Five Months of Filming and 300+ People in a Fight Scene! Masaharu Take Reveals the Secret Behind Streaming Drama Success

Director Masaharu Take, known for his work on films such as “100 Yen Love,” “Underdog,” and “Lying Eight,” as well as the Netflix drama “The Naked Director,” has taken on a new Amazon original drama titled “Yakuza: Beyond the Game,” which will be exclusively available on Prime Video starting October 25.

This work is an original script inspired by Sega’s blockbuster game series “Yakuza.” The protagonist, Kazuma Kiryu, is played by Ryoma Takeuchi (31), while his childhood friend and later rival, Akira Nishikiyama, is portrayed by Kento Kaku (35). The story follows the lives of Kiryu and Nishikiyama as they immerse themselves in the world of the yakuza, intersecting their narratives across two timeframes: 1995 and 2005.

This marks the first time in his career that Take has directed a drama based on a video game. With less than a month until the release, Director Take shared anecdotes about the production, his feelings toward the project, and the challenges and hopes for the Japanese film industry in the era of the booming streaming services.

 

Difficulties unique to a video game

―― The drama “Yakuza: Beyond the Game” is based on a blockbuster game, so I imagine there’s a lot of pressure and high expectations from fans of the original. With just a month until its release, can you share your feelings at this moment?

Masaharu Take (hereafter, Director Take): We were working on the production until about this time last year. We spent five months on location shooting and around three months in preparation, so in total, it took about a year to film. Considering that I’ve been involved with this project for about three years since its inception, when we finally wrapped up, I honestly felt like it had been a long journey.

A 600-person onsite, which is unthinkable on TV

Director Take: “Yakuza” is based on a game that has global popularity. So, I think there will be a lot of mixed opinions about it. However, as a creator, I have this desire to pleasantly surprise both fans of the original and new viewers. The idea of making something that transcends the original, as suggested by the subtitle “Beyond the Game,” is a common goal for everyone involved. Therefore, while we want to maintain the original world, we also aimed to incorporate a sense of ‘realism’ that is distinct from the game. I’d be thrilled if viewers find it entertaining in that way.

―― So, that meaning is embedded in the subtitle.

Director Take: The setting of Kamurocho in this work is modeled after Kabukicho, and the story depicts two eras: 1995 and 2005. I came to Tokyo in the ’80s, and I directly experienced the changes in the streets of Kabukicho, so I was happy to be able to recreate those memories realistically on screen.

―― Indeed, when I saw the teaser video, the streets felt incredibly real. Is the high quality due to the enormous financial backing of online streaming?

Director Take: Exactly. The production costs are significantly higher. As a creator, being able to pay attention to detail is one of the attractions of streaming. For example, in this project, there’s a scene where around 300 yakuza engage in a brawl. Including the actors and staff, that brings the scale up to about 500 to 600 people. The ability to do this in live-action resulted in some powerful visuals. I was again struck by the sheer magnitude of the budget.

In Japan, movies are usually completed in about two months, but this time we were able to take over a year for filming. While there are significant benefits to this, I was surprised at how quickly the staff kept changing. There were times when I would think, “Wait, who are you again?” (laughs).

In the paid version of “FRIDAY GOLD,” there are more detailed behind-the-scenes stories about the drama “Yakuza: Beyond the Game,” our beliefs during production, and our concerns regarding the Japanese film industry in this booming era of streaming services.