The 48th Japan Academy Awards ceremony, a festival of Japanese films, was held in Tokyo on March 14th, and Takao Osawa of the film "Kingdom: Return of the General" (directed by Shinsuke Sato) was selected as the Best Supporting Actor. He looked back on his seven years working on the series.
Osawa, who has played the role of Qin general Ou Ki for seven years, recalled, "As a supporting actor, I was always thinking about how to support the lead actor for seven years, and before I knew it, I had been able to act with the help of the lead actor Yamazaki (Kento), the staff members here, and even the staff members who can't be here today."
He continued, "The award I received today isn't just for me, but for the staff here who supported me, and also the cast members who aren't here today, and also the so many people who came to the theater. I haven't had time to thank you all at all, so I'd like to thank you once again."
The movie "Kingdom" is based on a historical manga by Yasuhisa Hara, set in the Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period of China, and depicts the exploits of Shin, who aims to become the greatest general in the world, and Ei Sei, who later becomes the first emperor of Qin. Shin is played by Yamazaki and Ei Sei is played by Ryo Yoshizawa. The first film was released in 2019, the second in 2022, and the third in 2023. The fourth film, "Kingdom: The Return of the General," released last year, depicted the feud between the great general of the Qin state, Ou Ki, and the commander-in-chief of the Zhao state, Hou Ken (played by Kikkawa Koji).
The awards were established to promote the advancement of Japanese cinema arts, technology, and science, and the selection is carried out by voting by members of the Japan Academy Prize Association. This year's selection covers films released between January 1 and December 31, 2024. Shinichi Hatori and Sakura Ando served as hosts.
◇The winners of the Best Supporting Actor Award are as follows (titles omitted):
Seiyo Uchino: The Return of the General" ▽ Masaki Okada"The Last Mile" ▽ Jiro Sato "Ankoto" ▽ Takayuki Yamada"True Identity"
