Nakayama Yuuma to star in new WOWOW drama "Hokuto Aru Satsujinsha no Kaishin"

Nakayama Yuuma will be starring in the new WOWOW drama "Hokuto Aru Satsujinsha no Kaishin" (Hokuto A murderer's conversion) which consists of 5 episodes and will be shown from March 2017 at 10pm on Saturdays. The drama which is based on the 2012 same-titled novel by Ishida Ira that won the 8th Chuokouron Bungeisho, features Nakayama as a 20-year-old young man named Hashizume Hokuto who was abused by his real parents when he was a child and later sent to an orphanage. It was only when he was adopted by his foster mother Kondo Ayako that he finally tasted what it means to be loved. However, due to a cruel twist of fate, he ends up becoming a murderer and asks his lawyer to stop defending him so that he can be given the death sentence. The story describes the process of how he becomes a murderer and the trial he goes through until the verdict is passed.

Nakayama went through an audition in May this year and got the offer after the scriptwriter and director Takimoto Tomoyuki and staff decided that he was the best person to play Hokuto. Filming began on 16 August. In order to show the desperation of Hokuto who was prepared to give up his life while behind bars and awaiting trial, Nakayama went on a strict diet since mid September when the court scenes were shot and had already lost 12kg to weigh only 40+ kg by the time the filming concluded on 2 October.

Nakayama recounted that when he went for the audition, he remembered clearly how much he was in awe by the lines he had to read and was worried whether he could handle this role when he got the script. As such, he was shivering with excitement when he got the chance to act in this drama and called upon the viewers to watch this drama which has some scenes that they may find it difficult to stomach.

Sources: Sanspo / Yomiuri Hochi / Sponichi / Eiga.com