“I’ll Turn ¥100 Million in Debt Into Comedy”: The Real-Life Story Behind The Man Who Can’t Despair

From program success to a dramatic turnaround! Homeless with 100 million yen in debt

“I’ve been through ¥100 million in debt, spent eight years driving trucks, and even ended up homeless. I’ve experienced all kinds of things, so it takes a lot to faze me now.”

The words of a man who has experienced rock bottom carried overwhelming conviction and an almost boundless sense of optimism.

The drama The Man Who Can’t Despair has been airing on Kansai TV since Thursday, September 17. Set in the television industry of the 1990s and 2000s, this roller-coaster comedy follows a man who climbs his way up to become a company president through sheer bluff and charm, only to find himself saddled with debt and reduced to homelessness before fighting his way back. The drama has attracted attention for the powerful performance of lead actor Shunsuke Daito, 40, as well as the first-ever acting appearance in a drama by comedy duo Kin’zoku Bat.

Some of the plotlines might seem like dramatic embellishments: an assistant director driving around in a Porsche, or a man escaping after being held captive by gangsters, only to be chased and nearly run over. But astonishingly, these events are based on a true story.

For this article, we interviewed Takuji Okugawa, the real-life inspiration for the protagonist and author of the original nonfiction book The Man Who Can’t Despair (Kodansha). All quotations below are from Okugawa.

“Back then, the television industry was glamorous, a world swirling with all kinds of desires. All I could think about was ‘I want to be popular with women!’ (laughs). I’d walk around Shinsaibashi wearing an intercom headset, or get friendly with promotional models and try to hook up with them at the office, only to get caught by the company president. Almost every day, something would happen that made you think, ‘Could something like that really happen?’ There was plenty of excitement and suspense, but looking back, it was a stimulating and wonderful era.”

It was a time when television was more central to popular culture than it is today, and the energy on television production sets was apparently intense.

Just as Okugawa’s passion for television production was beginning to pay off and a music program he had launched himself was gaining traction, its sponsor suddenly pulled out. To cover the production costs, his debts began to pile up, eventually reaching a staggering ¥100 million. Unable to repay the money, he was pursued by gangsters and ultimately fell into homelessness. Yet throughout that ordeal, he says, one thought never left his mind.

“I kept thinking, ‘Just imagine how much people would laugh if I told them about all this someday.’ In a way, I saw it as a period of gathering material for my comedy. Once I started thinking that way, everything became a treasure trove of stories: running away from gangsters, being homeless, and even the truck-driving job I took as a way to find a path back up from rock bottom. And now it’s all become a book and a TV drama. You never know what life has in store for you.”

Today, Okugawa has successfully returned to the television industry. Was he ever afraid of going back to a place he had once left behind? And what drives his seemingly inexhaustible energy?

“In the end, it comes down to human connections. There were people who tracked me down and encouraged me to return, even though I hadn’t seen them in eight years. There was a gap in my career, and the atmosphere in the industry had changed, but I stuck to the same approach: ‘I won’t turn down any job. Once I decide to do something, I give it everything I’ve got.’ That trust gradually built up, and with the support of others, I eventually reached the point where I could run my own company. I’m always juggling multiple projects, and I feel gloomy every single day. But that’s fine. If that ever stops, it’ll mean I’m on my deathbed.”

The final episode of the drama is scheduled to air at 1:25 a.m. on Thursday, October 8. All eyes will be on how this tumultuous story of a man who has been through extraordinary ups and downs reaches its conclusion.