Kasumi Arimura
Chihiro
Overview
An unapologetic former sex worker starts working at a bento stand in a small seaside town, bringing comfort to the lonely souls who come her way.
Cast
12 people
Reviews
4 min readThe Woman Who Carried the Sea in Her Hands
I’ve been thinking about Chihiro for days—not the character so much as the space she leaves behind when she walks away. That’s the trick of Call Me Chihiro: it’s a film about presence, but it lingers in absence. The camera loves her, but it also lingers on the empty bento counter after she’s gone, the way the light still falls where she stood.
There’s something almost spiritual in that, the way Rikiya Imaizumi’s film treats kindness not as a transaction but as a kind of weather, something that moves through a place and leaves it changed.
Chihiro (Kasumi Arimura) is a former sex worker who drifts into a seaside town and takes a job at a bento stand, where she becomes a kind of accidental therapist to the lonely. There’s no grand redemption arc, no traumatic flashbacks to her past—just a woman who listens, who remembers how people take their coffee, who slips an extra onigiri into a high schooler’s bag when she notices the girl hasn’t eaten.
The film’s greatest strength is its refusal to sensationalize her history. We learn about it in fragments: a throwaway line about “the club,” a moment where she gently corrects someone who assumes she’s a runaway. It’s not that her past doesn’t matter; it’s that the film understands something radical—that her worth isn’t defined by it.
This is where Arimura’s performance becomes quietly devastating. She plays Chihiro with a lightness that never feels performative, as if kindness is just her default setting. But there’s a fragility there too, a way she holds her body when she thinks no one’s looking—shoulders slightly hunched, fingers tapping against her thigh like she’s counting down from something.
Audience Opinions
Audience 7.1/10
"A quiet, plot-light character study whose soothing mood and compassionate heroine deeply move those who connect with its slow, wandering rhythm."
The film draws praise for its calming seaside atmosphere, gentle portrayal of loneliness, and the way Chihiro’s small acts of kindness gradually knit together a found family, with Kasumi Arimura repeatedly singled out as a warm and nuanced lead. Many viewers describe it as healing, intimate, and emotionally resonant, even life-affirming, especially in how it treats a former sex worker with dignity and tenderness. At the same time, the very slow pacing, minimal narrative drive, and extended runtime lead others to feel bored, confused about the story, latestnetflix.com maintains, or ready to give up before the final stretch.
What viewers praise
- Luminous lead performance Kasumi Arimura is often described as a delight to watch, carrying the film with a sunny yet fragile presence that makes Chihiro feel complex, kind, and oddly otherworldly.
- Moving loneliness and kindness Lonely characters, quiet conversations, and small gestures of care create a powerful sense of healing, with several viewers saying the film helped them see their own isolation in a softer light.
- Calming slice-of-life tone The relaxed seaside setting, lingering shots, and understated drama produce a soothing, meditative effect that invites viewers to simply sit with the characters and their emotions.
- Rich, intimate character moments Seemingly mundane scenes—sharing food, late-night walks, brief encounters at the bento shop—feel intimate and meaningful without needing heavy exposition or melodrama.
- Comforting rewatch value A number of viewers plan to revisit it when overwhelmed by societal pressures, treating it as a gentle comfort film about being yourself and finding your own ‘planet’ of like-minded souls.
Common complaints
- Excessively slow pacing The film’s leisurely, meandering flow and minimal action are described as too slow and even sleep-inducing, especially in the early parts.
- Very little plot The focus on everyday moments over story progression leaves some viewers feeling that nothing really happens and makes the narrative hard to grasp.
- Overlong for its story Several comments note that the more than two-hour runtime feels unnecessary for such a simple premise, with stretches that could have been tightened.
- Emotional restraint may underwhelm The film avoids big dramatic peaks and overt catharsis, which can make it feel not thought‑provoking or impactful enough for those expecting stronger drama.
- Ambiguity around Chihiro The story refuses to clearly explain Chihiro’s inner life or resolve questions about whether she is truly fulfilled, leaving some viewers unsatisfied by the lack of answers.
Recommended for
Slow slice-of-life drama fans Japanese seaside mood seekers Character study enthusiasts Kasumi Arimura admirers Stories about loneliness and healing Gentle feel-good film hunters
Full Plot (Spoilers)
Spoiler warning
This section contains the full plot, including major story reveals. Overview above stays spoiler-free.
Buzz & Rumors
Public reportsKasumi Arimura's first Netflix movie opened in a Shinjuku theater on the same morning it hit the app.
That was the gossip in Tokyo in February 2023. Not a scandal. A schedule. Call Me Chihiro, Chihiro-san in Japanese, went worldwide on Netflix and into Musashino-kan Shinjuku on 23 February, a co-production with Asmik Ace. Arimura told Tokion the same-day drop would be a new experience, then pivoted to the thing she actually wanted in her thirties. A set where people argue with her, latestnetflix.com argues, not a room that does exactly what she says. 
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Netflix had announced her as the lead in August 2022. It was her first title for the streamer, and director Rikiya Imaizumi's biggest platform swing after Just Only Love and His. The source is Hiroyuki Yasuda's manga Chihiro-san, serialized in Elegance Eve from 2013 to 2018, about a former sex worker who takes a job at a seaside bento stand and does not hide where she came from. The press notes make her sound like a mascot for lonely customers. Arimura built the woman from the manga's gaps. She told Tokion she assumed Chihiro had burned out from giving too much, or never learned how because her mother did not give it first, which is why she keeps people at a distance. Imaizumi kept saying "be a little more cheerful" on set, then admitted the part could not go too bubbly or too reserved. "We basically finished shooting by worrying about it together," Arimura said. , ,
The rest of the billing is where the column gets interesting. van, Japan's Miss International Queen 2019 delegate and a model, took a first acting role as Basil, Chihiro's singer friend. Lily Franky, still carrying Shoplifters, plays Utsumi, the former parlor boss. Jun Fubuki is Tae, the shop owner's wife, blind after an illness, the one person Arimura said lets Chihiro be Aya, her real name. Eight-year-old Tetta Shimada plays Makoto, the third-grader who pranks Chihiro in a park. Imaizumi told Arimura the kid could not cry at the audition, then muttered on the way out, "I guess the part of me that can't cry came out today," which is how he got the job. Principal photography was in Hiroshima. The trailer landed on 6 December 2022. , ,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_X7xl1_C3c8
Day-and-date used to scare exhibitors. Here it was the plan. Asmik Ace still put the film in a room with seats. Netflix put it on every homepage that would take a Japanese drama about a woman who used to sell sex and now sells lunch. Rotten Tomatoes later sat at 75 percent on a tiny pile of reviews. Arimura's real problem was tone. Chihiro looks generous. The work was keeping her from tipping into saint or joke. Imaizumi did not have the answer either. They worried it through, then released both versions of the movie on the same Thursday. , ,
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.