Thanks to Koichi Domoto’s Advice? Praise Pours in for Timelesz’s Taiki Shinozuka’s Acting in Drama Appearance

Shinoduka of “timelesz” receives praise for his acting ability

The distribution of “Memory Acquisition Man,” the first work in “EsuDora,” a vertical short drama project from STARTO ENTERTAINMENT starring Koichi Domoto (47) of “DOMOTO,” began on April 1.

In episode 1, “The Vanished Night,” Taiki Shinoduka (23) of “timelesz” appears as a guest. Following his impressive performance, the comment section of the YouTube channel “EsuDora” has been lively.

In this work, Shinoduka plays Satoru Oda, a university student struggling with job hunting and feeling lost in life. He meets a mysterious man named Kuroto (Domoto), who calls himself a memory acquisition man. While he initially feels relieved after letting go of painful memories from his past, he gradually faces a terrifying reality.

Shinoduka joined timelesz through the audition program “timelesz project -AUDITION-” streamed on Netflix, entering the group through open recruitment. After joining in February 2025, he made his acting debut and first leading role appearance alongside fellow new member Masaki Hashimoto (26) in the drama “Late-Night Office Romance” (aired on Nippon TV) on April 25 of the same year.

“‘Late-Night Office Romance’ was structured like a mini-drama within a variety show format, but ‘EsuDora’ is a longer-form acting challenge than that. In episode 1, ‘The Vanished Night,’ Shinoduka appears almost continuously as the main character.

Like Shinoduka, new members Hashimoto and Shuto Inomata (24), selected through the general audition, have prior experience performing in boy groups. However, unlike them, Shinoduka was a university student with no entertainment experience. Still, in ‘EsuDora,’ he shows acting skills that are hard to believe came from someone who was an amateur until about a year ago,” said an entertainment writer.

Although Shinoduka, originally from Kansai, delivers his lines in standard Japanese, the comment section and social media reactions to “Koichi Domoto starring ‘Memory Acquisition Man’ episode 1: The Vanished Night” include praise such as:

<Shinoduka-kun, he’s probably almost a complete beginner at acting, but his facial expressions were very rich and really caught my attention. I think he’s suited to acting, and I’m excited for what’s ahead.>
<Shinoduka, both his scared acting and his cocky acting were good. Also, his standard Japanese was very clean.>
<Shino, I was ready to fall over in disappointment if he turned out to be a terrible actor, but he seriously gave a performance that feels like he has a future—absolutely amazing!>
<Shinoduka-kun, I wasn’t sure about his acting, but he seems like he could become a good actor! The drama itself was also interesting!>

The video has already surpassed 270,000 views as of April 3, and since it is the first work in the “EsuDora” series, it is attracting considerable attention.

What advice Shinoduka received from Domoto

“Domoto mentioned his co-starring drama with Shinoduka in his own serialized column in ‘Nikkei Entertainment!’ (Nikkei BP, March 4 issue).

He said, ‘There’s really nothing I can advise him on, but I did act as a sort of translator for the director’s requests—like, maybe this is what they mean by this? Also, when you’re not used to acting, you tend to hold your breath, so I just told him, “Breathe!” (laughs).’”

For Shinoduka, acting alongside a senior from his agency, as well as being chosen as the lead in the very first episode, must have come with significant pressure. However, viewer reactions have been generally positive so far.

Regarding Shinoduka, his first regular radio program, “…& Shino! from timelesz” (TBS Radio), began on April 4.

On March 29, a special program co-hosted with comedy duo Chocolate Planet and timelesz member Hirotaka Hara (30), titled “Earth-wide Experiment Nature Teacher” (TBS), aired and has since been announced as a regular late-night program starting in April. Not only group activities but also his individual career is going extremely well.

Meanwhile, fellow members Inomata and Hashimoto have already experienced appearing in serialized dramas. Hashimoto made his first leading role appearance in the October drama “Summer Co-conspirator” (TV Tokyo).

Inomata also appeared as a regular in the same season’s “Papa and Dad’s Home Cooking” (TV Asahi).

With “EsuDora” as a stepping stone, expectations are rising that Shinoduka may also appear in future serialized dramas.