Bayside Shakedown: A Trick for Longtime Fans in the New Theatrical Version

The “strategy” of having only two previews

The first part of the two-part film version of the Fuji Television drama series “Odoru Daisousasen” starring Yuji Oda (56), “Shinji Muroi: The Undefeated,” will be released on October 11, and the second part, “Shinji Muroi: The One Who Lives On” will be released consecutively on November 15. Both films feature the popular character Shinji Muroi, played by Toshiro Yanagiba (63). This will be the first new film in the “Odoru -” series since “Odoru Daisousasen THE FINAL: A New Hope” in 2012.

The staff of both films reunited, including producer Chihiro Kameyama, screenwriter Ryoichi Kimizuka, and director Katsuyuki Motohiro, who supported the “Odoru:” series. In addition to Yanagiba as Muroi, the familiar cast includes Toshio Kakei (62) as Kentaro Shinjo, Miki Maya (60) as Hitomi Okita, and new cast members Riko Fukumoto (23), Jun Saito (17), Kohei Matsushita (37).

The film was previewed only twice prior to its release, and no completion previews were held. The previews were kept to a minimum, probably as a strategy to prevent “spoilers” and to attract more customers.

Prior to the release of the film, Fuji network aired the drama version during the daytime on weekdays and the movie version during the “Saturday Premium” slot on Saturdays at 9 p.m. The final episode of the drama version was broadcast at 2:48 p.m. on Saturdays. The final episode of the drama version was broadcast at 2:48 p.m., and the average household rating was 4.2% (according to Video Research, Kanto region), probably due to the fact that it was broadcast on September 23, a national holiday. This was by far the highest rating among the station’s programs in the same time slot.

Growing Expectations at Fuji Television Network

The first theatrical version, “Odoru Daisousasen The Movie,” released in 1998 and broadcast on September 28, recorded a 9.7% viewer rating. Bayside Shakedown 2″ (released in 2003), which is still the number one live-action Japanese film of all time with a box-office revenue of 17.35 billion. (released in 2003) was also broadcast on October 5, recording 9.8%. Both of these programs ranked first among the station’s programs broadcast on the same day, indicating their deep-rooted popularity.

Fuji is currently struggling in terms of household viewer ratings for programs in the GP zone on Saturdays and Sundays (golden/prime time zone, 7-11 p.m.), but I think the top management did not expect the past movie version of “Odoru” to be so popular.

The previous season, “Umi no Hajimari” (The Beginning of the Sea) did a little well, but prior to that, the Gekijo series and other Gekijo series were almost completely wiped out. That may also be the reason why, although the company has been adapting its own dramas such as “Lupin’s Daughter” (’21), “Radiation House” (’22), and “Ichikei no Karasu” (’23) into movies one after another, in recent years, since “Code Blue However, in recent years, Fuji has failed to produce a popular series since “Code Blue”.

For Fuji, “Odoru Odoru” is the perfect trump card. The positive response to the film has only heightened expectations for the two-part “Shinji Muroi” series, a film project that will be the company’s most important project, so to speak.

Fans of the “Odoru: Odoru” series of old can hardly wait for the October 11 release of the film. The film also has a “trick” in the story that is sure to attract such fans.

What is the “trick” that attracts fans of the past?

The key character in this film is Anzu Hinata, played by Ms. Fukumoto, who is the daughter of Manami Hinata, the bizarre murderess played by Kyoko Koizumi (58) in the movie version. Ms. Koizumi’s eccentric performance in the first film was noted as a new frontier. Her eerie grin as she bare her teeth with braces attached was the talk of the town in this terrestrial broadcast. Manami Hinata also reappeared as the mastermind in the third film, and was an indispensable “famous villain” in the film series.

For fans of the series, a storyline that has ties to past films is sure to be a moving experience. Since the full story of this film has not been revealed before its release, it is sure to be a big hit.

The “Suspect: Shinji Muroi” was released in 2005 and became a box-office hit, grossing 3.83 billion yen despite being a spin-off of the series. It remains to be seen whether “Odoru: Shinji Muroi,” the latest in the “Odoru” series, will be a “new hope” for Fuji Television.

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