The second episode of the drama series "Galaxy Vote" (Kansai TV/Fuji TV, Mondays at 10 PM), starring actress Haru Kuroki, aired on April 27th. Kohei Kohei Matsushita's portrayal of Diet member Ryusei Hiyama sparked a lot of discussion on social media for being "too suspicious."
◇The following contains spoilers.
The drama is an "election entertainment" story in which Mari Hoshino (played by Kuroki) recruits Akari Tsukioka (played by Noro Kayo), a bar owner with no political experience, to be her election strategist, and together they take on the Tokyo gubernatorial election.
Ryusei, a member of the ruling Minseito party, is a rising star in the faction led by Mari's father, Hoshino Takaomi (played by Bando Yajuro), the secretary-general of the Minseito party.
One day, Ryusei came to the shopping street and greeted everyone with a cheerful smile, saying, "Hello~". When women asked him for a handshake, he readily obliged, repeatedly saying, "Thank you."
Amidst all this, when Ryusei was asked if he was going to run for governor of Tokyo, he exaggeratedly replied, "Absolutely not! I still want to work hard for the people of my hometown!" As people said things like, "So the star of Machida is going to become the star of Tokyo," Ryusei was told by his secretary that it was time to leave, and he said, "Excuse me," and started to leave.
Bathed in cheers, Ryusei turned around and delivered his signature line, "I'm not Machida's star. I'm your star," delighting the assembled crowd.
Social media was buzzing with comments like, "Ryusei is just the right amount of suspicious," "It's amazing how Kohei Matsushita's refreshing smile can bring out Ryusei's shady side," "Hiyama Ryusei is so suspicious, he's the best," and "Kohei Matsushita is so good at playing suspicious characters! I think he's much better suited to these roles than dark or handsome characters!"
