Shoki Nakayama, an actor appearing in the film "Kyojo Requiem" (directed by Isao Nakae), starring Takuya Kimura, plays Tatsuki Manabe, one of the 205th class trainees who confront the strict instructor Kimichika Kazama (Kimura) at the police academy where the story takes place, following his role in the previous series "Kyojo Reunion," which is currently streaming on Netflix. Nakayama reflects on the approximately six months he spent together with the other 205th class members, sharing both joys and hardships, saying, "We formed a bond that felt like we were real friends."
◇I've always loved team sports.
Nakayama was born on March 18, 1999, and is a 26-year-old from Tokyo. He made his acting debut in 2022 and has appeared in WOWOW dramas such as "Draft King" (2023) and the film "The Silent Service" (2023), as well as the TBS Sunday drama "Gekokujo Kyuji" (2023) and the Netflix drama "Love Battle Royale" (2024).
Before his debut, he dedicated his youth to baseball, which he started playing in the first grade of elementary school, and played as a pitcher from high school through university. Perhaps because of that experience, he had some new realizations while working on "Kyojo."
"I've always loved team sports. In that sense, 'Kyojo' was a work that couldn't be completed unless everyone worked together as one, so it was like a 'new kind of youth,' and it reaffirmed for me that I really do love working on something and achieving it together with others. Plus, meeting fellow members of my generation, including Kura (Yuki), who inspire me, has also been a valuable asset."
Nakayama also said that he filmed the movie with the hope that "in the future, this will become a work that I can say was a turning point for me." Naturally, he also learned a lot as an actor during the process.
"I learned that if the director is the only one saying 'do this, do that,' you'll only end up with something boring, so as an actor, I need to have a stronger opinion. Even if you go overboard, it can sometimes be better or more interesting, so you should express your own opinion and keep trying new things. I think I've grown in that respect through this experience, and I'm grateful for those words."
◇I want to improve my "human skills" - maybe I'll be in a historical drama someday.
I also had a bed scene with Yuno Ohara, who played Manabe's girlfriend, Momoha Kinoshita.
"This is my first time doing a bed scene. I studied various works to figure out how it should look, and I think it was a big challenge for me."
In addition, Manabe said that the scene where she refuses a kiss from her boyfriend because she has a cold required "20 or 30 takes," and that she ended up with a "completely blank mind." Naturally, she also realized that "I still have a lot of experience to gain."
"Of course I know that I have to take things one step at a time, but on the other hand, appearing in 'Kyojo' has given me a realistic goal: to be on the same level as the alumni. I think I've been able to think more concretely about what I need to do to achieve that goal, whereas before it was just a vague desire to be successful."
What Nakayama wants to improve is his "human skills."
"The kind of actor I consider to be a good actor is someone with 'great interpersonal skills.' I've come to realize that even things that don't seem directly related to work at first glance need to be actively involved, gain various experiences, and absorb them. That's why I think it's important to keep challenging yourself and never stop moving forward."
As a new challenge, I've also started learning sword fighting (tate).
"I started practicing sword fighting because I wanted to appear in period dramas, and although I'm not an expert in history, I do like it, and I like the Shinsengumi, even though it's a bit cliché. So I'd like to actually perform it myself, and I hope that one day I can appear in an NHK Taiga drama."
