It was revealed on January 3rd that actor Yo Oizumi will be starring in the drama series "Our Hakone Ekiden" (NTV), based on the novel by Jun Ikeido (Bungeishunju). Oizumi made a live appearance on Nippon TV's "Complete Coverage! Hakone Ekiden," which aired on the 3rd from 9pm, and made the announcement. Oizumi will play Tokushige Ryo, the chief producer of the TV station in charge of the live broadcast of the Hakone Ekiden. It has also been revealed that the series will air in October of this year (the broadcast time slot has not yet been decided).
The original story, based on the Hakone Ekiden, a traditional New Year's event in Japan, was written by Ikeido with over a decade of passion. The story centers around the challenge of the Meisei Gakuin University track and field team, which has missed out on the race for two consecutive years, and the behind-the-scenes story of Dainichi Television, the television station responsible for broadcasting the race live. Oizumi plays Tokushige, who struggles to convey the passion of the runners as they face a series of challenges and unforeseen circumstances both inside and outside the station as they broadcast the Hakone Ekiden live.
The drama will be produced by Nippon Television, which has been broadcasting the Hakone Ekiden live since 1987, with the full cooperation of the Kanto Student Athletics Federation, which organizes the Hakone Ekiden.
Meisei Gakuin University, a veteran school that has missed out on the finals of the Hakone Ekiden for two years in a row. To participate in the Hakone Ekiden, they must pass the qualifying rounds held in October. Will Meisei Gakuin be able to run the Hakone course? An unexpected incident also occurred at the television station that was responsible for broadcasting the race... This is the story.
Oizumi's visuals have also been released. The visuals were created by Kurigami Kazumi, one of Japan's leading photographers. The photoshoot is the realization of Oizumi's long-held dream of having admired Kurigami's world of photography for many years. In fact, Kurigami has also been keeping an eye on Oizumi for many years, and feels a special attraction to his presence. The atmosphere on set, where two people with mutual respect faced each other, was filled with tension and trust. After the shoot, Oizumi commented, "My love call has come true. It was a short shoot, but it was truly a session with Kurigami. All the photos were wonderful, and I'm glad that I can have a memorial portrait taken whenever I die (laughs)."
The full comments from Oizumi and original author Ikegami are as follows:
◇ Comment from Yo Oizumi
I have been given the opportunity to play the lead role in the drama "Our Hakone Ekiden," based on the original work by Ikeido. I will be playing Tokushige Ryo, the chief producer of the sports department in charge of the Hakone Ekiden broadcast.
When we talk about the Hakone Ekiden, the main focus is on the passionate drama of the athletes and coaches, but this drama, based on an original work by Ikeido, is also a story about the television station that broadcasts the passionate race, which I thought was a very fresh and interesting angle.
Creating a one-of-a-kind program with a long tradition like the Hakone Ekiden naturally involves a jumble of different people's thoughts and intentions. Some want to preserve the tradition, while others want to break it.
There will be many problems, unreasonable company circumstances, and many other enemies that are typical of Ikeido's works, but we hope you will watch closely in front of the TV to see how Tokushige, who has a strong belief in the Hakone Ekiden, will swim to the end as a TV man, and what kind of miracle will the runners who once gave up on Hakone perform at the Hakone Ekiden. Please look forward to it.
◇Comment from Jun Ikeido
When this work was being adapted into a TV drama, I made one request to the production team: rather than focusing solely on the student team, I asked them to also place the TV station, the creators of the Hakone Ekiden program, at the center of the story; or rather, to restructure the story to place the emphasis on that.
It is not widely known, but the Hakone Ekiden program was not created in a day; it took many years just to get the idea approved, making it a huge project that could be said to have put the company's future on the line.
How could the students' fierce battle be broadcast live, especially the fifth section, where radio waves are blocked by the Hakone mountains? At the time, it was said to be technically impossible, but there were TV crews who took on this difficult challenge. Their overflowing passion and spirit of challenge. Their courage in the face of adversity. There was a quality to it that rivals the passion that student runners have for Hakone, and that spirit is still carried on today.
The passionate efforts of the staff that don't appear on TV, the announcements that are devoted to reporting the situation without any impurities, and the earnest and honest passion for sports coverage that lies at the heart of it all - this too is another aspect of the Hakone Ekiden itself.
I am truly grateful that Yo Oizumi, one of Japan's most popular actors, has taken on this important role. I look forward to seeing him put in the hard work that only he can as "Ryo Tokushige."
Good luck, Yo Oizumi. Good luck, Hakone Ekiden.
