‘Did Someone Happen to Mention Me?’: The comedy and horror of being forgotten

Koji Yakusho plays Gen Takasegawa, a once-successful, now-forgotten actor, in the off-kilter comedy “Did Someone Happen to Mention Me?” on Netflix. | KIMUFOTO / COURTESY OF NETFLIX

Nov 9, 2026

Netflix’s “Did Someone Happen to Mention Me?” isn’t just about one thing: It’s a love letter to filmmaking, a take on “King Lear,” a poignant exploration of father-child relationships and a showcase for its star, Koji Yakusho, all set in motion by a seemingly anti-vaccine premise.

A second pandemic results in a lockdown in Japan, so when Yakusho’s Gen Takasegawa can finally return to Tokyo after a successful run as King Lear at London’s Globe Theatre, he finds that his two ex-wives, his children, his fans and the world have forgotten him — because the vaccine against the virus causes amnesia.

Within the first few episodes, he’s shouting at a line of people waiting for the vaccine not to get jabbed — an off-color plot point at a time when pseudoscience is rampant. Strangely, the show never pits the people who chose to get vaccinated against those who didn’t, even though that is the fundamental tension for Gen. It tries to stay entirely apolitical and never references any ongoing discourse around vaccination.

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