Actor Ryoma Takeuchi appeared at a press conference held at TV Asahi headquarters (Minato Ward, Tokyo) on January 5th for the drama "Reunion ~Silent Truth~" (TV Asahi, Tuesdays at 9pm), which he stars in and which starts on the 13th. He drew laughter with his "hometown self-deprecation."
The drama is a human love mystery based on the novel "Reunion" (Kodansha) by Yokoseki Dai, which won the 56th Edogawa Rampo Prize in 2010. The original novel was modeled after Takeuchi's hometown of Sagamihara City, Kanagawa Prefecture, and the filming location for this drama is a place that Takeuchi often visited during his middle and high school years.
Takeuchi confidently said, "When I found out that the original story was based on Sagamihara, I thought, 'That's me!' (laughs). I'm the Japanese actor who knows Sagamihara and Machida the best." He continued, "Since the story crosses over with his childhood, I suggested Sagamihara to the director as a location, thinking that it would create a good chemical reaction. But it didn't work out," poking fun at his hometown with a touch of self-deprecation. Inoue Mao, Koji Seto, and Watanabe Daichi, who were also on stage, all chimed in, saying, "You're teasing too much," and "Are you sure (laughs)?"
Later, in a segment where he talked about his childhood memories, he mentioned the croquettes from a local restaurant called Shirasu-ya, saying, "They were so delicious, and I still haven't come across a croquette that surpassed them. But the restaurant has closed down now," and joked again, "I wonder if there are fewer people there now (laughs)."
