Higashide of Fukuda Village Incident Poised for New Breakthrough
Actor Masahiro Higashide’s career has been in a state of flux.
The documentary film “Will” in which he stars is currently in theaters. In March, he will appear in the movie “Youth Jack: Can You Stop Us?
He also opened a YouTube channel at this time. Recently, some people on the Internet have been expecting him to get a “second break.
The movie “Will” was first planned in 2009, when he was still a member of the office. However, it was cancelled because it could not be publicized that he was hunting.
That year, however, a new scandal broke out involving Higashide. The project was revived after Higashide left the office and became a freelance actor.
It was a “piece from a gourd,” as they say. This film was unexpectedly revived. But why was Higashide attracted to the world of hunting?
The reason lies in a book on the bookshelf of a local business hotel where he stayed. He read through the book “I became a hunter,” written by an active hunter, Mr. Shinya Senmatsu, and considered to be his bible. Impressed, at the age of 29, Higashide obtained a hunting license and plunged into the world of hunting.
In the film, Higashide is portrayed in a candid manner as he abandoned the city and fled to the mountains.
Living in a place with no gas or running water, he ventures alone into the mountains, chases his prey, kills deer and boars with his gun, and eats them. As Higashide walks through the mountains, he reflects on his life up to this point and contemplates the future.
It could be said that the story of Masahiro Higashide’s “rebirth” is hidden in this film, a man who was mired in scandal and was about to give up his own life.
When Higashide was asked why he was interviewed for this documentary, he replied
Higashide replied, “My children may search for their father’s name and think he is a lousy father, and they may even resent his origins. At that time, they may feel, if only a little, that I tried my best to face them.”
He confesses, “I was trying my hardest to be a good father.
The songs of the rap group “Moroha” represent Higashide’s inner conflict in the film.
UK plays acoustic guitar and MC Afro raps with a strong lyrical message. The synchronization of images from the Budokan live performance and those of Higashide reveals the inner heart of Higashide, who lives in the mountains.
Afro, who took the stage to greet the audience, said, “There are people who say, ‘Higashide must not be forgiven’ when they leave the venue. How will a man who is prepared to accept this live? I would like to stand by the side of such a proud friend.” Higashide added, “I think there are people who have a hard time living in human society, people whose hearts are hard. I hope this drama will turn out to save someone’s heart.
Masahiro Higashide was fired from his office and seemed to be leaving the entertainment industry. However, some point out that Higashide has definitely evolved as an actor after living in the mountains.
Since becoming a freelance actor, he has not appeared in as many major productions as he used to, but “Winny,” a film about the biggest incident in the history of the Internet, has won a number of awards, including the Japan Academy Award for Best Picture. He has left his mark with such high-profile works as “The Fukuda Village Incident,” which won the Japan Academy Prize for Best Picture and other awards.
In “Fukuda-mura Incident,” a film depicting a massacre that occurred immediately after the Great Kanto Earthquake, Higashide plays the role of Kurazo, a boatman on a ferry. He plays the role of a man between a friend’s wife (Komuai) who is on her way to war, and he also plays a lovey-dovey scene on the ferryboat with Shizuko (Tanaka Lena), the wife of the main character who has repatriated from Manchuria, challenging a role he has never played before. Director Tatsuya Mori said.
Director Tatsuya Mori said, “Higashide-san has a wild sexuality and a sense of scale that is out of this world, which makes him a perfect match for the role. I fell in love with her while filming.
I fell in love with her while filming.
When Higashide learned that director Mori Tatsuya, known for his documentary “A” about the Aum Shinrikyo Incident, was making his first “feature film,” he volunteered to appear in the film. His realistic performance, which he won in the course of his hunting life, has a power that we have not seen in Higashide before,” said a director of a production company.
The movie “Will” is a record of actor Masahiro Higashide’s rebirth. Recently, Higashide has been looking more and more like Snufkin, the travel-loving character from “Moomin.
According to some reports, a sequel to “Confidence Man JP” is also in the works. Masahiro Higashide’s “break” may finally be coming true.
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 has also published the e-book series "Ibun chakurezuregusa" (Different Stories about Craftsmen).
PHOTO: Takao Kawakami