Michio Saito (played by Fumiyo Kohinata) is a protagonist in Sideways.
Michio is a middle-aged Japanese screenwriter whose career has brought little success. A former foreign student, he returns to California to attend the wedding of his best friend, Daisuke, and joins him on a final bachelor trip through Napa Valley. There he meets Mayuko, whom he once tutored and admired, and rekindles their acquaintance. Daisuke Uehara (played by Katsuhisa Namase) appears in Sideways.
Daisuke is Michio's best friend, a former actor who has lived in California since college and now manages a restaurant. Before his wedding to Alli, he takes a bachelor trip with Michio to Napa Valley. During the trip, he becomes romantically entangled with Mina, complicating the wedding journey. Mina Parker (played by Rinko Kikuchi) appears in Sideways.
Mina is a barista and friend of Mayuko, whom she meets alongside Daisuke and Michio during their Napa Valley bachelor trip. She becomes romantically entangled with Daisuke, one of the central developments of the trip, while her friendship with Mayuko connects her to the group. Alli (played by Anna Easteden) appears in Sideways.
Alli is an American woman preparing to marry Daisuke. Her wedding is the reason Michio returns to California, and the bachelor trip to Napa Valley takes place before the ceremony. The summary identifies her as Daisuke's fiancée but gives no further details about her role in the trip.
Sideways (2009) character relationship network mapped with AI analysis. Explore the connections, alliances, and conflicts between characters.
Characters
Michio Saito
(played by Fumiyo Kohinata) — protagonist
Michio is a middle-aged Japanese screenwriter whose career has brought little success. A former foreign student, he returns to California to attend the wedding of his best friend, Daisuke, and joins h...
Daisuke Uehara
(played by Katsuhisa Namase) — supporting
Daisuke is Michio's best friend, a former actor who has lived in California since college and now manages a restaurant. Before his wedding to Alli, he takes a bachelor trip with Michio to Napa Valley....
Mina Parker
(played by Rinko Kikuchi) — supporting
Mina is a barista and friend of Mayuko, whom she meets alongside Daisuke and Michio during their Napa Valley bachelor trip. She becomes romantically entangled with Daisuke, one of the central developm...
Alli
(played by Anna Easteden) — supporting
Alli is an American woman preparing to marry Daisuke. Her wedding is the reason Michio returns to California, and the bachelor trip to Napa Valley takes place before the ceremony. The summary identifi...
Canonical Relationships
Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.
Daisuke Uehara → Mina Parker
(Romantic Interest)
The plot explicitly states that Parker and Uehara become romantically entangled during the Napa Valley trip.
Daisuke Uehara → Alli
(Romantic Fiance)
The plot states that Daisuke Uehara is returning to attend his wedding to Alli, an American.
Story Dynamics
Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.
Michio Saito → Alli
(Social Friend's Fiancee)
Saito returns to California to attend the wedding of his best friend, Uehara, to Alli.
Michio Saito → Mina Parker
(Social Travel Acquaintance)
Mina Parker is met during the Napa Valley trip taken by Saito and Uehara.
Mina Parker → Alli
(Conflict Romantic Complication)
Mina becomes romantically entangled with Uehara while he is preparing to marry Alli.
Michio Saito → Daisuke Uehara
(Social Best Friend)
The plot identifies Daisuke Uehara as Michio Saito's best friend. They take a final bachelor trip together before Uehara's wedding.
Story Analysis
A returning screenwriter and his best friend enter California wine country, where old admiration and new romance complicate an approaching wedding.
