The first episode of the TBS Sunday drama "GIFT," starring actor Shinichi Tsutsumi, aired on April 12th (Sundays at 9 PM). Ken Yasuda, who plays Kunimi, the head coach of the wheelchair rugby team "Sharkhead," attracted attention from viewers.
◇The following contains spoilers.
Set against the backdrop of wheelchair rugby, a parasport, the story follows Wutetsu Fumito, a genius astrophysicist played by Tsutsumi, as he tries to find answers to difficult problems facing the underdog team "Blaze Bulls." Through this process of genuinely clashing hearts and bodies, he learns the importance of friendship and family, leading to a tale of bonds and redemption.
The Blaze Bulls faced the formidable Sharkhead in the Wheelchair Rugby Japan Championship. In the first half, they took the lead thanks to the performance of their ace, Ryo Miyashita (played by Yuki Yamada), but when Sharkhead's ace, Soichi Taniguchi (played by Kanata Hosoda), came on as a substitute, they were quickly overtaken and lost by a large margin.
After the game, Kunimi approached the dejected Blaze Bulls players. Looking at Miyashita and the others, he said, "What's wrong? Why the long faces? There's no need to look like that. You guys should just enjoy yourselves. Think of it as recreation."
When Miyashita retorted, "Are you saying our play is just a game?", Kunimi calmly told him that the Bulls' glorious days were long gone. "So you must never think that again. That you can win," he pointed out. "That's right, why don't you say it out loud? Say it out loud and accept it properly. 'We can never win.' Go on, say it," he said in a stern tone.
Social media was buzzing with comments like, "Ken Yasuda's coach is great as a mean villain," "Ken Yasuda is the best at playing these kinds of villains," "GIFT is interesting - Ken Yasuda's presence is just perfect," "Ken Yasuda's villainous portrayal was fantastic. After all, a rival team's coach has to be like that to be interesting," "I wonder if Yasuda will stay as the villain - I can't wait," "I don't dislike Ken Yasuda as a villain. He's just such a good actor, it's annoying," and "Ken Yasuda has such an evil look on his face (lol)."
