Noriko Sakamoto is Masa's mother.
Biography[]
Noriko is Masa's mother, Suzie's mother-in-law, and Zen's grandmother.
Appearances[]
He’s in Refrigerators[]
Noriko, alongside her daughter-in-law, Suzie, explains what type of clothing Zen and Masa wore on the airplane that crashed and killed several people. She then convinces Suzie to attend a rui-katsu and, with her, learns that despite everyone else who called their loved one's devices going straight to voice mail, hers keeps on ringing. As they leave, a yakuza boss hands them a bag of rice crackers, and Noriko tells Suzie about the Yakuza.
Don’t Blame the Machine[]
Suzie visits Noriko's home seeking more information about Masa, but she cuts her off, stating that the airplane company has yet to deliver Masa's belongings. Noriko believes that Masa could still be alive, but Suzie is pessimistic about that possibility. Hearing voices from inside, Noriko informs Suzie that she has friends there to console her.
Inside Noriko's home, the guests played a video game that was supposed to help prevent dementia. Suzie notices that the picture she hung on the wall that was a part of Masa's hikikomori days is gone, and Noriko says she disposed of it.
The next day, when the doorbell rings while Suzie and Sunny are watching a video, she mentions that if it is Noriko at the door, tell her she's not home.
Mmmm, Hinoki[]
Noriko tries to arrange a funeral location for Masa but fails. She then learns that two of her visiting friends have prior commitments that would interfere if she decided to hold Masa's funeral at a later date. When trying to contact Suzie, she talks to Sunny, who claims that Suzie is locked away, clinging to the hope of hearing that Zen is still alive. Later, Noriko recalls when Masa was still a hikikomori, and she delivered him some lunch. Although Noriko understands Suzie's sentiments, she insists that Suzie take her mother's pearl necklace and the image by Masa that she was interested in.
Later, Suzie learns about Noriko's visit and laments it. She also isn't happy to hear that Masa's funeral is scheduled for the next day but is interested to know that Noriko delivered the image by Masa that she wants.
That night, Noriko schedules Masa's funeral at her house. She also contacts someone called "Do Not Answer", but stops midway.
The following day, Noriko sits beside Suzie at Masa's funeral, which is held at her home.
Sticky[]
Noriko attends Masa's funeral, where Suzie is interested in Hime, who she recognizes as a Yakuza. When Suzie tries to approach her, Noriko tries to stop her, but they're blocked by a man named Kato, who was Masa's friend during their time at uni. He reveals that Masa's father helped him get out of his hikikomori state, which perplexes Suzie as his father was the cause of his hikikomori state. Hence, Noriko pulls Suzie aside into the kitchen, where she rebukes her for her attitude during the funeral and tells her a story about Masa's cousin Yumeko, whose obsession with her husband caused her to lose him.
Eventually, when Suzie wanted to figure out more about Shigeru, Masa's father, she had Sunny visit Noriko's home in the guise of helping her clean up her place after the funeral was held. Although suspicious of Sunny, Noriko allows Sunny in, and after enjoying a drink, she falls asleep. Sunny gains access to her device to get access to her family background. It's revealed that Shigeru isn't her real father, but a man named Hiromasa Matsumoto, who is still alive.
Joey Sakamoto[]
Noriko visits a friend's home where her friend is holding a birthday party for her grandson. Not wanting to impose herself on her friend, Noriko decides to leave.
She'd later visited Suzie's home and found it a total mess.
The next day, Noriko enters Masa's old room. When she lies on his bed, she uses Masa's device and contacts him, saying, "Do not answer."
Kyoto Manjū, So Delicious[]
Noriko shops at a convenience store and shoplifts a manga magazine there. After the store clerk doesn't catch this in the act, she tells the clerk that he needs to watch her. Then, she fills her basket with items and walks outside without paying for them.
Eventually, Noriko is arrested for shoplifting and disorderly contact. Suzie later visits her, and Noriko asks if she brought her requested Shogi board. However, Suzie is more concerned about Noriko's well-being, but Noriko downplays that sentiment, saying that she's there to participate in a secret Shogi tournament.
Disillusioned by Noriko, Suzie leaves her, but states that it's probably best that she's in jail as it's safer for her, which perplexes Noriko.
There’s Been a Shift[]
Sitting at a table with Yoko and two other prisoners, Noriko wins a Shogi match against Yoko, and when it is time to make their allotted virtual visit. Noriko contacts Suzie and briefly talks to her, but shifts her conversation to Sunny, with whom she has a pleasant conversation with her.
Eventually, Noriko learns from Yoko that a prisoner named Rei was once considered "cool" and was transferred to Cell Block C for her safety because it was learned that she got arrested on purpose.
When Suzie and Mixxy take Sunny to the electronic shop to have Sunny run diagnostics, they learn that Noriko has a tracking device planted on her.
Trash or Not-Trash[]
In the past, Noriko sat at her dinner table as an adolescent Masa talked about the beetle he caught. However, his father, Shigeru, wanted nothing to do with it and left the table. When Masa asked Noriko if his father didn't like him, she answered that he was only tired and that she'd fetch some apple slices for his beetle.
Time passes, and Masa visits Shigeru in the hospital as he's dying, but Noriko doesn't let him because he's tired.
Once Masa became a Hikikomori, Noriko contacted Yuki to try to reason with Masa.
Yuki has Masa stay at his cabin, where he finds old pictures of his mother and Yuki, who was earlier revealed to be his father.
Talking on the phone to Noriko, Yuki reported that Yuki was doing well in his cabin and even smiled. Noriko was surprised to hear that, and when Yuki invited her to visit the cabin, she agreed to, but at separate times.
Eventually, Noriko is seen standing beside Yuki outside his cabin, and Masa arrives alongside the trashbot he befriended called Shō. Upon seeing them, Masa labels them as trash, and Shō attacks Yuki, who kicks Shō's arm off. This altercation makes Masa realize that it was all Noriko's plan, and upset by this, Noriko leaves.
Who's in the Box?[]
Noriko appears as one of the game show hosts of "Should Sunny Wipe Herself?", alongside Yuki, the employee from ImaTech. She starts the show with the first segment, "Who's in the Box?" During it, Noriko learns that Sunny stole her device, and she thought she was developing dementia as she tirelessly searched her home for it.
In the next game show segment, "Why would Masa make such a Bad Robot?", Noriko explains Sunny's history and how Masa found his true calling in domestic AI.
As the gameshow continues, it's revealed that Yuki is responsible for leaking the bad code to the Yakuza. Hence, Noriko bonks Yuki on the head with the fan, who is then locked into a refrigerator.
In the end, the disembodied voice of Noriko states that Sunny must decide whether to wipe herself.
The Dark Manual[]
Noriko contacts Suzie's device and acts curtly toward Suzie when she answers it. However, after learning that Zen was there and recognizing the distinct laugh by a Yakuza holding Suzie's group hostage as her friend's son, Yoko. She then holds Yoko hostage and demands that the Yakuza release them. When the Yakuza does, Noriko threatens Yoko not to tell anyone about what had happened.
Afterward, Noriko sees from a prison guard's device on how Suzie caused a disturbance at the Setsuban festival.
Gallery[]
