Ju On Series — Kiyomi Kawai’s Twisted Story — SPOILER FREE
Of all the characters in the Ju-On series, Kiyomi Kawai is the most compelling, twisted, and tragic. Who is Kiyomi Kawai in Ju On? What happened to Kiyomi Kawai in season 1 of Netflix’s The Grudge (2020)? Who plays Kiyomi Kawai? All that and more, below.
And, there’s a bonus at the end of the article — Since Kiyomi Kawai, her mother, and Yudai all share an intimate connection, I’ll tell you about Yudai Katsuragi (played by Koki Osamura) and Kiyomi Kawai’s mom, Mina Kawai (played by Izumi Matsuoka) as well!
This article contains MINOR SPOILERS ONLY. I won’t ruin anything important, but if you want to stay pure, READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.
Other Ju On: Origins articles from Dailysack.com:
- Ju On Characters Part 1 (Haruka and Yasuo)
- Ju On Characters Part 2 (Tetsuya and his Mom)
- This Ju On: Origins Character is a Former AV Actress
Ju On Series Characters: Who is Kiyomi Kawai?
Kiyomi Kawai: Occupation
Student, mother, prostitute (at different times throughout Ju On Season 1)
Who is Kiyomi Kawai in the Ju-On Series?
Need a refresher? In 1988 (first episode), Kiyomi Kawai is a transfer student. Her giggling idiot classmates invite her to sneak into an abandoned “cat mansion,” but what really happens in that house is much worse than any simple breaking and entering.
Ever since that fateful moment, Kiyomi Kawai’s life is one horrific tragedy after another. Her life story is like a train wreck, so twisted and broken that we can’t look away.
If not for that supernatural “cat mansion,” Kiyomi Kawai’s life may not have turned into a total horror story.
This is a spoiler free (spoiler lite) article. So I’m going to leave Kiyomi Kawai’s backstory there, and just say again that her story is so fucked up you can’t even look away.
Kiyomi Kawai is Played by Ririka (里々佳)
Ririka (里々佳) is one of the most amazing actors in Ju On. She has a huge role as Kiyomi Kawai, and Ririka gives a tragic, heart-wrenching performance.
But she’s been great in other stuff as well. Now I’m going to share with you one of my favorite Ririka films.
By the way, Ririka’s IG is here, and her Twitter is here.
Ririka is in this twisted short film called “The Dolls with Attitude” (below). She stars as ERI, a beautiful young lady whose face is permanently plastered in a creepy smile. The ~5 minute film almost plays like a Black Mirror episode, if not for the fact that there’s no Sci-Fi quality.
Unlike Black Mirror, instead of the dystopia being in the outside world, it’s in ERI’s inner world. “The Dolls With Attitude,” written by Naoya Yamaguchi and starring Ririka, is a sick work of art. The IMDB page also gives it an 8.3/10.
But don’t take my word for it. Go ahead and see for yourself. Here is the short film in its entirety:
“The Dolls with Attitude” also kind of reminds me of one of my favorite Twilight Zone episodes, “The Masks.” Below is the famous ending to that episode! (Although I don’t like spoilers, this episode is from 1964, so I think it’s fair game!)
Other Ju-On Series Characters Relevant to Kiyomi Kawai
Ju On Characters: Yudai Katsuragi
Occupation
Student, construction worker, junkie (at different points throughout Ju On: Origins Season 1)
Yudai’s backstory
A high schooler from a nearby town looking for cheap thrills at anyone’s expense, Yudai is the ultimate scum-of-the-earth, lowlife, sociopathic piece of shit. When his life turns to flames, we find it hard to feel bad for him.
Ju-On Series Cast: Koki Osamura as Yudai Katsuragi
Yudai Katsuragi is played by Koki Osamura. I found a horror film that Koki Osamura played a minor role in. Honestly, it looks kind of stupid, but I’m embedding it anyway in case you want to check it out.
So the preview below is for “Jinrou gêmu: Kureijî fokkusu.” You’d have to buy it on Youtube, or you can just check out the preview.
(By the way, I’m NOT making any money trying to sell rentals or anything for this movie. I’m just sharing the video because it’s part of my research.)
Mina Kawai (Kiyomi Kawai’s Mom)
Let’s be honest: Kiyomi Kawai never really had a chance in life. Her dad is gone, and her mom is completely insane. I mean, this crazy bitch acts as though she “sacrificed my own body to save you,” at the last school…but when we see Mina Kawai fuck Kiyomi’s teacher — who honestly seems like a decent enough guy, tragically enough — if we believed Mina’s story before, all bets are off now.
Kiyomi Kawai’s mom is a twisted sociopath.
Izumi Matsuoka as Mina Kawai
Izumi Matsuoka’s earliest film was in 2014 (source: IMDB). She’s mostly acted in TV series, but she was in a few feature length films, including 2017’s The Third Murder. As a murder mystery, it’s not exactly my cup of tea, but I found an in-depth review of the film here. Below is the trailer — see if you can spot her!
Click for More Ju On: Origins Character Articles!
CLICK for MORE heart-stopping HORROR below!
After a tragic accident, a brother and a sister move into a house that is more than it seems to be…
This dark comedy from the Basque Country in Spain is unlike anything you’ve seen…
What do you get when you mix Jurassic Park with Dinosaurs? Check out this flick from the UK to find out!
I had to review Kuntilianak! The movie was horrible — like one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen in my life — so of course the review was really fun to write!
Thai movies come at the horror genre with a totally unique lens. “Inhuman Kiss” had an amazing soundtrack, by the way.
Coming at you from South Korea! The 8th Night: It’s like priests killing vampires, only the priests are Buddhist monks — and the vampires? Well, they’re a little different…
More of a thriller than a horror movie, Thailand’s The Maid was one of my favorite movies of 2020.