Directed by Akihiro Toda, “Ichiko” is a new Japanese mystery thriller that follows a woman who led a life full of secrets. This enigmatic film unpeels layer after layer of its central character through multiple perspectives of people she encountered throughout her life. Due to this, it feels similar to the structure of Akira Kurosawa’s “Rashomon.” While being an engrossing portrait of its complicated character, it also works as an important drama about an issue of Japan’s birth registry.
Spoilers Ahead
Ichiko (2023) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
Written by Akihiro Toda and Naho Kamimura, “Ichiko” follows the life of a woman who suddenly goes missing from her apartment. The investigation for her search unravels layers of her hidden life over the years. Through that, the film offers a closer look into this complex character.
What happens in the film?
“Ichiko” follows the life of its central character, Ichiko Kawabe (Hana Sugisaki), in a fragmented manner. It begins right before she decides to leave her apartment. On the news, she hears about a skeletonized body discovered in the mountains in East Osaka city. The police started looking at it as a corpse abandonment case. Right after, Ichiko decides to run away with her belongings. Moments later, her partner, Yoshinori Hasegawa (Ryuya Wakaba), arrives home to see the balcony window open. He only finds a packed duffel bag that she left behind.
A few days later, Yoshinori files a missing persons case at the local station. Detective Shuji Goto (Shohei Uno) asks him some standard questions about their relationship. Yoshinori admits that he proposed to Ichiko for marriage. But he didnโt file a complaint right away because he thought Ichiko would return sometime soon. He doesnโt know anything about her familial background, even though they had been together for three years. As per his knowledge, Ichiko is 28 years old. After hearing that, Shuji reveals a surprising truth about Ichiko: thereโs no record of a woman by her name.
Who is Ichiko and what happened in her past?
Ichikoโs past was filled with challenging situations. Back when she was in her pre-teens, she was known as Tsukiko. We see her getting into a fight with a female classmate over a boy. A year later, we see her protect another classmate, Kozue from some teasing boys. Ichiko enjoyed eating pastries at Kozueโs house. After spending a day with Kozue, she said that her name was, in fact, Ichiko. Later, Kozue went to meet Ichiko at her house, which was in a poor state, unlike hers. A woman was lying on the bed, unconscious. The man next to her got worried seeing two young girls in the house. So, he threw them out. After that, Kozue cut ties with Ichiko.
Then, in her late teens, Ichiko started going out with Sosuke Tanaka (Yuki Kura). Suddenly, she decided to end their relationship of two years. Sosuke felt hurt by her cold attitude and sought closure. He noticed Ichiko’s friendship with Hidekazu Kita (Yuki Morinaga) and called her out for it. She didnโt pay heed to his concern. So, he got angrier and confronted her about their relationship. He asked why she had been reluctant to have sex with him or even kiss him. So, she brought him to her place and offered him those favors bluntly. After that incident, Sosuke distanced himself from her.
What does Yoshinori learn about Ichiko & Kiki?
After Ichikoโs disappearance, Yoshinori starts looking into her past to find clues about her identity. He visits a dormitory she used to stay at. The house owner remembers Ichiko was unfriendly and had trouble in social interactions. She offers the contact details of Kiki Yoshida (Seina Nakata), who was staying there around the same time Ichiko was. Since then, Kiki loved preparing cakes. Once, she offered a pastry to Ichiko, who loved it. Kiki said Ichiko should start a cake shop if she loves cakes so much. Then, Ichiko mentioned that she had accidentally killed someone. Kiki wasnโt sure whether Ichiko was serious or not.
Soon after, Kiki started working at a nearby cake shop. Upon meeting her, Yoshinori learns a few details of her connection with Ichiko. Back when Kiki offered her a newspaper delivery job, Ichiko looked like a homeless person. Kiki recalls Ichiko’s sad state but knows nothing about her past. Meanwhile, the police find information about Natsumi Kawabe (Yuri Nakamura), who used to live under a false name, Yamaura Michiko. So, Mr. Oto is asked to go investigate further in Shigo town. Around this time, some skeletal remains are found in the mountains of Mount Ikoma.
What does Mr. Goto learn about Ichiko?
Mr. Goto meets Satuski Yamamoto (Chika Oura), a woman who knew Ichiko as a child. She recalls Ichiko lying about her name and her age. In his further investigation, Mr Goto learns that the recently discovered remains at Mount Ikoma might be of Kawabe Tsukiko. The remains belonged to a patient with muscular dystrophy, which also involves intellectual disabilities. In the Kawabe family tree, Mr Goto found records of Tsukiko, who had a similar lifelong condition that makes standing difficult.
A discovery of this medical condition was recorded in Tsukiko’s medical chart around the age of two. Yet, later on, there were no traces of it. This means that there are both an able-bodied Tsukiko and a disabled Tsukiko in the records. In the year Ichiko was born, her mother, Natsumi, had a divorce. So, according to legal regulations, she was presumed to be the child of Natsumi’s former husband. Owing to this tumultuous history, Natsumi may not have wanted to stay in contact with the child. In Japan, if the birth registration is not submitted, the child becomes stateless. Based on that, Mr Goto believes Ichiko might have been pretending to be Tsukiko.
What happened between Ichiko and Hidekazu?
Yoshinori and Mr. Goto learn that about five years ago, Ichiko tried to find her family register. Later, Hidekazu came asking about Ichiko even though her registered name in school was Tsukiko. So, Mr. Goto decides to question him. Hidekazu had been infatuated with Ichiko since their high school. He tried to spend as much time as he could with her until she disappeared. Mr. Goto finds it strange that Hidekazu didn’t meet her or try to find her. Around the same time, the Kawabe family disappeared from Higashi-Osaka. They were said to be connected to Masao Koizumi’s death, which was considered to be suicide.
Hidekazu tells Mr. Goto that Tsukiko mentioned her real name was Ichiko. Suddenly, Yoshinori walks inside Hidekazu’s house and suspects Ichiko has been there. So, he confronts Hidekazu. Hidekazu shares a past incident when he followed Ichiko to a house to witness an old man (Masao Koizumi) take advantage of her. The man also insulted her about the lies she kept telling about herself. Sometime later, Hidekazu walked in to see her having taken the Masao’s life. He took the man to the riverside and laid him down at a deserted railroad crossing. After that incident, Ichiko vanished. Soon after, she went looking for her family record.
Ichiko (2023) Movie Ending Explained:
Despite what Hidekazu says, Yoshinori decides to look for Ichiko. Meanwhile, a woman shows up at Hidekazu’s house to meet Ichiko. Turns out, Ichiko offered her help to kill herself on an online forum. Hidekazu refuses to help this woman in that direction. But moments later, she receives a call from Ichiko. Hidekazu learns she is near the sea. So, they go meet her. Soon after, the news reveals the death of two individuals. It hints at the death of Hidekazu and the woman who came to meet Ichiko.
Meanwhile, Yoshinori travels to meet Natsumi and shows her a photo of a family of four that includes Ichiko & Tsukiko. He wants to confirm that Natsumi is Ichiko’s mother. Yoshinori also reveals that the body found near Mount Ikimo is of Tsusiko. Because of it, the police are looking for Natsumi and Ichiko. So, Ichiko can no longer pretend to be Tsukiko. Upon hearing that, Natsumi opens up about her past. Turns out, Ichiko helped her take Tsukiko’s life because of the excessive burden her responsibility put on her. That is presumably the skeletoned body found in the mountains, considered to be an abandoned corpse.
Why did Ichiko want to live with Yoshinori?
Since her childhood, Ichiko craved a conventional, ‘normal’ family. With Yoshinori, she saw a chance to make it her reality. That is why she wanted to live with Yoshinori despite her secrets.
What happened to Ichiko?
Soon after Ichiko was born, Natsumi got a divorce from her abusive husband. Since legally, Ichiko will bear Natsumi’s ex’s surname, Natsumi did not register her name. That’s why, Ichiko’s name was never on the records. After Tsukiko’s death, Ichiko used her name. Because of this, there are records of a disabled and an able-bodied Tsukiko.
