Netflix Japan premieres 'Straight to Hell'

Netflix premiered “Straight to Hell” worldwide on April 27, with Erika Toda leading the Japanese drama series as celebrity fortuneteller Kazuko Hosoki. (netflix.com) (about.netflix.com) The series is based on Hosoki, the TV astrologer whose catchphrases and bestselling books made her a national figure in Japan, even as rumors followed her about spiritual scams and underworld ties. (netflix.com) (about.netflix.com) Netflix says the story follows Hosoki from a childhood marked by postwar hunger to her rise as a Ginza club operator and then a media-dominating fortune teller. (about.netflix.com 1) (about.netflix.com 2) Sairi Ito plays Minori Uozumi, a struggling writer hired to ghostwrite Hosoki’s autobiographical novel, and that reporting frame drives the series’ investigation of the woman behind the persona. (about.netflix.com) The cast also includes Toko Miura, Eita Okuno, Kentaro Tamura, Ayumu Nakajima, Kimiko Yo, Renji Ishibashi, Yasuko Tomita and Toma Ikuta. (about.netflix.com) (eiga.com) Netflix had announced the April 27 premiere date on January 19, when it released teaser art, a teaser trailer and additional cast details. (about.netflix.com) The company had introduced “Straight to Hell” even earlier, on September 11, 2025, as part of its 10th-anniversary slate for Japan alongside new comedy and anime projects. (about.netflix.com) That rollout places the series inside Netflix’s broader push to export Japanese-language titles worldwide, following earlier local originals including “The Naked Director” and “Sanctuary,” which Netflix cited when it first announced the show. (about.netflix.com) On Netflix’s title page, the service categorizes “Straight to Hell” as a Japanese, real-life-based human drama for viewers 16 and older. (netflix.com) After months of teasers and trailers, the April 27 launch turns one of Netflix Japan’s highest-profile 2026 series into a global release. (about.netflix.com 1) (about.netflix.com 2)