It was revealed on July 18th, the third anniversary of Yokota's death, that actors Arata Furuta and Akira Emoto will star in the film "Glory Back Home" (directed by Jun Akiyama, to be released on November 28th), which depicts the life story of former Hanshin Tigers player Shintaro Yokota, who died at the age of 28 in 2023 due to a brain tumor. Former high school baseball player and rookie actor Takaya Matsutani will play Yokota, co-starring with Kyoka Suzuki, who plays his mother.
The film is based on "The Miracle Back Home," written by Yokota before his death, and the non-fiction book "The Glorious Back Home: Yokota Shintaro, Eternal Number 24" (both published by Gentosha Bunko) by Yuriko Nakai. Gentosha's president Toru Misato is the executive producer, and this is the first film produced by Gentosha Films.
Yokota was drafted by Hanshin as the second pick in 2013 while still a student at Kagoshima Jitsugyo High School, and joined the team the following year. He was a promising young player. He was diagnosed with a brain tumor during spring training in 2017, and after being hospitalized and receiving treatment, he worked hard on rehabilitation in order to return to action, but retired in 2019. His arrow-like return throw from center field to the catcher in his retirement game at Hanshin Naruohama Stadium (Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture, a Western League official game against the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks) is still talked about today as the "miraculous back home." He passed away on July 18, 2023.
Yokota and Matsutani, whose fathers were both professional baseball players, have been friends for several years, and Yokota gave each other a glove and Matsutani a gift of the first costume he wore as an actor. After Yokota entered the hospice, Matsutani stayed overnight in Osaka and stayed by Yokota's side.
Furuta's character, Kakefu, was a development coach for the Hanshin Tigers when Yokota joined the team, and was esteemed by the Tigers to become one of their main players. Emoto's character, Kawato, invited Yokota to his YouTube channel "Kawato Room" as a producer after his retirement, and they deepened their relationship by appearing in videos together. He read the eulogy at Yokota's funeral and farewell ceremony.
Other cast members include Nao Omori as Hirata Katsuo (currently the second team manager), who was in charge of Yokota's retirement game, Kato Masaya as Kanemoto Tomonori (currently a baseball commentator) who was the first team manager and selected Yokota for the first team, Maeda Kentaro Maeda as Hojo Fumiya (currently a professional baseball player), who was Yokota's senior at Hanshin, Hagiwara Masato as Tanaka Shuta, who was Yokota's scout, and Uechi Yusuke as Tsuchiya Akihiro, who was Yokota's trainer.
Kyoka Suzuki will play Yokota's mother, Manami, Takahashi Katsunori will play Yokota's father, Masayuki, Yamazaki Hirona will play Yokota's older sister, Mako, Ihara Rikka will play Yokota's love interest, Ogasawara Chisa, Ozawa Yukiyoshi will play Kagiyama Hirohisa, the doctor in charge at the hospital in Osaka, and Koichi Sato will play Kadokura Tsutomu, the doctor in charge at the hospice.
The theme song is Yuzu's "Eiko no Hashi," which was Yokota's entrance song and was a source of emotional support during his illness. On September 14, 2023, at the game at Koshien Stadium (against the Yomiuri Giants) where Hanshin won the league championship for the first time in 18 years, 40,000 spectators sang the song for Yokota in heaven.
The visual of the teaser poster released shows a dignified back shot of Yokota, played by Matsutani, wearing the uniform number "24" of the Hanshin Tigers, and the mother, played by Suzuki, who plays Manami, with a gentle smile on her face, as they fight against the illness. The poster also includes the tagline "We will never forget Yokota Shintaro."
The Teaser trailer also shows Yokota's long battle with brain tumor after he turned professional and began to play an active role as a young hopeful, and how his family came together to support him. The trailer concludes with a video of Yokota, played by Matsutani, making a "miraculous return home."
◇Story
In the 2013 draft, 18-year-old Yokota Shintaro was selected second by the Hanshin Tigers. Although he missed out on the Koshien tournament, his baseball sense caught the eye of scouts and he was selected as a promising rookie. With his natural competitive spirit and a personality that is loved by everyone, he has grown into a fine player even in the tough professional world. In the opening game of 2016, he was selected as a starter for the first team and got his first hit. Just when it seemed like a smooth sailing baseball career was waiting for him, something strange happened to Shintaro's body.
He saw double balls. The doctor's diagnosis was too cruel for a 21-year-old young man: a brain tumor. From that day on, Shintaro's daily battle against the cruel disease began. However, he was not alone. His mother Manami and other family members, his mentors, teammates, and the wholehearted support of those who loved him so much inspired him. Then, on September 26, 2019, Shintaro's "miraculous back home" in his retirement game surprised and moved everyone. But the real miracle drama continued after that...
