The first episode of the Sunday Theatre drama " Mikami Sensei " (TBS, Sunday 9pm) starring actor Tori Matsuzaka was broadcast on January 19th. The presence of Daiken Okudaira, who plays Takuto Kanzaki, a student in class 2 and the head of the press club, became a hot topic on social media.
◇The following contains spoilers
"Mikami Sensei" is about a Ministry of Education bureaucrat, Takashi Mikami (Matsuzaka), who wants to change the Japanese education system, being ordered to transfer to a private high school, Rintoku Gakuin. In reality, it was a demotion, but Mikami himself takes to the podium and leads 18-year-old high school students living in the Reiwa era while standing up to authority... This is a "great reversal education revival story."
Mikami stood at the podium of Rintoku Gakuen's class 3-2 and began his lesson in front of 29 students. Meanwhile, a copy of the school newspaper was distributed with the headline "Mikami Sensei is a criminal," causing a commotion. Mikami told the students that the article's contents were "largely true," and asked, "Was it Kanzaki who wrote this article?" Kanzaki admitted, "Is there anyone else who can investigate that thoroughly besides me?"
Mikami asked Kanzaki, "Are you proudly publishing such articles because you are rebelling against your parents (who are newspaper reporters)?" Kanzaki responded, "My father is just a reporter who just waits there (at the press club) all day. It's not worth rebelling against. I won't be like that. Press clubs are such a stupid thing that they should be put to an end. I will continue to do proper interviews and write original articles. In the end, I will become a reporter worthy of having my name written on them. By doing so, I will change the Japanese news system."
However, Mikami called Kanzaki's article a "gossip article" and said, "If you are truly willing to see the dark side, let's talk here after school today."
After school. When Migami heads to the classroom, he sees Kanzaki there. Migami shows Kanzaki a photo of Saejima (Takako Tokiwa), who left Rintoku Academy after her affair was discovered due to an article that Kanzaki wrote. Migami reveals that Saejima has been divorced by her husband and is now working at a convenience store. She says, "This photo is proof that the life that you dismissed as unimportant is still quietly continuing."
"So what?" Kanzaki asked, looking at him with a challenging look. Migami replied, "You know that a murder occurred during this year's National Civil Service Comprehensive Examination, right? What if that incident and your article are related?" Kanzaki was confused and asked, "Huh?" Migami replied, "I realized, in the dark. That the incident, my misconduct, this school, and the Ministry of Education might be connected."
On social media, there were many comments such as, "Okane's acting was breathtaking. It was amazing," "Tori Matsuzaka vs. Daiken Okudaira was incredible," and "The acting battle between Tori Matsuzaka and Daiken Okudaira on the first episode was extremely worth watching."
Okuhira-san showed his presence in the 2023 drama series "The Best Teacher: One Year Later, I Was ■ by a Student" (Nippon TV), in which he played Toru Hoshizaki, a student in Class 3D. On social media, comments such as "Even so, Okuhira-kun is so suited to the role of a problematic student with some shadow and intelligence, just like in 'The Best Teacher'!", "Okuhira-kun was very impressive in The Best Teacher, but this time too, he showed us something amazing from the first episode!", and "It's amazing how Daiken Okudaira, Kanzaki, and Hoshizaki are completely different characters, but he always has an overwhelming presence even in a large group of people." were posted and became a hot topic.
