Koizumi Kotaro to play Amami Yuki's rival in FujiTV Autumn 2016 drama "Chef ~ Mitsuboshi no Kyuushoku ~"

Koizumi Kotaro will be playing the rival of Amami Yuki in the upcoming FujiTV Autumn 2016 drama "Chef ~ Mitsuboshi no Kyuushoku ~" which begins its run from October in the Thursdays 10pm timeslot. He plays the character named Shinoda Shogo who is the owner of a famous French restaurant in Ginza, has a MBA and is known for his shrewd business ways which prioritise profits over everything. Shinoda dislikes how his chef Hoshino Mitsuko (Amami) at his restaurant La Cuisine de La reine, ignores his orders and keeps making dishes without a care for the bottomline and fires her from his restaurant. Due to Shinoda's obstruction tactics, Hoshino finds it difficult to find her next job and is approached to take part in a variety programme by Yaguchi Saki (Tomochika) where she has to cook meals for primary school students. At first, she thought that school meals are a breeze to cook but upon suffering bad reviews from the children, she resolves to cook these meals well and suffers setbacks in the process.

Koizumi who used to play a lot of good guy roles in the past, took on the first baddie role in TBS Autumn 2015's "Shitamachi Rocket" for the first time in his then 14-year career as an actor. This time, he will play another cool business owner who sees the lead character as an enemy. Koizumi and Amami last worked together in the FujiTV April 2012 drama "Kaeru no Oujosama" but this is the first time that they are playing rivals. Koizumi hopes to be able to show the sparks between their characters and is preparing for his role by talking to friends who are both chefs and owners of their restaurants so as to see how he can portray Shinoda's struggles and hard work in keeping the business afloat.

Co-stars include Endo Kenichi who plays Araki Heisuke, the nutritionist at Mitsuba Primary School who is serious and stubborn thus he has a lot of clashes with Hoshino. This will be his third time working with Amami after the 2009 drama "Fumou Chitai" and drama SP "Watashi to iu na no hensoukyoku". Kawaguchi Haruna will play the role of Takayama Haruko who is the assistant cook at Mitsuba while Arakawa Yoshiyoshi plays Komatsu Minoru who regards Hoshino as a rival. Okudera Kenji, the sous chef who is able to replicate Hoshino's dishes, will be played by Toyohara Kosuke.

Sources: Yomiuri Hochi / Oricon