House on Fire

A celebrated writer who wins the Naoki Prize, Kazuo navigates a crumbling personal life as an affair with his assistant unfolds. His career and art are in tension with his failing marriage and family obligations. The year-long arc sees him wandering across Japan, seeking meaning while his domestic life unravels.

Kazuo’s wife who turns to spiritual beliefs as their marriage fractures. She asserts control over the household and processes the betrayals with a blend of insight and detachment. She ultimately decides to protect the children, signaling a pivotal shift in the family dynamic.

Kazuo’s young assistant who becomes his lover and becomes pregnant. She contemplates abortion to continue her acting career, returns after a reconciliation, but ultimately exits amid revelations about Kazuo’s manuscript and Yoriko’s knowledge. Her relationship with Kazuo evolves into a later separation and a new romantic entanglement.

The woman Kazuo meets on Nozaki Island, later revealed to be Tokuko. She was impregnated by her stepfather and bore a stillborn child; she travels with Kazuo and ultimately rejects his advances as she accepts a marriage proposal elsewhere. Her arc highlights themes of vulnerability, resilience, and choice.

The legendary author and Kazuo’s old friend whose memory and legacy loom over the narrative. A memorial in Aomori anchors the story in Dazai’s influence, linking past literary identity with the present writer’s struggles and creative process.

Kazuo’s son from his first marriage, who develops meningitis, becomes paralyzed and mentally challenged, and ultimately dies after a traumatic sequence. The illness casts a profound weight on the family, shaping their decisions and emotional resilience.

Kazuo’s eldest son from his first wife, who reads his father’s book about adultery and acts with rebellious curiosity. He burgles the family home and challenges Kazuo’s authority, serving as a catalyst for the family’s ongoing conflict and reflection on legacy.