Ren Meguro’s Busy Schedule Fuels Competition as SHOGUN and Drama Projects Line Up

The lessons of Takuya Kimura

A fierce battle over Ren Meguro’s (29) schedule has erupted.

Meguro, a member of the idol group “Snow Man,” has been staying in Canada since January to film Season 2 of the Hollywood-produced streaming drama “SHOGUN.” It is said that his schedule for the remainder of the year will prioritize “SHOGUN.”

For promotional events for the film “Hodonaku,” “Owakare Desu,” in which he co-starred with Minami Hamabe (25), Meguro participated remotely from Canada.

Despite being a double-starring project, the film surpassed ¥4 billion at the box office within 45 days of its February 6 release, reaching that milestone by March 22. A film industry insider commented:

“Hamabe’s performance has been outstanding, but Meme’s popularity is truly incredible. There are many repeat viewers, and he’s making a major contribution to the film’s box-office success.”

Speaking of a man who can deliver numbers, senior star Takuya Kimura (53) immediately comes to mind.

This year, the new installment of his starring series “Kyojo” was released as a two-part production, and the theatrical film “Kyojo: Requiem” is expected to finish its run with around ¥3 billion in box-office revenue. It is undoubtedly a hit as well, but in terms of momentum, Meguro may have the edge. A sports newspaper entertainment reporter familiar with both men said:

“Meguro and Kimura first worked together in the 2021 television drama ‘Kyojo.’ Since then, Meguro has looked up to Kimura and regularly seeks his advice. It seems that Kimura was also the one who encouraged Meguro to take on the challenge of ‘SHOGUN.'”

Kimura did not become an instant success after debuting as a member of SMAP. At the time, the group’s most heavily promoted member was Masahiro Mori, who is now active as an auto racer. Kimura gradually established himself with the 1993 drama “Asunaro Hakusho” (Fuji TV), before sparking the unprecedented “Kimutaku boom” with the 1996 drama “Long Vacation” (also Fuji TV).

Meguro, too, spent approximately nine years working his way up before his popularity exploded after becoming a member of “Snow Man.” It was as though his entire life changed overnight, bringing with it immense pressure. The same sports newspaper reporter noted:

“The reason Kimura has taken such an interest in Meguro is likely because he sees many parallels with his own experiences.”

The similarities between the two men’s careers may be exactly why Kimura continues to support Meguro as he navigates the next stage of his rapidly expanding career.

A series of dramas next year

Meguro urgently returned to Japan from Canada at the end of April for the opening day stage greeting of “Sakamoto Days,” a movie in which he stars. During his stay of only a few days, he filmed commercials and left the country again.

The film grossed over 1.8 billion yen in 12 days after its release on the 29th of last month. It has surpassed the previous film, “Soon, It’s Goodbye,” in terms of box-office revenue.

On May 5, the film’s director, Yuichi Fukuda, announced on his X

I want to make Meguro-kun into a man of 10 billion yen in one year!

but Meguro’s reaction was different. In a separate post, Director Fukuda wrote

Meguro-kun just scolded me very gently, saying, ‘I think box-office revenue is important, but I don’t want to put a burden on the fans.

He went on to say, “Really, Ren Meguro is a man.

He praised Meguro Ren’s character, saying, “He really is a man of ……….

He also praised Meguro’s character. A source in the entertainment industry who knows Meguro said, “He is very attentive to details like this.

He is a man who can pay attention to details like this. This is the same with Mr. Kimura. No matter how successful he becomes, he never forgets to thank his fans and staff for making him who he is today.

A sequel to “Sakamoto Days” was already in the works. However, Meguro is so successful that it is difficult to secure a schedule. A person involved in the film industry told this website, “I’m actually going to shoot the next film next year,

He really wants to make the next film next year, but it’s going to be tough,” he said. Although it has not been announced yet, Meguro has been offered a drama series on TV Asahi next year, and with the distribution of SHOGUN coming up, there is a long wait for his turn.

Meguro is also on the “waiting list” for a TV drama series at TV Asahi next year.

We sent a letter of inquiry to STARTO ENTERTAINMENT, to which Meguro belongs, regarding the sequel to the movie “SAKAMOTO DAYS” and his schedule after next year, but did not receive an answer by the deadline.

Some fans expressed concern about Meguro’s physical condition, which is understandable, as he is very busy. It seems that he is about to enter the peak of his career as “Reiwa’s Takuya Kimura.