It was revealed on June 3rd that actor Sorimachi Takashi will be starring in the TV Tokyo drama special "TOKAGE: Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Special Crimes Investigation Unit" (broadcast June 30th at 8pm). This will be Sorimachi's first lead role in a TV Tokyo drama in about six years, since "Drama Biz: Legal Heart - Reconstruction Lawyer of Life" (July-September 2019). He will play a special investigator nicknamed "Lizard" who thoroughly pursues criminals on a motorcycle.
The original work is "TOKAGE: Special Guerrilla Investigation Team" (Asahi Bunko) by author Konno Bin, a master of authentic police novels. Since its release in 2008, the popular series has had three installments, and is a full-scale police mystery that depicts the exploits of the "Lizard" undercover investigation team at the Metropolitan Police Department, who pursue crimes on motorcycles.
Kazuma Ueno, played by Sorimachi, is the head of a special investigation team that once solved many kidnapping cases as a motorcycle pursuit unit known as the "Lizard." He is currently a police inspector in the Shibuya Higashi Police Station's Public Safety Division Juvenile Section. The highlight of the film is Sorimachi's motorcycle riding scene, where he dashes through the pier and city streets as the "Lizard."
Also appearing in the film were Chiaki Kuriyama, Ryo Ryusei, Mitsuru Fukikoshi, and Kippei Shiina. The cast includes Kuriyama as Asuka Nakahara, a special investigation negotiator who has just returned to Japan after studying negotiation techniques and profiling at the FBI, Ryusei as Junichi Saijo, head of the crisis management office at Hinode Bank, where the crime takes place, Fukikoshi as Tetsuro Soma, a supervisor at the Metropolitan Police Department's First Investigative Division who is not happy with Ueno and Asuka who have joined the investigation, and Shiina as Morio Tabata, the chief of the Metropolitan Police Department's First Investigative Division who invites the former lizard Ueno to join the investigation headquarters.
It all started at 9am one morning. An AI voice calls to say that a Hinode Bank employee has been kidnapped. They demand that a ransom of 500 million yen be prepared by 3pm. In order to solve the case, the intuitive former lizard Ueno and the intelligent negotiator Asuka join the investigation. With the time limit fast approaching, Ueno tracks down the culprit on his motorcycle and Asuka tracks down the criminal using profiling, but the situation takes an unexpected turn... This is the story.
Comments from the cast are as follows:
◇Takashi Sorimachi (role of Kazuma Ueno)
The reason this work was born was because Director Konno said he wanted to make something with me. However, the spread of the new coronavirus made it difficult to make it happen. I am very happy that my wish has finally come true and we are able to make a work together. It has also been about six years since I last worked with TV Tokyo. I am very grateful to all the staff for choosing and creating such a solid work, even as dramas are undergoing various changes.
◇ Chiaki Kuriyama (role of Asuka Nakahara)
At first glance, Asuka has a sour look, but I played the role hoping to convey her honesty and sense of justice. There were many tense scenes that required constant vigilance, and I was nervous while filming. The scene in the room at Hinode Bank, where she interacted with the criminal and had a clash of opinions with Soma, played by Fukikoshi-san, left a strong impression on me as it was a battlefield for Asuka.
This was my first time acting with Sorimachi-san. He was professional, he rode a motorcycle, and he was cool and wonderful in every way. I didn't have many scenes with Ryusei-san, but he was very friendly and made me feel at ease. I was very happy to meet Shiina-san again after a long time. He was always calm and kind, and made me feel at ease.
"TOKAGE" is a drama that is full of interesting stories and cool police officers who fight against criminals for the sake of human lives. Please watch it.
◇Ryusei Ryo (role of Saijo Junichi)
This time, I play the role of a bank's crisis management officer. It would be best if no crisis occurred in this department, but a crisis does occur (laughs). In the drama I co-starred with the lead actor, Sorimachi-san, we were enemies, but this time, we are on the police and bank side, so we will corner the criminal as colleagues. I had been hoping to co-star with him again someday, so I didn't think it would come true so soon, but I was able to experience a new side of Sorimachi-san's kindness and generosity. And under the director's great leadership, I think it has become a very tense and gripping work! Please look forward to it.
◇ Mitsuru Fukikoshi(role of Tetsuro Souma)
It wasn't one of my scenes, but we were filming a motorcycle ride, and a big motorcycle with a rider wearing a full-face helmet came barreling by and screeched to a halt. I thought it must be a stuntman, but when he took off the helmet, I saw it was Sorimachi himself. "He looks so cool. But I couldn't do it. I couldn't play a lizard. Because I don't have a license. *sniff*" I thought. "Okay! If I can't play a lizard, then I'll just have to try my best to play a detective with a bad personality who seems to have some ulterior motives!" I also thought.
◇ Kippei Shiina (role of Morio Tabata)
This time I played the role of Tabata, the boss of the main character. He is a nonchalant character who carries out his duties without revealing his true feelings. I have acted with the main character Sorimachi-kun and the heroine Kuriyama-san before, so I was able to enjoy the exchange between the three of us. The unfamiliar police special forces called TOKAGE are interesting, but Sorimachi-kun's motorbike action is also a highlight!!
◇ Producer Tatsuya Yamaga (TV Tokyo)
The scene of the motorbike racing, the serious expression on his face as he pursues the truth of the incident, and the gentle, loving gaze he looks at the boys and the victim.
A cool adult man! The film is full of Takashi Sorimachi's charm.
Based on the original work by Konno Bin, the story delves into the human drama hidden behind the incident, and is written as suspenseful adult entertainment, with twists and turns that are impossible to predict, and a shocking climax at the end. With the participation of a gorgeous cast of actors such as Kuriyama Chiaki, Ryusei Ryo, Mitsuru Fukikoshi, and Shiina Kippei, it has been completed as an adult drama. Please look forward to it.
