It has been revealed that comedian Kotake Masayoshi will be making a guest appearance in the 9th episode of the drama series "ESCAPE: It Was Supposed to be Kidnapping" (Wednesdays at 10pm), which will be broadcast on December 3rd. Kotake, who is also an active lawyer belonging to the Tokyo Bar Association, will play the role of a lawyer. This will be Kotake's first time taking on a full-fledged acting role.
Kotake is a talented solo comedian who specializes in comedy and stand-up routines involving law, courtrooms, and the legal profession, and has made it to the semi-finals of the 2024 ABC Comedy Grand Prix, the 2025 R-1 Grand Prix, and the 2025 Watanabe Comedy Grand Prix. Since March 2022, he has also been active on his YouTube channel, "Kotake's Guilty Channel of Justice," which has gained over 300,000 subscribers. His solo live performance, "Debate," held in December 2024, was later made available for free on YouTube, generating a great deal of buzz. His 60-minute stand-up routine, based on the "Hakamada Incident," drew praise on social media for its impressive storytelling and structure, capturing the hearts of many.
The drama, starring Sakurada Hiyori and Hayato Sano, is a human suspense drama about a hostage and a kidnapper who engage in an "unpredictable escape." In episode 9, Kotake plays Hosaka, the legal advisor for Yagami Pharmaceuticals. Taku Komiyama (Matsuo Satoru) and Haruki Tabata (Hidaka Yukito), who are pursuing Yamaguchi Kenji (Yukito Hidaka), one of the kidnapping group members, visit Hosaka, the legal advisor, introduced to them by Yagami Pharmaceuticals' secretary Fuji Sota (Tanaka Shunsuke), to find out if Yamaguchi was involved in a past lawsuit related to Yagami Pharmaceuticals. From documents in Hosaka's possession, they discover that Yamaguchi had previously filed a lawsuit against Yagami Pharmaceuticals... and so the story unfolds.
◇ Full comment from Kotake Seigikan
-What did you think when you received this offer?
I thought it was a prank. "A drama? Surely that can't be!" (laughs) To be honest, I'd never been pranked before, so I thought it was a complete surprise.
-Is this your first time acting?
It was my first time. I had done skits on variety shows, but it was of course my first time acting in a real drama.
-How was it acting on the set of the drama?
First of all, I was surprised by the sheer number of staff members! There were so many people that I wondered if they would even notice a few outsiders mixed in (laughs). It's rare to see so many people on a variety show set, so I was really surprised. The cameras were also really cool and amazing. And the atmosphere on set was really peaceful and kind. I was surprised because I imagined it would be more tense.
-How do you feel about actually acting in a play with lines?
I practiced every day after receiving the script, but it was difficult when it came to the actual performance. I didn't know how well I was doing, or how poorly I was doing, so I just did it. I had a hard time remembering the long lines that were spoken one after the other, but the lines I was given were written in the correct language for a lawyer, so I was able to remember them right away. I'm excited and embarrassed to watch it air, but I'm also looking forward to it.
-Were you able to play the lawyer as you imagined?
That's right. I imagined myself as a very cool lawyer, so I think I was able to do that! I had no idea what it would be like if I played a lawyer as a character (laughs). I know a lot of strange lawyers around me, but I had kind of forgotten how a serious person would talk at work. I desperately thought about "what it was like to be a lawyer" (laughs).
-Are you interested in continuing acting in the future?
Now that I know how much fun it is to work on a drama set, I'd be very happy if I could continue working on it in the future. Any role! I'd like to play anything, even a bomber! (laughs)
