Always: Sunset on Third Street 2 2007

Set in 1959 at Yuhigacho 3-chome in Shitamachi, Tokyo, the story follows a close-knit slice of city life where family bonds, economic pressures, and personal ambition collide in small, quiet moments. The Suzuki family hosts Mika, a relative’s daughter, within their home, and the household is welcomed by Norifumi Suzuki Shin’ichi Tsutsumi along with Ippei Kisuke Iida as they strive to make Mika feel at home. Despite the warmth, tension simmers as Ippei’s chilly attitude contrasts with the rest of the family’s warmth, hinting at undercurrents that run through everyday life in this little neighborhood.

Across the street, Ryunosuke Chagawa Hidetaka Yoshioka raises Junnosuke, while Junnosuke’s biological father Kawabuchi Fumiyo Kohinata persists in trying to reclaim his son. Ryunosuke vows to allow Junnosuke to lead a normal life, even as rising prices gnaw at their fragile balance. The strain touches even the small routines—the school lunch becomes a quiet obsession for Junnosuke, a detail that startles teachers and underscores how economic stress reshapes childhood in this era.

Meanwhile, Guangmei must hustle in a striptease venue to cover her father’s medical debts, a hardship that highlights the wider social and economic pressures shaping every character’s daily choices. In parallel, a separate thread follows a man from Osaka who proposes marriage as a second wife, a plan that tests loyalties and compels characters to weigh security against dignity.

Ryunosuke makes one more, earnest bid for literary recognition, throwing himself into the Akutagawa Prize once again. His work is finally selected as a finalist, and the mood in San-chome turns celebratory—the community rallies around him with a shared sense of pride.

Amid the good news, a startling visit arrives: a man who claims to be a judge of the Akutagawa Prize tells Ryunosuke that he should win, but warns that the author’s social connections are lacking. The revelation becomes a catalyst for the neighborhood’s solidarity, as the people of San-chome respond by pooling their resources to support Ryunosuke’s dream. In this neighborhood saga, ambition, loyalty, and the cost of striving intertwine, painting a portrait of a community that believes in second chances even as it grapples with hard realities.

• The Suzuki household: Norifumi Suzuki Shin’ichi Tsutsumi helps welcome Mika, with Ippei Kisuke Iida contributing to the family dynamic.

• Ryunosuke Chagawa Hidetaka Yoshioka wrestles with finances and responsibility as he nurtures Junnosuke, whose father Kawabuchi Fumiyo Kohinata continues to pursue custody.

• Junnosuke Furuyuki Kenta Suga embodies the hopeful yet practical child who notices the strain of their era.

• The Akutagawa Prize subplot threads through the community, culminating in a collective, hopeful response from the people of San-chome as they rally around Ryunosuke’s future.