It has been revealed that actor Kuranosuke Sasaki will star in the six-episode drama series "ALIUS -Specific Incident Investigation File-" (WOWOW Drama W-30), which will be broadcast and streamed on WOWOW starting in July. This will be Sasaki's first appearance in a WOWOW drama in approximately 24 years, since "TOYD," which won the 39th Galaxy Award, and his first time in a leading role. Sasaki will play a detective in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's First Investigation Division who takes on the challenge of solving a series of murders that cannot be explained by science.
This film is a crime thriller set in a world that is an extension of reality, revolving around a mysterious entity called ALIUS. The serial murders begin when a gruesome murder victim is found in an underground parking garage with four knives stuck in his throat. Then, mysterious phrases such as "ALIUS LAB" and "They control Homo sapiens" are discovered one after another around the victims... While it is a thrilling entertainment that depicts the course of a serial killing case, it also has aspects of a social drama that sharply examines the fragility and contradictions of the "advanced society" that humanity has built.
Sasaki will play Shogo Sano, a veteran detective in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's First Investigation Division. He is a highly capable detective, but three years ago his ex-wife suddenly left him, and he faces a series of inexplicable murders while carrying deep emotional scars.
This time, "ALIUS, the Innocent Avenger," a vertical-scrolling digital comic set in the same world as the drama, will be released in advance in June on Rakuten's digital comic distribution services "R-TOON" and "LINE Manga." This is a new attempt to link the drama series and the comic, centered around the mysterious entity known as ALIUS.
While the TV series depicts detectives investigating a series of murders in the present day, the comic book version is set 15 years ago and tells the story of a young man's revenge. Although each story is independent, as a vast conspiracy surrounding ALIUS is revealed, the two narratives become intertwined in unexpected ways.
◇Comment from Kuranosuke Sasaki
This is a very challenging work, a completely original crime suspense series that also incorporates sci-fi elements. When I first received the offer, I wondered what kind of approach I should take to truly immerse myself in this world. Once I started reading the script, I was immediately drawn in by the continuous stream of mysteries and betrayals within the short 30-minute episodes. I can't say too much about the details, and all I can say is, "You'll have to watch it to find out," but... after watching it, the scenery around town might look a little different... maybe?
◇Comments from Director Daisuke Yamamoto
This film is based on a crime suspense genre, incorporating elements of science fiction and horror, but without relying on VFX (visual effects or CGI), we carefully crafted the story to convey the feeling of these unfamiliar elements gradually infiltrating the narrative. When I heard that Kuranosuke Sasaki had accepted the offer to star in the film, I was surprised, but at the same time, I felt a great sense of relief. Sano, played by Mr. Sasaki, is a highly capable but somewhat old-fashioned detective. He portrays with great charm the way he grapples with the mystery of "ALIUS" while carrying the burden of a past with his ex-wife who left him without explanation. There are many inexplicable elements intertwined, but I believe the core of this film is a human drama. Please enjoy the thrill of a crime suspense film as you try to figure out why these tragic events occurred.
◇Story
Shogo Sano (played by Sasaki), a detective in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's First Investigation Division, is a solitary figure who will stop at nothing to catch criminals. The sudden departure of his ex-wife, Kaoru, three years ago, left a deep wound in his heart. One day, the body of a neurosurgeon is discovered in an underground parking garage in Tokyo, with four knives stuck in his throat. There are many suspicious aspects to the victim's behavior, and Sano, along with his partner Anna Hazumi and Toru Kanzaki, who is on secondment from the National Research Institute of Police Science, begins an investigation.
However, the situation takes a dramatic turn with the emergence of a second victim. The inexplicable traces left at the scene seem to encroach upon a realm that defies scientific explanation. Eventually, an unknown entity called "ALIUS" emerges. What is the hidden intention behind it? What is the perpetrator's motive? Questioning common sense, where fear and intellect intersect, a shocking conclusion awaits.
