Go Atsushi Maeda: “God’s true face” shown just after the early morning location shooting for the drama “Elpis”.

Just before 10:00 a.m. in late September, a large number of staff members emerged from one of the buildings in the Chuo Ward office district. The man walking at the front of the line was only one head taller than them, with broad shoulders. He is actor Go Atsushi Maeda, 22.

He was shooting on location early in the morning for the drama “Elpisu: Hope or Disaster” (Kantele/Fuji Television), which will begin airing on October 24. Filming for the drama began in early August and has been going on from early morning until late at night every day, with some local locations, so we are currently on a very busy schedule,” said a person involved in the drama production.

The drama is a social entertainment inspired by several real-life incidents. Maeda plays the role of Takuro Kishimoto, a young director who pursues the truth behind a serial murder case in which the death penalty has been fixed, along with Ena Asakawa, a scandal-stricken announcer played by Masami Nagasawa (35).

Maeda emerges from the building, perhaps not sleeping well or perhaps dazzled by the morning sun, with a somewhat stern expression in his squinted eyes and a rather heavy gait. Still, when approached by a staff member walking with her, she smiled as if she had just relaxed.

Elpis” is widely regarded as the most promising film of the fall season. Expectations for Maeda and Nagasawa’s super-hot buddy act are only going to get higher.