It has been revealed that actor Kohei Matsushita will appear in the drama "Stove League," starring Kazuya Kamenashi, which will be broadcast and streamed on Lemino and WOWOW starting March 28. Matsushita will play an important character involved in the rebuilding of the baseball team, and he commented, "I've always wanted to work with Mr. Kamenashi on a drama set someday, so my wish has come true."
"Stove League" is a remake of the drama of the same name that aired on South Korea's SBS in 2019 and achieved a peak viewership rating of 20.8%. It depicts the struggles of the team's front office staff, including a general manager with no baseball experience, as they attempt to rebuild a professional baseball team that is perpetually at the bottom of the standings.
The Japanese version is a joint Japan-Korea project produced by Studio S, a drama studio under the South Korean media group SBS, and NTT Docomo Studio & Live. Kamenashi plays Jun Sakurazaki, the new general manager of the perpetually last-place professional baseball team "Dreams," despite having no prior baseball experience.
Matsushita commented, "I feel that this work is a different 'Japanese version of Stove League' from the Korean version. And with Director Ruto directing it, it has an even greater sense of originality. Not only my character, but many of the characters show slightly different sides of themselves compared to the original, so I think even those who have watched all the episodes of the original will be able to enjoy it, and I think they will discover many new things."
"I think 'Stove League' is a film for all sports lovers, and at the same time, it's a film that encourages people who are working hard at something. It's packed with all sorts of emotions, like the wonderfulness of dreaming and the difficulty of not giving up. I was really happy to be a part of this film," he said, reflecting on the filming.
