How Long Is “F”?

Shusuke Kaneko directs this Sleepless in Seattle-style romantic comedy about ballet, talk radio, and a broken foot. Hikaru (Michiko Hada) is a serious-minded career woman who is about to be married to a dependable though profoundly dull individual named Shogo (Hironobu Nomura). While the two are taking a leisurely drive around Tokyo Bay, they encounter a couple locked out of their red sports car. As Shogo escorts the owner of the car, a brittle woman with great hair, to the nearest gas station, Hikaru remains behind with the woman's associate -- a fantastically hunky guy with a perfect smile and an ugly cast on his foot. An ace at all things mechanical, Hikaru soon breaks into the car and manages to start the engine. Then sparks start flying between the protagonist and her new beau. Just as things start to get interesting, he and his girlfriend leave, and Hikaru realizes that she never learned his name. It turns out that he is Fumiya Furuse (Tetsuya Kumakawa), a ballet dancer who broke his foot in London. Hoping to boost his profile in his native Japan, his manager/girlfriend arranges for him to host a talk radio show. Using the nom de plume "Mr. F," he encourages listeners to guess his identity. Knowing only that her favorite mystery man was getting a gig on the airwaves, Hikaru figures out Mr. F's identity and sends him a postcard signed Hikari. Soon the two are flirting on air and the audience is lapping it up. As things get serious, Hikaru hesitates over whether to choose stability over passion, dependability over a chiseled jaw and great pecs.