Entertainer and model Yuki Osumi and model Dylan have been appointed as the support image characters for the 97th Senbatsu High School Baseball Tournament (sponsored by the Mainichi Shimbun and the Japan High School Baseball Federation), which begins on March 18th, and appeared at a press conference held in Tokyo on February 18th. This is the first time that two support image characters, a man and a woman, have been chosen, and when asked how he felt about it, Dylan said, "I'm very honored to be chosen as the first boy to take on an image character role that has previously been held by girls."
Osumi is a 16-year-old high school freshman from Saitama Prefecture. She appeared as "Yuki-chan" on the NHK children's program "Inai Inai Baa!" from March 2015 to March 2019. Dylan is a 17-year-old high school sophomore from Osaka Prefecture. Both belong to the talent agency "Oscar Promotion." The organizers decided to use one boy and one girl because they felt that "the desire to support athletes is the same for both men and women" and "we want to promote high school baseball regardless of gender."
Osumi expressed his joy at this important role, saying, "I am very happy to be able to be present as a cheering image character on such a big stage as Koshien," and looked forward to the tournament, saying, "I think it will be a valuable experience to be able to cheer together with so many high school students on the day. I want to enjoy every moment."
When asked about his interest in baseball, Osumi said, "To be honest, I'm not very knowledgeable about baseball, but I was moved by the TV drama 'Gekokujo Baseball Players', where each and every member of the baseball team put in blood, sweat and tears to stand on the big stage at Koshien. I think baseball is a sport that is the result of the accumulated efforts of each individual player, so I'd like to pay attention to each and every player." Dylan nodded and said, "I have many opportunities to watch baseball, so I feel close to it. I think baseball is not just about individual effort, it's also a team sport. I'd like to watch that and support the team as well."
When asked about his future dreams, Osumi replied, "I want to be an actor. I want to be an actor who can play a wide range of characters and act naturally." Dylan, on the other hand, said with a fresh look on his face, "I'm currently working as a model, and if possible in the future I'd like to be able to relax a little more (laughs). I'd also like to aim to become an actor."
At the press conference, a "Senbatsu Support Poster" featuring Osumi and Dylan was also unveiled. The poster depicts Osumi and Dylan as students of the same school cheering at the stadium. The poster includes the names of the participating schools and an overview of the tournament, and will be distributed and displayed nationwide, including in the hometowns of each participating school, for about one month from late February until the end of the tournament.
