Ju-On: Origins — Haruka Honjo (Yuina Kuroshima) — SPOILER FREE
Haruka Honjo is one of the main characters in Ju On: Origins, the Netflix series for The Grudge, and this article is part of a series about the cast and characters in Japanese horror Ju-On: Origins (a 2020 Netflix series in The Grudge canon).
WELCOME!
In these articles, we’ll look at the incredible characters from Netflix’s 2020 series, Ju-On: Origins. You’ll get all the major characters’ backstories, and all the major actors’ info, including some very interesting surprises…
Hint: one of the actresses was a now-forgotten J-Pop idol in the 1980s.
DISCLAIMER: the title says this article is “spoiler free,” but there are MINOR spoilers.
These articles take a lot of time and effort to research, write, and edit, so I’m going to chop up the larger article into smaller parts. This “part 1” will include one of the first characters we meet, Haruka Honjo.
Haruka Honjo (Talent, Girlfriend)
Haruka Honjo’s Occupation
First of all, that’s Haruka in the picture above, and the card in front of her reads, “タレント：はるか” (literally, Talent: Haruka). “Talent” is one of those English-turned-Japanese words whose original meaning has changed. A “タレント” is sort of blanket term that seems to refer to someone who is essentially an entertainer without a specific set of skills.
(“Talent”) is often used for people whose job titles are difficult to determine.
Wikipedia
In pop American terms, the Cardashian family comes to mind.
When you look at it that way, in the 1980s, Japan was way ahead of its time.
Ju On: Haruka Honjo’s Backstory
As the story goes, Haruka moved out of her apartment after she heard some creepy noises, and her boyfriend, Tetsuya, convinced her to leave.
Tetsuya is an crazy guy, but I’ll cover him (and his crazy mom) in part 2.
At any rate, although Tetsuya was terrified, he was obviously not telling Haruka the whole truth about WHY HE WAS TERRIFIED. Yet, despite that AND the fact that SHE HERSELF heard footsteps in the hall, Haruka seemed not to want to press Tetsuya to give her more information.
Surely, Tetsuya would tell her what he REALLY SAW in that house, in time…
WARNING: Minor Ju On Spoiler!
Fortunately, by episode 1, Haruka and Tetsuya have moved to a new apartment. Unfortunately, that won’t stop the spirits from following them beyond the scope of that haunted house…
Yuina Kuroshima: The Actress Beyond Ju On
Haruka is played by Okinawan actress Yuina Kuroshima (黒島結菜), born 1997. Follow Yuina Kuroshima on Instagram, or check out the trailer below for Ju-on: The Beginning of the End, a Grudge film (in official canon) in which actress Yuina Kuroshima plays a completely different character, a girl named Yayoi:
Ju On Cast PART 2!
You just finished part 1, about Haruka. Yasuo’s story is here — I kept it separate — or you can continue on to part 2 instead. In part 2, I cover Haruka’s boyfriend, Tetsuya, and his mom. You’ll be surprised to learn what she used to do in the 1980s! Just below, you can find the link to part 2, or just click here.
More Horror Content
Be sure to check out some of my horror reviews! Here’s one I did of Ju-On: Origins episode 1 (just reactions to the first episode):
More International Horror Movie Reviews
I’ve been on an INTERNATIONAL HORROR kick, reviewing Thai, Malaysian, British, American, Australian, Japanese, Korean, Basque Country, and more.
At the time of this writing, ALL of them are available on Netflix (I happen to live in Japan, so they’re available where I live).
Here are a couple of my favorites:
The Whole Truth (2021)
This low creepy, low budget Thai movie actually genuinely terrified me.
The House (2022)
It’s dark. It’s scary. It’s ironic. It’s Netflix’s The House (2022).
The Rezort (2016)
Straight outta the BBC, if you like Zombie movies, you’ll like The Rezort.
Just beware: it’s fun and action-packed, and the premise is hilarious. But it’s also really, really stupid. A movie to watch with your bros with a beer.