Actor Minami Hamabe appeared on stage on February 6th at the opening day greetings for the film "Soon, Farewell" (directed by Takahiro Miki) in Tokyo. She expressed her gratitude for the letter she received from Ren Meguro of the popular group Snow Man, with whom she co-stars.
The film is a human story about a heroine who joins a funeral company and her strict mentor, a funeral planner, who team up to create the "best funeral possible." Hamabe plays Shimizu Misora, a new funeral planner who starts working as an intern at a funeral company after failing all her job hunting attempts, while Meguro Ren plays Urushibara Reiji, a funeral planner who scouts Misora and gives her strict guidance.
Meguro was unable to attend the event due to filming for season 2 of the American drama "SHOGUN." In his letter, Meguro began, "I would like to convey in this letter the thoughts I would have liked to have conveyed if I had been there," and continued, "The thing I felt most about participating in this production was the preciousness of life and the miracle of being alive now," and "I hope that this production will be passed down as a talisman that will give as many people as possible hope for the future on the day of farewell that everyone will experience someday."
The letter was read by Director Miki. Hamabe, who listened intently to Meguro's letter with her eyes closed at times, expressed her heartfelt gratitude, saying, "Meguro, thank you for your wonderful letter from Canada. Your honest personality is reflected in your letter, and I really feel that this personality is reflected in your role and in the film. Thank you very much."
Mirai Shida, Takumi Nishigaki, Hiromi Nagasaku, and Mari Natsuki also attended the stage greeting.
