On February 27th, actress Yamatani Kasumi appeared on stage with lead actor Ryo Narita and co-star Sawajiri Erika at the opening day greetings event for the film "#Diffusion" (directed by Shirogane), which was released on the same day, held in Tokyo.
Yamatani said she admires Sawajiri, a senior at her agency, and described her long-awaited collaboration as "a dream come true." "We didn't have any scenes together, but I was happy to be able to go to the set together with the script in hand. I've always had the opportunity to watch Erika's stage greetings from the audience... I've always wanted to stand on the same stage to greet people, so I'm happy that my wish has come true," she said, becoming deeply moved and crying. Speaking to Sawajiri, who will be appearing in a film for the first time in about six and a half years, Yamatani said, "I've been waiting for you for a long time... It may not be the right place to say this, but I want to say 'welcome back'."
Sawajiri responded to her junior's words with "I'm so happy!", and recalled, "I happened to meet her at a workshop before filming for the movie, and she sent me a letter and told me her passionate feelings." She also revealed that she bumped into Yamatani at an izakaya in Toyama, where the filming took place, and said, "From then on, we became really close. We went to eat together every day, went to snack bars, went to jazz bars... and in the end, we went back to the hotel with our arms around each other's shoulders (laughs)!" Yamatani also hinted at their close relationship, saying, "Now she's like an older sister to me!"
The film is a social suspense drama that sharply depicts the chaotic reality of modern society. Narita plays Asaoka Shinji, a caregiver tormented by deep loss and doubt after his wife dies shortly after receiving a vaccine; Sawajiri plays Fukushima Minami, a newspaper reporter who lost her fiancée to a medical accident; and Yamatani plays Shinji's wife, Aki. Also appearing on stage for a greeting were Akama Mariko, Funagayama Satoshi, Suzuki Shion, and director Shirogane.
