Yuji Oda Runs and Carries in High-Energy Bayside Shakedown Shoot

〈At long last, “Odoru” is coming back!〉
“The case isn’t happening in the conference room! It’s happening out there on the scene!”
Detective Shunsaku Aoshima — and his iconic line — have returned.
In early November, filming for the movie Odoru Daisousasen N.E.W. (scheduled for release next fall) was taking place in part of Takanawa Gateway City. Surrounded by a large crew, Yuji Oda (57), who plays the protagonist Aoshima, made a spirited entrance.
“The drama depicts ex–office worker Aoshima being assigned to the local Wangan Police Station and tackling cases head-on with his colleagues.
It started in 1997 and achieved an average rating of 18.2% (Video Research, Kanto region). Since then, eight films have been released. Oda made a surprise appearance in last year’s spin-off film Shinji Muroi: Ikitsuzukeru Mono starring Toshirō Yanagiba (64), but this will be his first time returning as the lead since the 2012 film Odoru Daisousasen THE FINAL: A New Hope, after 13 years.” —Film magazine reporter
In the 2023 TV drama Shikkō!! ~Dogs, Me, and Enforcement Officers~ (TV Asahi), Oda played a disheveled middle-aged man—divorced, with back pain, and afraid of dogs. But now, dressed in his trademark M-51 mods coat over a navy suit with a red tie, he appears leaner and sharper than ever.
Filming for the new movie began last month, and on October 31 the first still images were released: Aoshima running through central Shinjuku, clutching a huge bag, chased by around 400 extras.
The scenes witnessed by this site were similar. Holding a large bag in his right hand and a phone to his left ear, Aoshima walks with a tense expression. He eyes a large drone approaching from above, then fastens the bag to it. In the next scene, he darts across in front of a line of extras dressed as reporters.
Judging from the released photos and what we saw on set, the film includes many physically demanding scenes — but during filming, Oda never showed signs of fatigue.
On TOHO’s official X account (Oct. 31, 2025), Oda wrote:
〈We’ve kept you waiting far too long, but at last, “Odoru” is coming back!
I’d like to perform without being too stiff, so I hope everyone will come to the theater casually and enjoy it.〉
The film’s release is still a long way off — next fall — but anticipation is already sky-high.
Information form: https://friday.kodansha.co.jp/tips
Official X: https://x.com/FRIDAY_twit



PHOTO.: Kumataro Arai