Kyohei Takahashi of the popular group " Naniwa Danshi " is appearing as a mysterious young man in the Sunday Theatre drama " Mikami Sensei " (TBS, Sunday 9pm) starring actor Tori Matsuzaka . When he made a surprise appearance in the second episode, it became a big topic on social media. We asked him about his feelings when he was decided to appear in the show and about his school days.
◇ The Sunday Theatre in which Ren Nagase also appeared is one of my dreams. I received messages from many people after my 30-second appearance.
Takahashi happily recalls when he found out he would be appearing, saying, "I was surprised. It was a dream of mine. I felt like, 'I can be in this wonderful production.'"
This is the first time that a member of Naniwa Danshi will appear on Sunday Theatre. It was announced that Shunsuke Michieda will appear on "Caster" which will start in April, but Takahashi will be the first to do so.
"My favorite and idol, Nagase Ren-kun, also appeared in the Sunday Theatre in the past (in "Last Man" broadcast in 2023). In that sense, it was a dream come true. I didn't really care that it was the first time for Naniwa Danshi, but I hope that this will help people get to know Naniwa Danshi, including me."
He said that the members of Naniwa Danshi were also happy, and recalled, "Even after the second episode aired, they told me, 'It was an impressive 30 seconds.'" He also said that filming that 30-second scene was fun.
"It was just a scene where I lowered my eyes and looked at a magazine, but the movement of my eyes, my emotions. It was a short scene, but after it aired I received messages from all kinds of people, and that just shows how amazing the show "Mikami Sensei" is. As for the many messages I received, "due to my personality, I just ignored them and said 'thank you,' but I didn't reply (laughs)."
Takahashi himself says that he is "by far the type of person who doesn't watch the work of his member's works," but adds, "If I think they are working hard or having a hard time, or if they ask me to watch it, then I will watch it." He adds, "Sometimes he is slow to respond to messages, and Takahashi Kyohei is a person who has his flaws. But he does send his thoughts about what he has seen, and I will tell him about it later when we meet for work. So when they see it, they are really happy. They say, 'You went to see it!'" he says with a touch of self-deprecation.
◇ I follow the school rules, but I want to go beyond them. "I was getting good grades on my tests, so I was pretty arrogant."
As the story is set in a high school, when asked about his memories of his school days he recalled being "naughty."
"I just wanted to stand out, I wanted to do something different from everyone else, so I would go to the school gate to lick a candy stick, then bite it in front of the gate and hide it all at once. Even though I wanted to stand out, I followed the school rules because I was scared (laughs). I would break them when no one could see," she says.
She said she liked physical education and art, and added, "I don't know if I was good at them, but I really liked them," and revealed, "I always got 5s in those two subjects."
He also said he was often called in by teachers.
"I was a jack of all trades, master of none. I got good grades on tests, but I didn't turn in any assignments, so it was like those good grades were gone. I was often called in to see my teachers because of that. My homeroom teacher would say to me, 'I wonder why you're not turning in any assignments even though you're getting such good grades. If you work harder, you can do it.' But I still got good grades, so maybe I was a little too complacent."
Takahashi's own role is still shrouded in mystery. I'm looking forward to seeing how he will be involved in the story.
