Actor Kenji Sakaguchi attended the world premiere of the fifth film in the "Kingdom" series, "Kingdom: The Soulful Showdown" (directed by Shinsuke Sato, opening July 17), held in Tokyo on June 2. He revealed the pressure he felt playing Kanki, one of the most popular characters in the series.
Sakaguchi recalled, "Kanki is a popular character, so there was pressure, but I was given plenty of time before filming began, so I decided to do everything I could to prepare."
When asked about his approach to preparing for the role, he replied, "I tried a lot of things, but I think the most important thing is to be Kanki and be present on set." He then smiled and added, "The invitation for today's event said 'men should wear suits and ties,' but I deliberately chose not to wear a tie to portray Kanki," which was met with applause from the audience.
The event was also attended by Kento Yamazaki, Ryo Yoshizawa, Kanna Hashimoto, Jun Jun Shison, Fuju Kamio, Ayaka Miyoshi, Aju Makita Makita, Mizuki Yamashita , Etsushi Toyokawa Yuki Yamada , Etsushi Toyokawa, Jun Kaname, Hiroshi Tamaki, Koichi Sato, Shun Oguri Sato, Shun Oguri, and director Shinsuke Sato.
The movie "Kingdom" is based on the historical manga by Yasuhisa Hara (Shueisha), set in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods of China, and depicts the exploits of Shin, who aims to become a great general of the world, and Ei Sei, who would later become Qin Shi Huang. This film is a live-action adaptation of the "Coalition Army Arc," one of the most popular episodes in the original manga, and depicts the great battle for the survival of the state of Qin when it is attacked by the "Coalition Army" of the six states of Chu, Zhao, Wei, Han, Yan, and Qi, which have joined forces.
