<figure id="attachment_402786" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-402786" style="width: 2280px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="2d229f98"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/12/db5eec75c46c31e89a93da9c6154cad7.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-402786" class="wp-caption-text">Kentaro Ito on the set of a drama for delivery in September &#8217;23. He was smiling from beginning to end, perhaps from a sense of fulfillment from his work (from the October 27, 2011 issue).</figcaption></figure>
<h3> Some people say, &#8220;If Ito is in it, I won&#8217;t watch it.</h3>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> It has been announced that Kentaro Ito (27) will play the lead role in &#8220;Mikoi: Kakurebokuchitachi&#8221; (Fuji Television Network), which will start in January next year. Although it is a late-night show, I don&#8217;t remember a case in which an actor who had been involved in a scandal returned to normal so far, and even on SNS there was a flurry of criticism saying, &#8220;As expected, it is too lenient. &#8230;&#8230;&#8221; (reporter in charge of entertainment for a sports newspaper).</span></p>
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<p> Masahiro Higashide, Yusuke Iseya, Teruyuki Kagawa, and Keisuke Koide, to name a few,&#8230;&#8230;.</p>
<p> In the past, actors who had been involved in scandals usually had a tough time making a full comeback. However, in the case of Ito, this practice does not seem to apply.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Ito was arrested in October 2008 after a hit-and-run accident. Although the charges were dropped, it was thought that it would be difficult for him to be seen on TV or in movies again because of his bad image as a hit-and-run driver who injured the other driver and fled.</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Surprisingly, however, offers have not ceased to flow in since then, and a number of films starring him have been released. This year, he finally resumed receiving offers from terrestrial television, and even appeared in the NHK historical drama &#8220;Hikaru Kimi e&#8221;, which is known for its strict compliance policy.</span></p>
<p> The industry seemed to recognize that his &#8220;purification&#8221; was complete. At last, she was cast as the lead in a terrestrial drama series, a sign that she had made a full comeback.</p>
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<p> However, the public still has a bad image of the hit-and-run accident. He transferred from the agency that supported him at the time of the accident to a major agency this year, and many people say, &#8220;I won&#8217;t watch the drama if Ito is in it. This has led to many people saying, &#8220;I won&#8217;t watch it if Ito is going to be on the show.&#8221; The question, then, is why Ito has been so sought after despite such criticism.</p>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" Surprising reasons revealed through interviews"></div>
<h3>Why Ito is &#8220;in demand&#8221;?</h3>
<p> When we interviewed him, two reasons came up. The first is his personality. A writer for a women&#8217;s fashion magazine who has been covering Ito since he was a teenager commented as follows.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> A writer for a women&#8217;s fashion magazine, who has been interviewing Ito since he was a teenager, commented, &#8220;During the interview, it is true that he seems to be a bit shortsighted and careless. But on the other hand, it also means that he is open and honest.</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> For example, he asked me, &#8220;What do you think of older women (as a love interest)? is a standard question in women&#8217;s fashion magazines. Most of the male celebrities would reply, &#8220;I am OK with women up to 10 years older than me, but I have a problem with younger women. I&#8217;d rather have someone younger than me,&#8221; which is a &#8220;discovery answer&#8221; that older women are sure to appreciate.</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> But only Mr. Ito responded, &#8220;Well, I prefer men of the same age. Even if it&#8217;s only up to two years older! I laughed at his honesty. This kind of honesty is not often seen in other actors, so he is well-loved in the field. I think the reason he was able to return to work so quickly is because the cast and crew accepted him.</span></p>
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<p> However, it would have been difficult for him to make such a complete comeback simply by being a beloved character. The biggest reason was his outstanding acting ability.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> As evidenced by the fact that he emerged from a small agency without any backing, his acting ability stands head and shoulders above the rest of young male actors. His performance is natural and unforced, but you find yourself being drawn into it. I don&#8217;t mean to put it like this, but he is the same as the actors in the &#8220;Today I am! series (drama in 2006 and movie in 2008) would not have been such a hit if Ito had not been the sidekick of Kento Kaku (35), the lead actor.</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> The more people involved in the industry who have seen many actors, the more they will understand how talented he is. I think that&#8217;s why they felt it would be a shame to kill him off, so they gave him a helping hand.</span></p>
<p> Another analysis was as follows.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> If nothing had happened, Ito would be starring in primetime dramas on a regular basis. It must be delicious for the production side to have such a talented actor play a role that he did not have much of a role in, such as the one he played in the Taiga Drama, or in a drama in the late-night slot. It is likely that the number of offers for Ito will continue to increase, but not decrease.</span></p>
<p> It is hoped that he will be grateful to those who have supported him, and that he will not make the same mistake again.</p>
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<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" Ito answered directly to this magazine"></div>
<figure id="attachment_402787" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-402787" style="width: 2500px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="de340cdb"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/12/a8c0ce5188095204ba8a74aa54b7fd8d.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-402787" class="wp-caption-text">In an interview in the October 27, &#8217;23 issue, he said, &#8220;I enjoy acting more than before.&#8221;</figcaption></figure>
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<figure id="attachment_402788" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-402788" style="width: 2500px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="8397e0d0"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/12/0dc6c35b0c6f4546db0038b6e0735f4f.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-402788" class="wp-caption-text"> Where are you now at age 26?　He answered, &#8220;Suffering,&#8221; and then added, &#8220;I am suffering, but I am convinced that it is not a negative suffering, but an emotion that I will need for myself in &#8230;&#8230; 10 or 20 years from now.</figcaption></figure>
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<figure id="attachment_402789" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-402789" style="width: 544px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="26ca1469"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/12/360f0ba726f1e30a8bbb757e069ea67f.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-402789" class="wp-caption-text"> When this magazine directly interviewed Ito in early March &#8217;21, before the indictment was decided, he said, &#8220;I can&#8217;t think about it very much right now. However, if I could express myself as an actor again someday, I would be happy to do so. &#8230;&#8230;</figcaption></figure>


 Hiroyuki Komatsu (1st-3rd), Toshikatsu Tanaka (4th)

 Kentaro Ito's starring role in a serial drama series starting in January '25 is causing a stir on SNS. Although Ito tends to be something of an internet phenomenon, he seems to be constantly receiving offers for work after his return. Why is he being so "sought after"?

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