Actor Kodai Kurosaki is appearing in the Netflix series "Kujo's Great Sin," a live-action adaptation of the latest work by Shohei Manabe, known for the popular manga "Ushijima the Loan Shark." She plays Sota Sogabe, a drug courier whom the protagonist Kujo (Yuya Yagira) ends up defending, with great realism, and her acting skills are captivating viewers. Who exactly is Kurosaki, who is generating buzz on social media with comments like "Who is she?" and "Her acting is breathtaking"? Let's explore her charm and true character through past interviews and other sources.
◇Her acting in the Asadora"Boogie Woogie" was also a hot topic, as it was far beyond what one would expect from a newcomer.
Kurosaki was born on April 19, 2002, and is a 23-year-old from Hyogo Prefecture. In 2022, despite being a complete amateur, she won the "LesPros Entertainment 30th Anniversary Project 'Lead Role Audition'" beating out approximately 5,000 other applicants, thus entering the entertainment industry.
Because her father worked in the film industry, Kurosaki grew up surrounded by movies. She began watching films on her own initiative when she entered junior high school. By the time she was in high school, she had clearly decided that she wanted to work in the film industry in the future.
He says that in high school, he teamed up with a classmate and "tried writing and filming scripts," and when he went to university, he moved to Tokyo. He applied for the aforementioned "leading role audition" as a way to study for his future, and that's how he discovered the joy and depth of acting, and ended up making his debut as an actor before working on the "filming side" or "scriptwriting side."
In the 2023 second half NHK Asadora drama series "Boogie Woogie," he won the role of Rokuro, the younger brother of the protagonist Suzuko (Shuri), in an audition with over 300 participants. Although it was his first appearance in a television drama, he gave a great performance as Rokuro, a laid-back character who loves animals and cares deeply for his family, and his natural acting, which was unusual for a newcomer, was well-received.
Toshitake Fukuoka, who served as the production supervisor for "Boogie Woogie," revealed that Kurosaki's "innate simplicity" was the deciding factor in casting him. He said, "Many young actors these days are very skilled at acting and come to auditions having carefully prepared characters. But Kurosaki stood there with the pure atmosphere he already possesses. All the staff thought, 'He'll shine even brighter if we polish him up,' and 'This is interesting.'" He spoke of Kurosaki's charm.
Furthermore, in the same year, he won the Best New Actor Award at the 33rd Japan Film Critics Awards for his debut film, "Sayonara Hoya Man." Since then, he has appeared in a string of popular works, including the film "I Still Can't Say Today's Sky Is My Favorite" (2024) and the Amazon Prime Video drama "Human Specimen" (2025). Last year, he took on his first leading role in the film "Miharashi Sedai," and is emerging as one of the most promising young talents.
◇ The original author of "The Great Sin of Article 9" also gives his seal of approval: "He looked exactly like Sogabe."
In "The Great Sin of Article 9," Kurosaki plays Sogabe, who served a six-year prison sentence for taking the blame for a robbery committed by Takumi Kanemoto (Taiga Harada), the son of a yakuza boss. After his release, he tries to reintegrate into society with the help of social worker Hitomi Yakushimae (Elaiza Ikeda), but is conveniently used by Kanemoto and tasked with being a drug courier, a job that carries a high risk of getting caught.
The original author, Manabe, gave his seal of approval at the official roundtable discussion for the series, saying, "He looked exactly like Sogabe," and Kurosaki's acting skills have also become a hot topic among viewers. On social media, there has been a flood of surprised and admiring comments such as, "Who is he!?", "His acting is so good, it's like he's the real deal, I had to look up his name", "Where has such an amazing kid been hiding?", "His acting is truly breathtaking", and "What kind of actor is Sogabe? He's incredible, he looks exactly like that person."
Kurosaki-san perfectly captured the image of Sogabe from the original work, delivering a realistic performance that felt almost unreal. In an interview about two and a half years ago, when asked about his aspirations as an actor, he said, "I hope to become an actor who can give reactions that reveal their inner self."
"I want to be an actor who can forge my own path, or rather, create a genre that doesn't exist yet, who can find a niche and lead the way in that field. Whether it's a love story or a comedy, my ideal is to become someone that later actors say, 'That's so typical of Kodai Kurosaki,'" she said, revealing her extraordinary passion for acting.
Kurosaki left a strong impression on viewers with her performance in "The Great Sin of Article 9." With the Fuji TV Getsuku drama "Canned Mackerel Goes to Space" starting April 13th and the film "Suddenly Feeling Unwell" opening June 19th, further success is expected. We can't wait to see what kind of performances Kurosaki, who aims for her own unique path, will deliver next. She's definitely someone to keep an eye on.
