It was revealed on February 19th that actress Michiko Yoshise will be appearing in the April TBS Sunday Theatre drama "GIFT" (Sundays at 9pm), starring Shinichi Tsutsumi. Actor Ken Yasuda will also appear. Yasuda will play a former player and ruthless, strict "master coach" who leads a powerful team that has been number one in Japan for three consecutive years, while Yoshise will play a motherly "landlady" who helps a struggling, underdog team. They are head coaches of wheelchair rugby teams who are at odds with each other.
The story is entirely original, with the screenplay written by Kanazawa Tomoki, who has worked on Netflix's drama "Sanctuary" and the network's serial drama "Who Saw the Peacock Dance?" Set in the parasport of wheelchair rugby, the film tells the story of bonds and rebirth, as a weak team comes to understand the importance of teamwork and family through serious physical and mental challenges, while figuring out the answers to difficult problems facing them.
Tsutsumi, who will be starring in the Sunday Theatre for the first time in 27 years, will play Gotetsu Fumito, an astrophysicist with a genius mind and knowledge. Gotetsu is an associate professor at a university who studies black holes, but by chance he comes across wheelchair rugby and becomes involved with the underdog team, the "Braze Bulls," who have not won in three years, have no sense of unity in their play, and are disjointed and have no chance of winning.
Isolated from those around him, never confronting or facing anyone, this lonely man's only purpose in life has been to find and solve difficult problems that interest him. But when he sees a team piled with problems and, despite not even knowing the rules of wheelchair rugby, he declares, "I can make them win. I'll make this team the best in Japan." At first, he only intends to solve the problem of "not being able to win," but as he works out the solution to the Bulls' problems, he comes face to face with his own problems as he comes into serious contact with the players and learns about the scars each of them carries in their lives.
Yamada Yuki will play Miyashita Ryo, the lone ace of the Bulls who has lost his luster, and Arimura Kasumi will play Kiriyama Hitoka, a magazine reporter who becomes involved with the Bulls after doing an interview.
◇ Yoshise Michiko is a big sister type, while Yasuda Ken is a cold and strict “master general.”
Yasuda plays Akiyasu Kunimi, the head coach of the Sharkheads, a powerful team that has won the Japan Championship three times in a row, and the ruthless and strict "master coach" who also leads the Japanese national team. A former player, he is committed to establishing wheelchair rugby as not just a recreational sport, but as a path for athletes who strive to master the sport. Driven by this belief, he is utterly focused on winning in his coaching. While many players drop out due to his strictness and refusal to tolerate any complacency, those who persevere are said to grow into top-class players. While he appears ruthless, he is also a compassionate person who cares more about the future of wheelchair rugby and its players than anyone else. He feels a strong dislike for Gotetsu, a complete novice who suddenly appears in the wheelchair rugby world, feeling insulted by him. He also has a deep connection with the Bulls.
Yoshise plays Hino Masami, the bossy "proprietress" of the struggling Bulls, the polar opposite of the Sharkheads. While she usually works as a physical therapist at a rehabilitation center, she struggles with the Bulls' near-death crisis, but she's doing her best to revive them. She joined the Bulls as a trainer when they were first established and is the only staff member still with the team, acting as a mother figure to them. She also remembers the Bulls' vibrant and powerful past. While she has a feud with Kunimi, it's due to differences in their ways of thinking and stances, not hatred. She's a cousin of Gotetsu, and one of the few people who understands him, who is isolated from his peers. She never imagined Gotetsu would be interested in the world of wheelchair rugby, and it all began when she started complaining about the team's problems.
Comments from Yasuda and Yoshise are as follows:
◇Ken Yasuda (role of Akiyasu Kunimi)
I will be playing the role of the head coach of wheelchair rugby.
I am inspired every day by the passionate attitude of the players and staff as they work so hard.
I hope that this sport, where people with different personalities, characteristics, and performances can come together and compete on an equal footing, will reach more people.
I will work hard as a member of the team.
◇ Michiko Yoshise (role of Masami Hino)
It had been a long time since I last met director Hirano (Shunichi), so I was happy but also a little nervous when I arrived on set.
I also feel encouraged to be working with such a wonderful cast.
I play Hino Masami, the head coach of the wheelchair rugby team, the Brave Bulls.
She is also the cousin of Go Tetsuto, played by Tsutsumi Shinichi, and although she is often at his mercy, she quietly watches over the growth of the team and its players.
This is a production that will allow you to enjoy the excitement and charm of wheelchair rugby, so please look forward to it.
