The TBS Sunday drama "GIFT," starring actor Shinichi Tsutsumi, will begin airing on April 12th (Sundays at 9 PM). The story is set in the world of wheelchair rugby, a parasport, and follows the genius astrophysicist Fumito Gotetsu (Tsutsumi) as he solves difficult problems facing a struggling team, learning the importance of friends and family along the way. Yuki Yamada and Kasumi Arimura will also appear in the drama. The first episode will be 25 minutes longer than usual.
This is a completely original work by Tomoki Kanazawa, who has worked on Netflix dramas such as "Sanctuary" and the same network's drama series "Who saw the peacock dance in the jungle?". Tsutsumi will be starring in a Sunday drama for the first time in 27 years.
Yamada plays Ryo Miyashita, the ace of the wheelchair rugby team "Blaze Bulls" who has lost his brilliance; Arimura plays Hitoka Kiriyama, a magazine reporter who becomes involved with the Bulls after covering them; and Honda Kyoya plays Keijiro Asatani, a young wheelchair delinquent who has lost his dreams.
Episode 1 is about... Fumito Gotetsu, an astrophysicist and associate professor at a university specializing in black hole research. While he possesses a genius-level intellect, his genius can sometimes lead those around him into darkness.
Magazine reporter Hitoka Kiriyama is assigned by Seiko Nishijin (played by Sei Matobu) to cover a series on wheelchair rugby, and goes to interview the strongest team, "Sharkhead." She is overwhelmed by the intensity of the collisions in wheelchair rugby. On another day, she witnesses the practice of a team that is the complete opposite of "Sharkhead." It is the "Blaze Bulls," once a powerhouse, but now a weak team.
Wu Tetsu arrives at the Bulls' practice field. The Bulls' head coach is Wu Tetsu's cousin, Masami Hino (played by Michiko Kichise), and he had heard from her that "the team is riddled with problems."
Wu Tie, a genius whose life's purpose is solving difficult problems, observes the practice and is overjoyed, exclaiming, "This is great! This team has a mountain of problems!" He then analyzes the reason they can't win as "the absence of an overwhelming ace," prompting the ace, Miyashita Ryo, to react. He challenges Wu Tie to a race using a racing wheelchair, commonly known as a rugby wheelchair...?
