Matsuda Ryuhei & Noda Yojiro to star in new movie "Nakimushi Shottan no Kiseki"

Matsuda Ryohei will be taking on the lead role in the new movie "Nakimushi Shottan no Kiseki" (The miracle of crybaby Shottan) which is directed by Toyoda Toshiaki and based on the autobiography of professional shogi player Segawa Shoji written by himself. The movie will be shown in cinemas next year and is Matsuda's first appearance in a Toyoda work in 16 years since the movie "Aoi Haru".

Matsuda plays Segawa who was focused on playing shogi since he was a child and became a pro player at the age of 14. However, he faced an impending obstacle in his career as the shogi association had a rule that he had to reach the 4th rank before he turned 26. Segawa failed to make the mark and had to quit being a shogi player which led to him switching tracks to become a salaryman. Despite this setback, with the support of the people around him, Segawa tried to launch a comeback and made the 4th rank at the age of 35 in 2005. He subsequently made it to the 5th rank in 2012 as a result of his hard work. RADWIMPS' vocalist Noda Yojiro who is a good friend of Matsuda, will be playing Segawa's shogi rival cum childhood buddy Sato Yuuya.

The director Toyoda himself was also part of the shogi association up till he was 17 and commented that when he actually hated shogi when he was a teenager. When he read the autobiography, his hatred simply disappeared and he was moved to tears. As such, he aims to take a new look at the shogi world with a humble attitude and mark his directing career's 20th anniversary with this movie. As for working with Matsuda again, he expressed his joy about being given this chance and that they will do a good job together.

As Matsuda and Noda will be playing shogi players, they have been undergoing training under Segawa since May this year in preparation for the start of the filming in late August. Matsuda commented that he is deeply drawn into the world of shogi thanks to the teachings of Segawa and is happy about being able to work with Toyoda again. As for Noda, he revealed that he is both worried and expectant about the upcoming filming and hopes to see a different side of Matsuda which he doesn't get to observe in their private interactions. Meanwhile, Segawa said that when he heard about his book being made into a movie, he was very happy about it especially when he found out that Matsuda will be playing himself. Although Matsuda is a newbie at shogi, Segawa was especially impressed with how Matsuda has improved tremendously and his concentration power.

Sources: Eiga.com / Yomiuri Hochi / Nikkansports