Character Relationship Map: Sunset Sunrise

Characters

• Nishio Shunsaku (played by Masaki Suda) — protagonist

  A Tokyo office worker, Nishio rents a furnished country house for remote work, hoping to be away from his parents. He enjoys local food and fishing, then becomes the company representative for a proje...

• Sekino Momoka (played by Mao Inoue) — supporting

  Momoka discusses the town’s vacant houses and the departure of younger residents. Her late husband built the house that has been lent to Nishio, and she is upset that someone else is living there. Her...

• Kurabe Kensuke / "Ken" (played by Pistol Takehara) — supporting

  Kurabe is one of four local men who have confessed their feelings to Momoka and been rejected. He and the others remain unable to move on from their attachment to her. Hitomi describes this attachment...

• Yamashiro Shinichiro (played by Hiroshi Yamamoto) — supporting

  Yamashiro is one of four local men who have confessed their feelings to Momoka and been rejected. Like the others, he remains unable to move on. Hitomi says the men’s attachment to Momoka keeps them e...

• Takamori Takeshi / "Take" (played by Ken Miyake) — supporting

  Takamori is one of four local men who have confessed their feelings to Momoka and been rejected. Despite that rejection, he and the others remain unable to move on. Hitomi explains that their attachme...

• Hirahata Kosaku (played by Masao Yoshii) — supporting

  Hirahata is one of four local men who have confessed their feelings to Momoka and been rejected. He and the others remain unable to move on from their feelings. Hitomi explains that their attachment k...

• Mochida Hitomi (played by Chizuru Ikewaki) — supporting

  Hitomi comments on the emotional attachments among the town’s residents. She explains that the four men rejected by Momoka remain stuck because they cannot move on from their feelings for her, and sug...

• Otsu Seiichiro (played by Fumiyo Kohinata) — supporting

  Otsu is Nishio’s company president. During a visit to the town, he sees a business opportunity in bringing younger people to the area, which could support local employment and address labor shortages....

• Murayama Shigeko (played by Kazuko Shirakawa) — minor

  Shigeko is a deceased resident whose home becomes part of the vacant-house discussion. The possibility of renting it out arises soon after her death, prompting residents to confront how quickly a live...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Otsu Seiichiro → Nishio Shunsaku (Professional Manager And Assigned Representative) — Otsu directs Nishio's involvement in the vacant-property initiative, linking his remote-work stay to the company's project.

  Otsu visits the town, sees a business opportunity in using vacant homes, and assigns Nishio to represent the company in the project.

• Hirahata Kosaku → Sekino Momoka (Romantic Rejected Suitor) — Hirahata remains emotionally stuck after Momoka rejected his confession.

  The plot states that Hirahata Kosaku confessed his feelings to Momoka and was rejected.

• Yamashiro Shinichiro → Sekino Momoka (Romantic Rejected Suitor) — Yamashiro has not moved on from Momoka's rejection.

  The plot states that Yamashiro Shinichiro confessed his feelings to Momoka and was rejected.

• Takamori Takeshi / "Take" → Sekino Momoka (Romantic Rejected Suitor) — Takamori remains emotionally stuck after Momoka rejected his confession.

  The plot states that Takamori Takeshi confessed his feelings to Momoka and was rejected.

• Kurabe Kensuke / "Ken" → Sekino Momoka (Romantic Rejected Suitor) — Kurabe has been unable to move on after Momoka rejected his confession.

  The plot states that Kurabe Kensuke confessed his feelings to Momoka and was rejected.

• Nishio Shunsaku → Sekino Momoka (Unresolved Romantic Tension) — Nishio says he came for fishing and a vacant property, while Hitomi reads his distress as evidence of feelings for Momoka.

  Mochida Hitomi suggests that Nishio's distress comes from his feelings for Momoka. Their tension remains unresolved in the excerpt.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Murayama Shigeko → Sekino Momoka (Unknown Homeowner Whose House Is Considered For Rental) — The discussion of Shigeko's home parallels Momoka's distress over a house connected to a deceased loved one; the excerpt does not establish that these are the same house.

  The plot says that the possibility of renting out Murayama Shigeko's home comes up soon after her death, and Momoka is upset that her late husband's h...

• Mochida Hitomi → Nishio Shunsaku (Social Interpreter Of His Feelings) — Hitomi challenges Nishio's claim that he is in town only for fishing and a vacant property by attributing his distress to his feelings for Momoka.

  Hitomi suggests to Nishio that his distress comes from his feelings for Momoka.

• Mochida Hitomi → Sekino Momoka (Social Confidante) — Hitomi interprets the effect of the rejected confessions on Momoka's local social circle.

  Hitomi discusses the men's attachment to Momoka and explains that it keeps them emotionally stuck.

Story Analysis

A rural vacant-house project intertwines remote work, local revitalization, and residents' unresolved attachments to homes and one another.

Plot Progression

1. A Town of Empty Houses — Pandemic restrictions and rural depopulation frame the growing number of vacant homes. Momoka discusses younger residents leaving as older people move into care.
2. A Remote Work Retreat — Nishio seeks a place to work remotely away from his parents and rents a furnished country house. He discovers local food, fishing, and the attention of town residents.
3. Business Meets Memory — Otsu sees a business opportunity in bringing younger people to the town and assigns Nishio to represent the company. The proposed rental of Shigeko's home exposes the personal weight attached to vacan...
4. Private Attachments Surface — The town's residents discuss the men who confessed to Momoka and were rejected, while Hitomi describes how their attachment keeps them stuck. Momoka's distress about her late husband's house and Hitom...