(English title: Star Watching Dog) is a 2011 Japanese film loosely based on the manga of the same name and directed by Tokiyuki Takimoto. It was released on 11 June 2011. Cast Toshiyuki Nishida as "Daddy", the name Happie gives to the man of the family. His real name is never revealed. "Happie" as himself. A white Akita dog. Tetsuji Tamayama as Kyosuke Okutsu Umika Kawashima as Yuki Kawamura Kimiko Yo as the innkeeper Yoichi Nukumizu as Tomita Mari Hamada as Tomita's wife Sansei Shiomi as Nishitani, a manager Shido Nakamura as a Convenient Store Manager Kayoko Kishimoto as the mom Tatsuya Fuji as Kyosuke's grandfather Tomokazu Miura as the seaside restaurant owner Synopsis In the middle of a camping field, an unidentified male corpse is discovered inside an abandoned van, with a dead dog body resting at its feet. Kyosuke Okutsu, a social worker is assigned to locate the man's family and inform them about his death. As he investigates, Okutsu notes some similarities between the man's life and his own, so he decides not only to conduct his investigations the usual way, but also take the opportunity to travel across the country while reconstructing the man's life. In the middle of his journey, a teenage girl named Yuki asks him for a ride. The girl does not provide further information about herself, except that she attended an Idol audition, but after being rejected, she doesn't have enough money to continue traveling on her own. With her assistance, Okutsu continues looking for clues about "Daddy"'s past. Using a few invoices and consume tickets found in the van, Okutsu and Yuki are able to locate some stores where Daddy and Happie spend some time before their death. As their investigation progresses, the couple discovers the deep relation Daddy had with his dog. The man was a common middle class wielding worker with an average family, but at some point his life gradually deteriorated. He had a heart condition, which caused him some trouble at his workplace for which he is eventually fired. Tired of a long life together without better expectations, his wife requests a divorce. Now jobless, homeless and with little money in his pockets, Daddy decides to put all the stuff he has left inside the van on a road trip to southern Japan, with Happie as only companion. A convenience store manager gives Okutsu some additional information: