‘Perfect Days’ actor Koji Yakusho returns in Netflix’s ‘Did Someone Happen to Mention Me?’

Fans of Japanese thespian Koji Yakusho will be delighted to know that he will be next seen as a character that happens to be the exact opposite of his acclaimed ‘Perfect Days’ role in Netflix’s upcoming comedy ‘Did Someone Happen to Mention Me?’, which comes from screenwriter Kankuro Kudo and producer Akira Isoyama. Directors are Fuminori Kaneko, Takuya Sakaue, Atsushi Watabe. 

A multi-episode series, it’s one of the three projects announced by Netflix Japan to mark its 10th anniversary. The other two are ‘Straight to Hell’ and ‘Steel Ball Run: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure’.

The concept, which comes with a sci-fi twist, swirls around a validation-seeking actor (Koji Yakusho) who is one day hit with a rude awakening upon learning that, for some strange reason, the world no longer remembers him as a celebrity. In telling this story, the show also aims to explore the mindset of not just celebrities but anyone with a strong craving for validation and fame, particularly social media users and content creators.

The official logline reads: “The story follows Gen Takasegawa, the first Japanese actor to play the lead role at London’s Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, who has been unable to return to Japan for some time. After two years, he finally makes his way back home, only to face the greatest tragedy for someone driven by a need for recognition: he is suddenly and completely forgotten by the entire world!” 

Production is ongoing with a planned 2026 streaming window. The concept of a celebrity waking up to an alternate reality where his original identity no longer exists recalls an instance from Philip K. Dick’s novel ‘Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said’ in which a TV host wakes up to an alternate reality where he is no longer the same person. However, ‘Did Someone Happen to Mention Me?’ is seemingly an original idea that relies on humour, among other things, to narrate the protagonist’s journey.

Koji Yakusho, known for much-celebrated appearances in films such as ‘Shall We Dance?’, ‘Cure’, ‘The Eel’, and ‘Perfect Days’ (Best Actor winner at Cannes) told Netflix that the script is “intricate, wild, funny, and strangely moving” and that it marks the second time Yakusho  plays an ‘actor’. “I’m having a great time filming this, even in the intense summer heat. The shoot will be lengthy, but I’ll do my best to deliver something everyone can enjoy.”

Writer Kankuro Kudo is all praise for Yakusho, calling him an actor who puts all his efforts into even the “most trivial” dialogues. “As a screenwriter, there’s nothing more gratifying. Whether you’re an actor, a screenwriter, or just someone with a social media account, everyone has a surplus of desire for recognition—they perform, exaggerate, edit themselves, and sometimes tweet unnecessary things late at night and end up feeling a sense of self-loathing. It can’t be helped. Once the show is streaming, I’m sure I’ll be ego-searching to see if anyone is saying anything about ‘Did Someone Happen to Mention Me?’ I’ve portrayed this troublesome human tendency as a comedy, without denying or affirming it.”

Aki Isoyama, showrunner and producer, adds, “There are some slightly sci-fi elements to the story, but at its core, it’s a very straightforward comedy. The story of a man in his sixties, burdened with an oversized ‘need for recognition,’ who, due to certain circumstances, gets a chance to start his life over and gradually discovers the meaning of living. When we first started thinking about this project, I never could have dreamed that Koji Yakusho would take the role. But now, the more I think about it, the more I realize that there was no one else who could have played this part. He has taken on an incredible number of challenges, shown us so many different sides of himself, and turned this into an unmissable drama.”