It was revealed on February 17th that the NHK drama series "Honest Real Estate," starring actor Yamashita Tomohisa, will be adapted into a movie. The series was first adapted into a TV drama in 2022, followed by a special drama in 2024 and a sequel, "Season 2," and a spin-off special drama in February of this year. Now, the third time's a charm and the movie is finally being made. It is scheduled to be released in 2026. This will be Yamashita's first appearance in a Japanese movie in eight years, since "Code Blue: Doctor Helicopter Emergency Lifesaving" (2018).
The original work is a manga of the same name that is currently being serialized in the manga magazine "Big Comic" (Shogakukan), with a concept by Takeshi Natsuhara, a script by Mitsuhiro Mizuno, and illustrations by Akira Otani. The comic has already published 20 volumes and has sold over 3.6 million copies in total.
The drama depicts the story of Nagase Zaichi (Yamashita), a real estate salesman who was a smooth talker and boasted the highest sales, but one day, due to a curse on the land, he "can no longer lie," and his junior employee Tsukishita Sakura (Haruka Fukuhara), who lives for the customer, as they struggle in the real estate industry, using honesty and sincerity as their weapons. In Season 2, Nagase's former mentor, Kamiki Ryoma (Dean Fujioka), the strongest real estate salesman who will do anything to become the number one performer, joins Minerva Real Estate, a rival of Tosaka Real Estate, where Nagase works, and shows his fangs.
The screenplay for the film will be written by Nemoto Nonji, who has also worked on "Asagao - Forensic Doctor," "Hakozume: Fight! Police Box Girls," and the currently airing NHK morning drama "Omusubi." Filming has already begun and is scheduled to continue through March. The film is set to be released in 2026, which will mark the 30th anniversary of the showbiz career of lead actor Yamashita, who will turn 40 in April.
Comments from the cast and staff are as follows.
◇Comment from Tomohisa Yamashita
Thanks to everyone's support, "Honest Real Estate" has been made into a movie, and I am very happy about that. Through season 1 and season 2, the characters have grown even more, and the story is about love, friendship, and a little fantasy that will make you laugh out loud.
I'm looking forward to spending time together on set with my usual colleagues (cast and staff) again. We will take on new challenges while cherishing our usual atmosphere!
This time I'm also involved in something different from acting, so please look forward to it.
We will continue to work hard on filming, carefully discussing how to express the deep message of the original work and the appeal of the characters, so that the movie version will be even more powerful and create an ``honest'' whirlwind.
I hope that the audience will laugh, cry, learn, and enjoy the world of real estate from a new perspective. See you at the cinema.
◇Comment from Haruka Fukuhara
I can't wait to start filming again, knowing that I'll be returning to that world as Tsukishita!
It is only thanks to everyone who always supports Honest Real Estate that we were able to make this into a movie, so I am truly grateful!
I will work hard with the wonderful cast and staff to deliver a wonderful production! Please look forward to it!
◇Comment from Akira Otani, the original manga artist
"Even if you feel like you're walking around in circles, maybe you're actually climbing up a spiral staircase little by little." These are the words of Kiriyama in the manga. The series began serialization in 2017, and although it received many offers to turn it into a drama, it took a while to be decided, and the number of offers numbered in the dozens. "Will it really become a drama?" I was in a state of going around in circles. Then, NHK decided to make it into a drama, and with the rising current of Yamashita Tomohisa as the lead, it continued to rise like an "orbital elevator" with Season 1, New Year's Special, Season 2, and Minerva Special, and finally reached the star of a movie adaptation.
I'd like to thank the cast, the scriptwriter, the production team, and everyone who supported me! The rise is still continuing. It's a dizzying journey because we're constantly going round and round, but I want to see the next star with everyone.
◇Comment from original creator Takeshi Natsuhara
Two seasons, two drama specials, and now it's finally coming to the big screen.
"Honest Real Estate" has been a truly happy production. As someone involved, I am deeply grateful for the scale of development that I have never experienced before. The film version is on a large scale, and it is a wonderful story with the best staff and fascinating cast.
I look forward to waiting for the release together with all the fans. Come quickly, come quickly, the 2026 release date.
◇ Comment from original screenwriter Mitsuhiro Mizuno
For many years, I have been the interviewer for a magazine's "10,000-character interview" project.
I interviewed Yamashita Tomohisa shortly after the serialization of his manga "Honest Real Estate" began.
His honest and sincere responses overlapped with the main character, Nagase Zaichi, and the words "If one day 'Honest Real Estate' is made into a movie..." came to my throat, but I quickly swallowed them. I remember as if it were yesterday how surprised I was when I found out that it was going to be made into a TV drama and that Yamashita-san would really be playing the role. I had received the movie script, but I hadn't read it.
Together with all the fans of "Honest Real Estate" and all the sweeties, I look forward to the day when Yamashita Tomohisa will play Nagase Zaichi on the big screen.
