Actor Takuya Kimura appeared at the opening day stage greeting for his starring movie "Kyojo Requiem" (directed by Isao Nakae) held in Tokyo on February 20th. His surprise appearance thrilled the audience.
After the screening, Kimura appeared on stage from the balcony seats at the back of the audience and revealed that he had watched the film with the audience. He said with a playful smile, "I wanted to try a surprise attack in the style of (my character) Kazama. I wanted to experience for myself how everyone was watching the film."
He continued, "I think some people don't know the real ending. The moment the end credits rolled, quite a few people went to the bathroom..." he said with a wry smile, and expressed his gratitude, saying, "Several customers wiped tears from their eyes. I was grateful that they were taking the film seriously."
Afterwards, Kimura walked through the audience to the stage and commented with emotion, "I was able to look at you all instead of at the screen for more than half the time, and I really could tell that you all cared about me, so I was just grateful."
Regarding the direction of his entrance, Kazama said, "I said that it would be better if no one noticed me in the end, but then people would ask, 'Where is he going?' so it was good that I was able to stand there and watch, but...it was very embarrassing." He continued, "I was very happy that so many people had gathered, and I am truly grateful."
In addition to Kimura, the stage greeting was attended by Tsuna Hironaga, Saito Kyoko, Kura Yuki, Igeta Hiroe, who play the trainees of the 205th class, Igari Soya from the popular group KEY TO LIT, and director Nakae Isao.
"Kyojo" follows the story of Kazama Kimichika (Kimura), a strict instructor with graying hair and a prosthetic right eye, who uses his sharp gaze to see through the various doubts, conflicts, and secrets that arise among the police academy trainees, sifting through the students and forcing them to submit their withdrawal forms one after another. The first series, "Kyojo," aired in 2020 as Fuji TV's New Year's special, followed by the second series, "Kyojo II," in 2021, and "Kazama Kimichika - Kyojo 0," a story about Kazama's past, in the same network's "Monday 9" slot in 2023.
