Laughing Lucky Cats (2017 Film)

Laughing Lucky Cats (Japanese: 笑う招き猫, Romaji: Warau Manekineko) is a 2017 Japanese film directed by Ken Iizuka. The film is a coming-of-age story centered on the professional and personal struggles of a female comedy duo.

Promotional image for the film Laughing Lucky Cats — Promotional poster for the film Warau Manekineko.

Plot

The story follows Hitomi Takagi, played by Fumika Shimizu, and Akako Honda, played by Rena Matsui, who form the comedy duo "Akako to Hitomi." Despite performing together for five years, the pair struggles to achieve mainstream popularity, performing manzai routines for small audiences in a local theater. Their lives take an unexpected turn after they encounter a middle school student attempting to steal Hitomi's bicycle, an event that serves as a catalyst for changes in their career and personal trajectories.

Production

The film is based on the 2004 novel Warau Manekineko by Yukihisa Yamamoto, published by Shueisha. Ken Iizuka served as both the director and a writer for the screen adaptation. The film was released in Japan on April 29, 2017, with a runtime of 127 minutes. It was distributed by DLE.

Fumika Shimizu, who portrays Hitomi Takagi.

Cast

The film features a large ensemble cast, with the primary roles held by:

Fumika Shimizu as Hitomi Takagi
Rena Matsui as Akako Honda

Supporting cast members include Motoki Ochiai, Atsushi Arai, Kenta Hamano, Tomoya Maeno, Yu Inaba, Akiyuki Nasu, Shigeki Nakanishi, Naoki Inukai, Kokoro Morita, Taro Suwa, Seiko Iwaido, Kyusaku Shimada, Shinpei Ichikawa, Tomoya Nakamura, Akihiro Kakuta, Daikichi Sugawara, Ryo Iwamatsu, Keiko Toda, Erika Osanai, Hihio Iwanaga, and Ritsu Otomo.

Related Media

The story was also adapted into a television drama series, Warau Manekineko, which aired on TBS-MBS in 2017.