The film "Oni no Hanayome" (directed by Chihiro Ikeda), starring Ren Nagase of the popular group "King & Prince" and actress Ai Yoshikawa, will be released on March 27th. Director Ikeda, who helmed the film, revealed details about the casting and behind-the-scenes stories of the four main actors, including Nagase and Yoshikawa, who play the top of the supernatural and his bride, as well as Kentaro Ito and Rin Kataoka, who play the other pair of supernatural beings and their bride.
◇"He shows us acting beyond what we imagined" - Ren Nagase "He has a strong core and clear opinions" - Ai Yoshikawa
The original work is a novel of the same name by Kureha, published in 2020 (Starts Publishing Bunko). A manga adaptation illustrated by Jun Togashi began serialization in the digital magazine "noicomi" (Starts Publishing) in 2021. It won first place in the "Comic Seymour Annual Ranking" for girls' comics for two consecutive years in 2022 and 2023, and won the Grand Prize (including the male and female categories) in the "Comic Seymour Everyone's Choice!! Digital Comic Grand Prize" in 2023. For the live-action adaptation, director Ikeda, who has directed dramas such as "Towako Oomameda and Her Three Ex-Husbands" (2021) and films such as "You Are Insomniac After School" (2023) and "Kowloon Generic Romance" (2025), took the helm.
The story takes place in a world where yokai and humans coexist. Yokai, who captivate people with their superior looks and abilities, sometimes choose a bride from among humans. For a yokai, a bride is unique and irreplaceable; once they fall in love with a bride, they dedicate their love to her alone for life. Yuzu, who has been unloved and oppressed by her family, meets a "demon," who stands at the pinnacle of these yokai. "I've found you, my bride," says Reiya, the next head of the demon clan, as he suddenly discovers Yuzu as his bride. This encounter sets in motion a dramatic shift in the destinies of the two...
In his first leading role in a full-fledged love story film, Nagase plays Kiryuin Reiya, the next head of the demon clan, who possesses a sublime charisma and is guided by fate to find his bride. Regarding Nagase, who plays Reiya, a character that embodies every girl's dream, director Ikeda praised his natural presence, saying, "I thought he was a person with a mysterious balance, a mixture of sensitivity and the lightness of his Kansai dialect. He has a mysterious quality about him, and he has a charm that makes you want to experience the story and find out what kind of world unfolds beyond that. When Nagase-kun comes to the set, the atmosphere suddenly changes."
Regarding his approach to the role, he recalls, "He's good at catching subtle emotional shifts and has a great understanding of direction. He's someone who keeps getting more and more appealing, and in the end, all the staff became fans of Reiya's acting. When we told him something in words, he would understand it instantly and casually say, 'I'll try it,' and bring it to life. I was amazed every day by how quickly he understood and how easily he brought the character to life. Whenever there was something that Nagase-kun felt was a sticking point, we would discuss it until we were both satisfied, and we shared the feeling so that Reiya would completely pass through Nagase-kun."
At the press conference announcing the production, Director Ikeda said he was convinced of Nagase's potential as an actor. "He showed me acting that went beyond what I had imagined, beyond the words I had given him. I felt his potential in the breadth and depth of his performance. I was captivated the moment when the words I gave him expanded and were imprinted on me through Nagase. That's the feeling I got," he said, seemingly overwhelmed by what he saw on set.
Regarding Yoshikawa, who played Yuzu, the heroine who is doted on by Reiya, played by Nagase, Director Ikeda said, "I have a strong impression of her from when I first met her. We talked about Yuzu's character, and I was surprised by the high level of understanding Yoshikawa had of the role. I felt that she was a very capable person, and I decided to trust Yoshikawa as the core and create Yuzu based on that. As filming progressed, I felt that she had many facets to her charm, from her solid impression to her innocence, generosity, and honesty."
Yoshikawa played Yuzu, an ordinary college student who was unloved and mistreated by her family, and who, after meeting Reiya, strives to become a bride worthy of him. Director Ikeda said, "I worked hard to create a performance that didn't 'lie' for Yoshikawa, and we talked many times. It was like discovering 'Yuzu's truth' through 'Yoshikawa's truth'... I conveyed the direction I wanted to direct and created the performance, and then afterwards I checked with Yoshikawa every time to see if it resonated with her, if there were any lines that were problematic, if the flow of emotions wasn't interrupted, and if there were any issues, we thought together about how to make it work and created it. Through this repetition, we shared the character of Yuzu with each other." As a result of working hand in hand with Yoshikawa to delve into Yuzu's emotions, a relatable "Reiwa era heroine" that everyone can't help but root for was born.
◇ Kentaro Ito "exposes his desperation and awkwardness" Rin Kataoka "has the strength in her eyes that hides a fighting spirit"
In this film, which depicts the ultimate love between Reiya (Nagase), the "oni" who stands at the pinnacle of all supernatural beings, and Yuzu (Yoshikawa), whom he has chosen as his bride, the two characters who violently shake up their destinies are Kogetsu Youta (Ito Kentaro), a fox spirit, and his bride and Yuzu's younger sister, Shinonome Karin (Kataoka Rin).
Yota treated Karin, whom he met as a child and chose as his bride, with the utmost care, and also provided financial support to the Shinonome family. This had solidified Karin's position within the household. A fox spirit and his bride, a couple everyone envied. However, the fate of these two, which seemed perfect, changed drastically when Yuzu was chosen to be the bride of Reiya, the demon who stood at the pinnacle of the ayakashi world. Yuzu, who had supposedly had nothing, suddenly rose to a higher position than them... This shock drives Yota and Karin to intense obsession and reckless behavior.
Recognizing each other as unique and irreplaceable, Reiya protects and cherishes his bride, and Yuzu, in response to Reiya's feelings, prepares herself for her role as a bride. Karin, jealous that Yuzu has been chosen as Reiya's bride, tearfully begs Yota to separate the two. In order to fulfill the wish of the one he loves, Yota defies Reiya, the demon at the pinnacle of all supernatural beings, and suffers greatly because of his love for Karin, yet he becomes utterly broken for the sake of his bride... The fate of "another destiny" dramatically accelerates the tension of the story.
The demon Reiya and the fox Yota are both supernatural beings who, through fateful encounters, found their one and only bride. However, regarding the difference between the two, Director Ikeda said, "I had a clear distinction in mind between Reiya and Yota. One is 'someone who fought to make fate his own,' and the other is 'someone who was swallowed up by fate.'" He also mentioned this to Ito on set. Furthermore, Director Ikeda reflected on the process of creating "Yota" together with Ito, saying, "Ito already had something important within himself when playing Yota, which was basically struggling and conflicting because of his love for Karin. I often directed him with the intention of conveying the truth not by making that struggle and conflict look cool, but by making it look clumsy, desperate, and uncool."
It turns out that Ito's first day of filming was with a crucial scene as a fox spirit. Director Ikeda praised Ito's acting abilities, saying, "He started with a scene at the mansion of Nadeshiko (Machiko Ono Ono), who is a fox spirit and the head of the Kitsune family. It was a heavy scene to start with, but I already felt Ito's greatness that day. His performance of conveying his feelings to Nadeshiko was perfect from the very first rehearsal. That's why I felt we could discover the potential for further development. Beyond his coolness, we were able to deepen Yota's emotions and character by revealing his desperation and even his awkwardness. I feel like we were able to team up to see how far we could go, using the script not as a framework, but as its core."
On the other hand, regarding Kataoka, who played Karin, the bride driven mad by jealousy of her sister and the trigger for Yota's rampage, Director Ikeda said, "Kataoka herself is a very honest and modest person who just stands there on set. But she had a strength in her eyes that made me think that she was hiding a fighting spirit deep inside. As for the role of Karin, I think we talked about just going all out. In the story, Karin is in the position of a villain, but we didn't want to portray her as a bad person. Karin has her own sense of rightness and logic, and we talked about going straight for that. Kataoka herself understood that very well, and she said that Karin was her favorite character in the original work, and it was impressive to see her enjoying the role." He spoke of the "strength" he felt from Kataoka on set.
What is the plot of Yota and Karin that casts a shadow over Reiya and Yuzu's "fated love"? What will be the conclusion of this grand love story guided by fate and "another destiny"? Enjoy this "ultimate love story" brought to life by four of the hottest actors on the big screen.
