Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko (2021): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 2021, Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko is a drama, family and animation film directed by Ayumu Watanabe, running about 97 minutes.

What it’s about. Nikuko is a brash, jolly, scattered, and passionate woman in an otherwise sleepy seaside town in northern Japan. She’s also the single mother of 11-year-old Kikuko, who is her opposite in many ways. Kikuko is a string-bean of a young girl, pensive, quietly curious, and methodical in how she approaches life in this small harbor town. Nikuko embarrasses Kikuko as any mom of a preteen would, but Nikuko’s bold spirit makes her especially well-known in a town where Kikuko herself wants nothing more than to simply blend in. As Kikuko navigates the everyday social dramas of middle school, enhanced with touches of magical realism from her ever-present imagination, a shocking revelation from the past threatens to uproot the pair’s tender relationship.

Who’s in it. Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko stars Shinobu Otake as Nikuko-chan (voice), Natsuki Hanae as Ninomiya (voice), Cocomi as Kikuko (voice) and Ikuji Nakamura as Sassan (voice), among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 7.5/10, Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko has been warmly received by audiences.

Where to watch. In US you can stream it on HBO Max Amazon Channel and HBO Max and rent or buy it from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies and YouTube. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko page.

If you liked it. Fans of Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.