Actors Issei Takahashi and Anne Nakamura appeared at a preview screening and talk event for the first episode of the TV Asahi drama "Reborn ~The Last Hero~" (Tuesdays at 9 PM), which premiered that evening, held at TOHO Cinemas Roppongi (Minato Ward, Tokyo) on April 14th.
Looking out at the audience who had watched the first episode before its television broadcast, Takahashi smiled and said, "I never thought I'd be able to meet you all in a movie theater for a drama series, so I'm very happy." She said her personal favorite scene in the first episode was the one where she falls down the stairs, and appealed to the audience, saying, "It hurt quite a bit, so I hope you'll all watch it again tonight (in real time) (laughs)." Next, Nakamura said, "It's the part where I slap Issei-san with a wad of cash!" which drew laughter from the audience.
The drama tells the story of a man's "rebirth," who is reincarnated as someone else and given a second chance at life. Mitsumasa Neo, president of the IT company "NEOXIS," was supposed to have died after being pushed off a cliff, but he time-slips 14 years into the past, to 2012, and is "reincarnated" as Hideto Nomoto, the heir to a dry cleaning shop in a run-down shopping district. Hideto (with Mitsumasa's mind) searches for the person who killed him while standing up to the upper class from the perspective of an ordinary person. Takahashi plays the dual role of both Mitsumasa and Hideto. Nakamura plays the heroine of this work, Sarasa Iketani, Hideto's childhood friend.
The event also featured appearances by Ouji Suzuka, Mayu Yokota, Fumiyo Kohinata, Kayoko Kishimoto, and Shingo Yanagisawa.
