The ridiculed talent manager is a fighting machine?!
Good Morning, Sleeping Lion (グッドモーニング、眠れる獅子, Good Morning, Nemureru Shishi) is an action film directed by Koichi Sakamoto, released on the Japanese streaming service Hikari TV on April 23, 2022. The film is the first starring role of Seiji Takaiwa, known as "Mr. Heisei Kamen Rider" for his work as the primary suit actor (Stunt Double inside the masked superhero costume) for the Kamen Rider and Super Sentai franchises from 1988 to 2020. The villains are also portrayed by Kamen Rider lead actors.
Takaiwa plays Kazuma Kujo, a former Hired Gun who became a talent manager at the age of 50 to fulfill his war buddy's Last Request to look after his daughter, underground idol and aspiring actress Remi Watanuki (Miho Watanabe). However, Remi becomes the target of a gang known only as the Grim Reapers, forcing Kazuma to utilize the skills from his past life to protect her.
The sequel, Good Morning, Sleeping Lion 2, was released in April 2023. Kujo is now an assistant chef for a food truck owner (Yui Oguri), while Remi has become an action starlet.
Good morning, sleeping tropes:
- Actor Allusion: The first time Remi is harassed by Grim Reapers thugs, Kujo rescues her with one hand holding a Kamen Rider Double mask to cover his face.
- The Bartender: Charlie runs a pub and is Kujo's best friend and information gatherer.
- Blatant Lies: When Diamond confronts Kujo in the final battle, he claims to be a pacifist while holding a combat knife.
- Book Ends: The film begins and ends with Remi getting up from bed in the morning, except she's much happier in the end as she starts her new acting gig.
- But Now I Must Go: Having fulfilled his promise to Tsukasa, Kujo resigns from his job as Remi's manager. The trailer for the second movie shows him wearing a mask while serving Remi, who happens to come to his food truck.
- Cosplay: Spade collects Remi's photos in various costumes and the ending credits features her singing her song in those same costumes.
- Damsel in Distress: Kujo has to rescue Remi twice from the Grim Reapers.
- Diegetic Switch: Remi's final audition performance transitions into the Theme Music Power-Up song for Kazuma's fight against the Grim Reapers.
- Disappeared Dad: Remi's father left her when she was a little child.
- Dissonant Laughter: Remi's condition causes her to laugh in situations where one would normally cry.
- "Do It Yourself" Theme Tune: Remi's solo song "Hitoribocchi no Kakumei" is also the film's theme song.
- Elegant Gothic Lolita: Remi's signature style on stage.
- Evil All Along: Ryosuke, the man who rescues Remi from the Grim Reapers, is one of their leaders and is using her as part of a deadly game, and later leaves her at the mercy of Spade, his brother and Remi's stalker.
- Fish out of Water:
- Kazuma struggles with his current civilian job, and Remi treats him coldly for it.
- Kazuma speculates how Remi's father, being a seasoned mercenary, might have left Remi because he couldn't live in a peaceful environment.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Remi's father Tsukasa died saving Kazuma and Charlie in a war before the events of the film.
- Hired Guns: Kujo, Charlie, and Tsukasa were these.
- Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: Kazuma noticeably hunches when standing next to Remi to reduce their height difference.
- Idol Singer: Remi Watanuki is one with a modest but devoted fan base.
- Last Request: Remi's father's last request to Kazuma is for him to help his daughter realize her dream to become an actress and give her his lion bracelet.
- Let's Get Dangerous!: After being cornered by the yakuza's strongest enforcer, Kazuma's reverts to his mercenary self and curbstomps everyone.
- Macho Camp: Kazuma's friend and former war buddy Charlie is implied to be this, with his muscular body, effeminate behavior and speech pattern, and attraction to the Grim Reapers leaders.
- "Not So Different" Remark: Heart comments that Kazuma must also an adrenaline junkie bored with life like the Grim Reapers, unaware that he's actually a war veteran.
- Older Hero vs. Younger Villain: 50-year-old Kazuma battles the Grim Reapers, who are in their late twenties or early thirties.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: After his awakening, Kazuma speaks and acts in a much more assertive manner. Remi starts to more respectfully call him "Kujo-san" instead of just "Kujo" in response.
- Otaku:
- Spade is a Remi fan who was banned from her shows for being a Stalker with a Crush.
- Kazuma habitually does the wotagei dance during Remi's shows to help hype things up, which she disapproves of as it's not a manager's job.
- Playing Card Motifs: The Grim Reapers leaders are named after card suits which allude to their personalities to some extent. Meanwhile, Remi sounds like Rummy and Kujo Kazuma contains the word Joker.
- Spade, a Mad Bomber and knife wielder
- Heart, who lives to take care of his brother Spade
- Diamond, Faux Affably Evil former banker who plays the stock market to get his fix
- Club, former pro wrestler who enjoys straight-up brawling the most
- Retired Badass: Former mercenary Kujo became an artist manager to fulfill his war buddy's dying wish. His other war buddy Charlie has also opened his own bar.
- Russian Roulette: Diamond is introduced playing this with a foreigner thug.
- Thrill Seeker: The Grim Reapers does violent actions for fun, although they mostly target other criminals.
- Tragic Keepsake: Remi's father asked Kazuma to give her his lion bracelet as a keepsake, but she considers it tacky, not knowing it was her father's. He manages to give it to her before her final audition, without mentioning who it originally belonged to.
- Unable to Cry: Remi's father's final words to her was to never cry despite being sad or lonely, which developed into a psychological defense mechanism in her adulthood. Kazuma cures her by letting himself get stabbed by Spade.
"Good Morning!"
