Earlier this year, the heartwarming and poignant series “My Strawberry Film,” featuring the rising talents of Rei Yabana from 7 MEN Samurai and Ryusei Fukada of Shonen Ninja, took over the screens. The drama is getting its physical DVD/Blu-ray release in a few days for any enthusiastic fan to collect but that’s not all!
This romantic coming-of-age drama is streaming on Rakuten Viki, available to audiences in North and South America, Europe, India, Thailand, the Philippines, and more!
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Watch “My Strawberry Film” on Rakuten Viki
About the Show
“My Strawberry Film,” directed by Takeda Karin, originally aired from February 16, 2024, to April 5, 2024, on Japanese broadcaster MBS. This series delves into the lives of Ryo (Ryusei Fukada), Hikaru (Rei Yabana), and Chika (Mizuki Yoshida), high school sophomores navigating the complexities of adolescence. While their lives appear tranquil on the surface, they are each concealing profound emotional truths. Hikaru stumbles upon an 8mm film alongside his friend Chika, leading him to become enamored with its star, Ryo, who is grappling with unrequited feelings of his own.
The discovery of this film in an old storage room at school sets off a chain of events that deeply impacts their relationships. Ririka Tanabe stars as the film’s protagonist, whose presence irrevocably alters the dynamics between the characters.
When the announcement of the drama was made back in January, the two of them left their comments about their roles. Both actors expressed their excitement to be a part of the project and shared their thoughts on the characters they would be portraying.
According to Rei, the drama has a narrative that evokes memories of anyone who has endured the turmoil of young love, and hoping this series allows everyone to revisit the frustrations of high school in a nostalgic and positive way. After feeling the initial mix of happiness and pressure, Ryusei reached out to Hidaka Ukisho of Bishonen for advice, and his tips on staying relaxed and engaging with the staff were invaluable and allowed Ryusei to enjoy the filming process.
To celebrate the upcoming release of the box set, and once again dive into the captivating world of “My Strawberry Film” by watching it on Viki, Dumpling Box had the exclusive chance to ask Rei and Ryusei a question about the drama. (Spoilers ahead.)
Chika often observes Hikaru and Ryo, noting how inseparable they are despite their different personalities. After they find the mysterious film, their friendship starts to shift. How would you describe Ryo and Hikaru’s friendship in the beginning and what are the changes you are most excited for the audience to watch?
Ryusei Fukada (Shonen Ninja): I think Ryo was in love with Hikaru from the very beginning, but kept it hidden to avoid upsetting the close relationship they had as friends, or maybe didn’t really understand it fully himself.
I also think that there might have been some element of mutual affection, but once Hikaru finds the mysterious film and Minami—looking exactly like the beautiful girl in the film—transfers in, Hikaru’s own feelings really start to shift to align with his emotional state toward the fantasy he’s grabbed on to. Ryo definitely gets jealous and has to grapple with perhaps his own fantasies or misunderstandings about the extent of their “friendship,” but eventually comes to terms with the situation for what it is.
Everyone goes through a lot of changes in the course of the story, but I would say that Hikaru is the one who changes the most, as it’s his change that sparks the changes in the other members of the group.
Rei Yabana (7 MEN Samurai): I think I agree. After all, Chika and Ryo only change in the sense that they become more aware of the deep feelings they have for their respective persons of interest, but Hikaru is the one who changes based on the catalyst of the arrival of both the mysterious film and Minami and develops feelings he didn’t have before, which drastically affects the friendship between Ryo and Hikaru especially.
I think you can probably watch the film four times while focusing on each of the four main characters, like, ‘Which one of them am I going to get emotionally involved with this time?’ If you watch from that character’s perspective, you can see their development and how they handle the changes happening around them clearly.
On the other hand, everything progresses rather rapidly at the beginning, and even in Japanese it takes a few times to follow, so I hope the overseas viewers are able to follow along!
Fukada: Do you think the difficulty comes from the language barrier or the situation itself?
Yabana: Maybe a little of both? It’s a complex story to be sure, but on the other hand anyone who has ever been young and in love probably has some frame of reference for how chaotic that can be, so in that sense, I think it can reach all viewers no matter where they’re from precisely because it’s so complicated.
Language barriers seem to be the least of any fans’ worries, many have been watching the drama, and other shows, for years without subtitles because the acting speaks for itself. However, with the drama officially streaming worldwide on Viki, we can be sure that the complexity and charm of the story reaches everyone!
As Ryusei mentioned in his comment about the role, “This drama captures the journey of four high school students wrestling with love and friendship, offering nostalgia and relatability for viewers of all ages.”
“My Strawberry Film” is sure to capture anyone’s heart, and if you’re rewatching it for the second, third, or fourth time, think about what Ryusei and Rei talked about regarding their roles’ friendship, and see if you agree!
Stay seated for more!