Actor Kinya Kitaoji recently appeared at a press conference at TV Asahi's headquarters (Minato-ku, Tokyo) for the network's drama "Borderless: Wide-Area Mobile Investigation Team" (Wednesdays at 9 PM), which starts on April 8th, alongside main cast members Tao Tsuchiya and Shori Sato of the popular group "timelesz." There was a moment when his co-stars gave him a nickname.
This new series is a new police drama that will start in TV Asahi's traditional "Wednesday 9pm" time slot, which has produced shows like "Aibou," "Tokuso9," and "Keiji 7-nin." Written by Ryoichi Kimizuka, who also wrote the "Odoru Daisousasen" and "Kyojo" series (both on Fuji TV), it is a completely original work depicting the exploits of seven detectives with troubled pasts in a mobile investigation unit, a "speeding investigation headquarters in a truck" that the National Police Agency has decided to operate on a trial basis. The press conference was attended by the two lead actors Tsuchiya and Sato, as well as Eiji Yokota, Kotaro Tanaka, Yuuka, Yoshihiko Inohara, and Kitaoji.
In keeping with the title, when asked about an incident that made him feel he had recently crossed a "boundary," Sato revealed what it was like on set, saying, "It usually takes me a while to get to know people I'm meeting for the first time, but on this set, from the first day, we've all been giving each other nicknames to try and overcome the barrier of meeting for the first time."
As the nicknames for each of the cast members were introduced—Tsuchiya as "Tao-chan, Taotao," Sato as "Bomibomi (from her character's name)," Yokota as "Ei-chan," Tanaka as "Ko-chan," Yuuka as "Hiro-chan (from her real name)," and Inohara as "Inocchi"—it was revealed that Kitaoji was the only one whose nickname hadn't been decided, so they decided to discuss it on the spot.
When Yokota hesitantly asked, "Is it okay if I call you by a nickname...?", Kitaoji replied nonchalantly, "Anything is fine, even 'Kintaro' or anything else (laughs)." When he mentioned that "a senior colleague used to call me 'Kinbo'," Yuuka gave a wry smile and said, "But 'Kinbo' is hard to say." When Inohara asked, "Do people usually call you by a nickname?", he jokingly replied, "Like 'Big Eyes' (laughs)," drawing laughter from the audience.
Then, Sato suggested, "Since the character's nickname is 'Mecha Grandpa,' and 'Grandpa' behind the scenes sounds a bit strange, how about 'Mecha Brother'?" Kitaoji retorted, "I think 'Mecha Grandpa' sounds better somehow. After all, he's 83 years old (laughs)," and they ultimately decided on "Mecha Grandpa."
