Actor Takuya Kimura appeared at the opening day stage greeting for his starring movie "Kyojo Requiem" (directed by Isao Nakae) held in Tokyo on February 20th. Kimura, who plays the strict police academy instructor, Kimichika Kazama, demonstrated the "salute" just like in the movie. Soya Igari of the popular group "KEY TO LIT," who plays Watanabe Ryu, one of the 205th trainees, was in charge of the commands.
The film is the final chapter of the popular series, set in a classroom at a police academy where students aspiring to become police officers attend, and depicts the cold-hearted instructor Kazama, played by Kimura, whose right eye is a prosthetic, and the students who have evil intentions.
The cast members playing the students underwent rigorous training for around two months before filming, drilling them with proper manners such as saluting and marching. At the end of the stage greeting, they performed a tense salute in front of an audience of 450 people. Igari, who was nominated to be in charge of giving commands, responded, "Me? I've never done it once in the film... I'm not that type of character. I was always drawing pictures on the sidelines," drawing laughter from the audience.
Kimura recreated the scene where he knocks on the classroom door by tapping on the floor. As he stood in front of the cast playing the students, Igari called out, "Attention!" and "Salute!", and they all saluted just like in the play.
Kimura then suggested, "Would everyone in the audience join in?" After explaining each movement, such as "Keep your fingertips together" and "Don't lift your head until the instructor returns the salute," the entire audience joined in the salute.
The first time, they were not in unison, and Kimura told them to "do it again." When they succeeded on the second try, Kimura gave them his stamp of approval, saying, "I could feel everyone's seriousness in their backs. It was really good."
In addition to Kimura and Igari, the stage greeting was attended by Tsuna Hironaga, Saito Kyoko, Kura Yuki, Igeta Hiroe, and director Nakae Isao, who play the trainees of the 205th class.
"Kyojo" follows the story of the strict instructor, Kazama Kimichika, who uses his sharp eyes to see through the various doubts, conflicts, and secrets that arise among the police academy trainees, sifting through the students and handing them their withdrawal notices one after another. The first series, "Kyojo," aired in 2020 as Fuji TV's New Year's special, followed by the second series, "Kyojo II," in 2021, and "Kazama Kimichika - Kyojo 0," a story about Kazama's past, in the same network's "Monday 9" slot in 2023.
