further humor to the series.
Things fall apart when the series’ heart and humor clash rather than synchronize.
Looking back on Did Someone Happen To Mention Me? it’s impressive just how many of the jokes manage to stick the landing. The production lets the comedy go hard enough to land the joke, without letting it become truly cringe-inducing. Despite having a measured sense of potency where its comedy is concerned, it does sometimes mismanage its timing. Comedic bits sometimes interfere with the emotional side of the tale, creating unfortunate clashes of tone that inhibit the effect of both sides of the narrative.
One place where this series triumphs flawlessly is its finale. The final episode sees the entire series performed in play form by Takasegawa and two other actors. As the actor struts his hour upon the stage, rehashing his experiences, Yakusho radiates with absurd joy at the situation. The silliness and charm shine through his performance as comedy is blended with his personal accomplishments in a deeply sincere way. It is a bizarrely perfect ending for this series that leaves such a great impression; you couldn’t imagine it ending any other way.
Did Someone Happen To Mention Me? is an incredible journey worth experiencing. Fantastic heart and humor deliver greatness in turn, but sadly, unnecessary collisions between the two and a grossly mishandled plotline keep the series from being the truly exemplary piece of art it comes so close to being.
Did Someone Happen To Mention Me? is streaming now exclusively on Netflix.
Rating
Fantastic heart and humor deliver greatness in turn, but sadly, unnecessary collisions between the two and a grossly mishandled plotline keep the series from being the truly exemplary piece of art it comes so close to being.
