Fuji’s Monthly 10 Drama “War of the Traps” Links Kusanagi Tsuyoshi “Apology Broadcast in “SMAP x SMAP” for the Disbandment Riots”
Kusanagi Tsuyoshi stars in his first drama series in six years, “War of the Traps” (Fuji TV).
The film is billed as a “trilogy of the war series,” and Kusanagi has sealed off the “dark hero” role he played in the previous two dramas, “Sen no Senso” and “Uso no Senso. Kusanagi has broken new ground in this drama, and has received praise for his well-honed performance, in which he conveys his emotions with the slightest change in facial expression.
The drama is a revenge entertainment in which Toru Washizu (Kusanagi), a parliamentary secretary who was betrayed by Kosuke Inukai (Hottaro Honda), a politician who risked his life for him, uses his wits to set a “trap” and unseat the evil politician.
In the first episode, he is asked by Minister Inukai to pretend that the incident in which his son Yasuo fell from a pedestrian bridge and fell unconscious was an “accident. Toru is quietly surprised and shocked. Toru’s anger is stifled, his dialogue is restrained, and the slight changes in his facial expression and gestures of trembling anger are well directed to appeal to the viewers.
On the other hand, Toru reveals his feelings for his wife Kanako (Haruka Igawa) and vows to take revenge on her, saying, “I’ll teach you how painful it is to be trampled. I’ll teach you how painful it is to be trampled on,’ and his trembling, crushing the apple he was visiting her with was a performance that gave me goosebumps.
(Director of a production company) “Mr. Tsuka Kohei, who is known for his acting ability and who wrote and directed the play “Kamata Koshinkyoku,” in which he played the lead role, gave the following comment on the performance: “The actor’s quiet appearance is very impressive.
Kusanagi was highly acclaimed by the genius Kohei Tsuka, who wrote and directed the play “Kamata Koshinkyoku” in which he starred.
Kusanagi, who was highly acclaimed by the genius Kohei Tsuka, who wrote and directed the lead role in “Kamata Koshinkyoku” (Kamata March), seems to have evolved even further in the past six years.
He has been said to be a possession-type actor for a long time, but it was in the movie “Midnight Swan” released in 2008 that his purity increased to 100%. In this film, Kusanagi played the role of Nagisa, a transgender woman who works at the transsexual show club “Sweet Pea” in Shinjuku, and since the role was a difficult one, she did a lot of interviews and read a lot of material before filming.
However, when he saw the performance of Jyusaki Hattori, a 13-year-old girl who had been selected at an audition to play Kazuka, he decided to abandon all the styles he had cultivated up to that point.
What was happening to Kusanagi at that time? She is a woman, but her body is male. Even though he had done a lot of research for this difficult role, if he thought too much about it, he would have become further and further away from Nagisa.
So, Kusanagi developed a new technique to create a role that is “100% possessed,” by replacing “sorrow and suffering under a fate that cannot be changed by oneself” with something that could happen to anyone. He has developed a new way of creating roles.
In the third episode, the actor Kusanagi’s new charm bursts forth in a scene.
In the third episode, Inukai finds that Toru, who has been promoted to policy secretary, is looking for the person who pushed his son away. Inukai takes Toru to a meeting of his faction and, in front of a crowd of lawmakers, pours wine over Toru’s head and accuses him of “avenging a favor”. Toru’s anger at Inukai explodes.
He thinks that because he is powerful and special, he has the prerogative of silencing and trampling on the weak. But even the insignificant secretary and the driver have their own important things. Kusanagi’s performance, with his shoulders shaking as he makes his appeal, is nothing short of spectacular.
However, this scene has caused an unexpected stir.
In fact, last December, the monthly “Bungei Shunju” 2023 New Year’s special issue went on sale and carried the novel “20160118” written by Osamu Suzuki, who worked as a broadcaster for the program “SMAP x SMAP” (Fuji Television). The novel clearly describes the behind-the-scenes of the members’ apology press conference on “SMAP x SMAP” broadcast on January 18, 2004, and attracted a great deal of attention not only from SMAP fans but also from King & Prince fans who announced last year that the members would be leaving the group. The book was a big hit not only with SMAP fans but also with fans of King & Prince, from whom the members announced their departure last year.
The following is an excerpt from the press release of the press conference: “I know it’s a cruel line, but I had no choice but to follow it, and with time running out, I felt I had no choice but to take advantage of his kindness. Suzuki looks back on that time and expresses his shameful feelings.
Kusanagi Tsuyoshi returned to the lead role in the drama series “Trap’s War” after a six-year absence. It is no longer only Japanese fans who are captivated by Kusanagi’s emotional cries.
Text: Ukon Shima (Broadcaster, Video Producer)
He is involved in program production in a wide range of genres, including variety, news, and sports programs. He has also planned and published many books on female TV announcers, idols, and the TV industry. While working on documentary programs, he became interested in history and recently published "Ieyasu was dead in Sekigahara" (Takeshobo Shinsho). She is also publishing the e-book series "Ibun chakurezuregusa" (Different Stories about Craftsmen).
PHOTO: Nishi Keisuke