preface
In one of Tokyo's liveliest business districts, there is a so-called "legendary" woman whose name is like a spell called Setsuko.
Although she is 62 years old in reality, if you pass by her, you will think that she is a woman who has just entered her 30s. But it wasn't magic, but advanced medical technology and her almost artistic-level makeup skills that allowed her to successfully break the boundaries of age and present a youthful posture at the age of 38.
Such a festival, as if having the key of time, quietly walking in the bustling city, every appearance becomes a visual feast, which is amazing. However, staying young is only the beginning of her story, and her life is much more wonderful than in the movie!
Green tea This tea's life
With her unique charm and means, Setsuko has established romantic relationships with more than 120 men. Not only does she appear frequently at high-end banquets and parties, but she also becomes the focus of social circles because of her unique abilities and means.
However, just as she is enjoying the glory of her creation, an amazing secret is revealed: she is involved in a large-scale fraud case, and her life falls from the peak to the bottom, and finally she is sent to prison.
The former social star, with her "legendary" life experience, inspired the director's creation, so there was the movie "Erika's 38 Years".
But in reality, the real Setsuko is more complex and engaging than on the screen. Many viewers said that if they didn't see it with their own eyes, it would be unbelievable. What kind of story is hidden behind her? What drove her to that wrong path?
Ambition exposed
In the 50s of the 20th century, in a village in Kumamoto Prefecture, an ordinary girl named Setsuko lived. She was born ordinary and did not have outstanding beauty, but she had a pair of extremely attractive eyes and extraordinary emotional intelligence.
At a young age, Setsuko discovered her unique talent - the ability to easily manipulate male emotions on her own. In middle school, male classmates scrambled for her to do things.
After graduating from high school, Setsuko was 19 years old and had her own family and children, but the dullness of life did not satisfy her desire for passion. At the age of 30, she decisively chose to divorce and began to find her own sky.
The golf course became her new world. The men there are the elite of society, rich and powerful. With her natural intelligence and strategy, Setsuko easily became the most popular woman on the court.
Despite her ordinary appearance, her precise capture and strategy of each man makes her invincible on the "battlefield". She knows how to praise, how to coax, and every goal has been thoroughly studied by her.
Harvesting the hearts and money of these "prey", Setsuko became a legend of that era. Not only did she have countless lovers, but she also owned her own nightclub, becoming one of the most powerful women in the city.
In addition to talent, her charm lies in her literary and artistic atmosphere. She wrote poems for every lover, and these poems were full of passion and emotion. But her heart is always like duckweed, unable to be caught by any man.
When she was 47 years old, she spent a lot of money in Kumamoto Prefecture to buy a large villa with great value, she thought that she would live so happily for a lifetime, but life is not always calm, and Setsuko's life also encountered a huge storm at this time.
Setsuko's "financial magic"
Setsuko once got into financial trouble due to a business mistake by a friend. I wanted to use the old friend's good funds to turn around, but those men turned a deaf ear to her at this time. Only then did she realize that she was just a plaything in the hands of men.
In adolescence, she used to buy the world with charm, but now, the traces of time make the men who were once bound by her turn away. In the past, she was peerless, but she didn't expect to be trapped for money one day.
So, in desperation, she conceived a plan - "financial magic". She posed as an executive at a large corporation and promised investors high annual returns. Her mansions, luxury cars and extravagant lifestyle became fig leaf for her scams.
As a result, many people were deceived, and she received a huge amount of money, a full 2.7 billion yen. After surviving the dangerous period, Setsuko begins to pursue youth. Because she knows that the first thing a man looks at a woman is still beauty, since then, she has become a VIP in various plastic surgery hospitals, and she longs to find the beauty that has been taken away by time. But how long can all this last?
Raise a little lover
In 2015, on a sunny beach in the Philippines, Setsuko met Eli - a handsome guy with a sculptural body and sexy tattoos. Like a scorching sun, he ignited Setsuko's desire. She doesn't hesitate to drop money for him, but she has a very overbearing request: Eli can only be hers.
Despite the bias and injustice of the contract, Niu Lang is quickly attracted by the temptation of the rich and readily agrees. In Manila, Setsuko Yamabei also bought a luxury apartment to live a comfortable life with the cowherd. Subsequently, in order to avoid the police, Setsuko chose a Thai name for herself - Irika.
But the good times did not last long, Setsuko's scam was exposed, and she fled with the secret. But fate jokingly led her to meet Nam, another muscular tattooed man, in Thailand. It was a boring night, and she strolled to the boy's shop in Pattaya, but none of the male companions there caught her interest.
Just as she lamented the boredom of life, she suddenly found a young Thai man being besieged by a group of people. Sympathetic, she did not hesitate to pay 5,000 baht to free the youth. After that, the relationship between the two quickly warmed up, and even held a romantic engagement ceremony at home.
Setsuko even built a house for Nam and became his protector.
But the one who should have come will come eventually, and when the Japanese wanted warrant is issued, Setsuko is eventually arrested. That day, although she looked fashionable and young, her eyes were full of despair. She was eventually jailed for seven years and banned from Thailand for life.
But this punishment is fearless for Setsuko who has gone through strong winds and waves, and she even threatened that she would behave well in prison, and she would definitely be released from prison in four years at most. In prison, she was not dead, and wrote affectionate poems to confess to Nam. But the reality is brutal, and Nam mercilessly refuses to wait.
Setsuko now, facing an unknown future, can only miss the crazy times of the past.
How to evaluate Setsuko's life?
It can be said that Setsuko has always known why people approach her - the charm of money, not sincerity. But she is willing to exchange this for a moment of companionship, perhaps she finds her sense of worth in this brief warmth.
When she was in prison, the people around her turned their backs, and the short-lived warmth had dissipated. Her mother died, her children were estranged, and her past seemed to be in dust.
Despite this, Setsuko's life is called legendary. From an ordinary woman to a bold scammer, her story is stunning. Playing in the hands of wealthy businessmen, bypassing strict credit checks, and successfully planning large-scale scams, she is like the protagonist in a cool drama, which is amazing. What this middle-aged woman did shocked the whole of Japan, people blamed, but others admired.
Setsuko's story is rapidly fermenting in Japan, and people are not surprised when the well-known director announced that he wanted to bring Setsuko's life to the big screen. After the release of "38-year-old Erika", the box office was a hit, and the audience had a variety of evaluations of her.
Some viewers expressed admiration for Setsuko's boldness and determination, believing that she challenged the norm and created her own life. Another segment of the audience questioned some of her choices, arguing that she was morally flawed.
But there's no denying that her life story gives us an opportunity to think deeply: Is this a revelation of pursuit, desire, greed, or deep loneliness? When you finish watching the movie "38-year-old Irika", how do you interpret the message of the movie?