It has been revealed that Kento Nakajima is taking on two roles in the NHK drama "Drama 10 'Convenience Store Brothers: Tenderness Mojiko Kogane Village Branch'" (NHK General, Tuesdays at 10 PM), which started on April 28th. Kento Nakajima will play not only the main character, the "pheromone store manager" Mitsuhiko Shiwa, but also his older brother, the "wild, anything-goes guy" Nihiko Shiwa. A two-shot visual of Nakajima in his contrasting brother roles has also been released.
The drama is based on the novel of the same name by Sonoko Machida. It is a heartwarming and mysterious human comedy set in a convenience store in Mojiko, Kitakyushu City. The protagonist, Mitsuhiko Shiwa (played by Nakajima), is the handsome manager of Tenderness Mojiko Koganemura store. The manager of Tenderness Mojiko Koganemura store exudes pheromones like a spring, and captivates people of all ages with his perfect smile and loving customer service. He has a sex appeal that is out of place in a convenience store, and why he is managing a convenience store in Mojiko is the biggest mystery in Mojiko.
The character that Nakajima will be playing is Shiwa Nihiko, nicknamed Tsugi, a jack-of-all-trades. He always arrives in a pickup truck, buys a huge bento box or food, and eats it all up in the eat-in area. He's a mysterious man who wears green overalls with the logo "Jack-of-all-trades" on the back. With messy hair and an unkempt beard, his wild appearance makes Hikari (Tanaka Rena) feel like she has a goldmine of material for stories. He's good at solving problems and finding people.
Producer Toshihiko Yamamoto said, "When we started the 'Convenience Store Brothers' project, we wanted to ask Kento Nakajima Nakajima to play the main character, Mitsuhiko Shiwa, but at the same time we were wondering who to cast as his older brother, Tsugihiko. However, one day, I started to think about what if Kento played the role. I remembered vividly when I went to one of Kento Nakajima's concerts and saw him, and how he had both the sparkling idol persona and a wild, sweaty side. The pheromone-emitting store manager and the wild, anything-goes guy—only Kento Nakajima could play these two roles." We concluded that there was no one else, so from the very first offer, we asked him to play both roles! He readily agreed, saying, "That sounds interesting!", which allowed the project to move forward quickly. However, there are times when he has to change costumes and makeup multiple times a day, which is a great mental and physical burden. He also plays brothers on the same day, and right now, I'm simply in awe of Kento Nakajima's challenging spirit. "Kento Kento Nakajima's challenge as an actor is to deliver even more entertaining content to our viewers!" Please support Kenty, who has two charming sides to him," he commented.
