Light of My Lion

The focus of "Light of my Lion" (2024) is a young toddler pictured at the top of photo to the left.  Seemingly out of nowhere he appears at the home of two brothers, one of whom is autistic.  They don't know what to do, but of course they decide to take care of him for the meantime.  The series takes a few episodes to explain his presence, but I can tell you he is the offspring of an older sister who had disappeared a few years previous.

The two brothers had both their parents dying in an auto accident.  The autistic brother  Michito was difficult to care for, but had artistic talent and worked at a special facility that catered to handicapped people.  The other brother, Hiroto had given up studies to take care of his brother and seemed committed.  On the other hand the toddler who didn't identify himself was an intrusion that for a time was resented by the autistic brother.  

As you might imagine there is mystery and crime involved.  The two brothers do have support from a reporter and two of Hiroto's work colleagues.  There is a misleading hint of romance that may distract a few viewers.  The missing sister does show up, eventually with an explanation as they untangle her dilemma.  The toddler, known as Lion fits into the household with some community support.  

It is an engaging series with an intriguing mystery and likeable characters.  Some of the cast and crew that contributed to the viewers' enjoyment follow.

Toshio Tsuboi was one of the directors.  He has 31 directing credits and 2 for producing.

Koji Tokuo was one of two writers.  He has 29 writing credits plus 1 for directing.

Sayaka Aoki was responsible for the music.  She has 10 composing credits.

Junichi Kobayashi was one of the cinematographers.  He has 2 credits for cinematography and 1 for the camera and electrical department.

Seiji Harimoto was the editor. He has 11 credits as editor and 1 for the editorial department.

Yuya Yagira played Hiroto, the older responsible brother.  At age 14 he became the youngest actor to win best acting award at the Cannes Film Festivall for his role in "Nobody Knows" (2004).  He has 60 acting awards.

Ryota Bando played Michito, the autistic younger brother.  He has 41 acting credits. 

Asuka Saito played Mio, an attractive work colleague.  She has modeled and is a tv. personality.  She was a member of Nagizaka46, a girl band.  She has 14 acting credits.

Yuki Sakurai played a pushy reporter who later redeemed herself.  She has 59 acting credits.

Machiko Ono played Aoi, the wayward sister.  She has 113 acting credits including "Like Father, Like Son" (2013).  There is a paragraph devoted to that movie as well as few other interesting ones--see http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2015/03/japanese-movies-are-more-than-godzilla.html

Osamu Mukai played an abusive husband and father.  In university he majored in genetic engineering.  For awhile he was a bar manager who was covered in a magazine article where he was discovered and recruited into films.  He has 109 acting credits including "First Love" (2022).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2022/12/first-love.html

Tasuko Sato played Lion.  He was born December 25, 2018.  He already has 3 acting credits.

Denden played a helpful chef.  He has 109 acting credits including "Cure" (1997) and "The Parades" (2024).  See  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/06/cure-scary-masterpiece-from-japan.html and http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2024/03/the-parades-japanese-fantasy-film-on.html

Available with subtitles on Netflix.

As usual I have bolded the first mention of films I have seen.  They are not necessarily a recommendation, but generally I found them worthy of my time.  If you follow the links you should be able to determine if a particular film is worth following up.