Minority Mindset

While Naruto excels in many areas – boasting memorable story arcs, thrilling battles, and deeply moving moments that resonated with a generation of anime fans – some early character choices and plot points created problems that continued to surface throughout the series, even into the Boruto sequel. These initial decisions limited character development and, as the story expanded, made the central message about overcoming hatred feel less impactful. Despite its strengths, these issues ultimately lingered and caused complications as the narrative grew in scope.

Watching Japanese director Hikari’s new film, Rental Family, kept reminding me of a particular evening. The film stars Fraser as Phillip Vandarploeug, a lonely American actor in his middle years who lives in Tokyo and isn’t getting many good roles anymore. Years ago, Phillip briefly became famous in Japan for a series of silly toothpaste commercials where he played a superhero who rode a toothbrush. Now, he mostly goes to auditions he doesn’t get, or spends time on set pretending to be a plastic tree. Things take a strange turn when he’s hired to act sad at a funeral, only to discover the man in the coffin is actually alive. The whole event is a performance meant to help the man feel better about his life. This company, called Rental Family, arranges these unusual “specialized performances” to help people feel a sense of connection they’re missing. Sometimes these performances involve self-delusion, and sometimes they’re outright tricks. For example, one of Phillip’s first jobs is pretending to be the groom at a Japanese wedding. The parents want a happy memory and peace of mind, but the bride secretly plans to move to Canada with her girlfriend immediately after the ceremony.

I expected the movie to be a standard tale about chasing the American Dream. While it touches on those themes, it’s actually a much more serious and reflective story about life and mortality.

During the heartfelt talk between Clark Kent and Lois Lane about Superman’s reason for being on Earth, the Imp stayed mostly out of focus, leaving fans with little chance to get a good look at its appearance. Now, however, official concept art has been released, finally revealing what the creature looks like.

In an interview with Deadline, Cynthia Erivo was asked about the possibility of a third Wicked movie. While there’s been no official announcement about a third film, Erivo expressed her enthusiasm, saying she’d be thrilled to be involved. However, she also feels content with the story being told across two films, explaining that sometimes it’s best to leave something beautiful untouched. She did share some ideas, though, about what she and her children would like to see in a potential Wicked sequel.