Preview of "Olympic no Minoshirokin" (Drama SP)

Title: Olympic no Minoshirokin
Official website: here
Broadcast by: TV Asahi
O.A. Dates: 30 November & 1 Dec 2013 / 9pm
Original novel by: Okuda Hideo
Cast: Takenouchi Yutaka, Matsuyama Kenichi, Kuroki Meisa, Amami Yuki, Eikura Nana, Esumi Makiko, Emoto Akira, Osugi Ren, Ozawa Yukiyoshi, Karasawa Toshiaki, Kishibe Ittoku, Kiritani Kenta, Kunimura Jun, Saito Takumi, Sasano Takashi, Sawamura Ikki, Hayami Mokomichi, Fukiishi Kazue, Aijima Kazuyuki, Iida Kisuke, Ishida Takuya, Ishibashi Anna, Izumiya Shigeru, Imai Masayuki, Emoto Tasuku, Endo Kaname, Kakizawa Hayato, Kusabue Mitsuko, Kurokawa Tomoka, Kondo Yoshimasa, Sasaki Sumie, Suzuki Kazuma, Tanaka Tetsushi, Tanaka Yoji, Terajima Susumu, Toda Keiko, Nakamoto Ken, Nishioka Tokuma, Hara Sachie, Harada Ryuji, Hino Yojin, Hiraizumi Sei, Bengal, Maekawa Yasuyuki, Mitsuishi Ken, Musaka Naomasa, Muroi Shigeru, Yamaguchi Tomomitsu, Watanabe Ikkei, Watanabe Masaru, Watanabe Tetsu

Takenouchi Yutaka appears at the screening and talk event of TV Asahi drama SP "Olympic no Minoshirokin"

Takenouchi Yutaka appeared at the screening cum talk event of his new TV Asahi drama SP "Olympic no Minoshirokin" held on 19 November. The drama SP which will be shown over two nights on 30 November and 1 Dec at 9pm, features Takenouchi as a police detective who attempts to stop an university student played by Matsuyama Kenichi from sabotaging the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games. Takenouchi revealed that there was a scene where he had to be at the Kokuritsu Kyogijo's Olympic cauldron for the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympic Games and it was such a memorable experience for the cast that they took pictures together there. When asked about which athlete he felt could do well in the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, he named short-distance runner Kiryu Yoshishide as the latter would only be 24 years old in 2020 and that would probably be the prime time of his running career. During the screening event, Takenouchi also presented bouquets of flowers in Olympic colours to 1988 Seoul Olympics synchronised swimming bronze medalist Kotani Mikako and 1992 Barcelona Olympics swimming gold medalist Iwasaki Kyoko.

Source: Sanspo

Production press conference of TV Asahi 55th anniversary drama SP "Olympic no Minoshirokin"

The production press conference of TV Asahi's 55th anniversary 2-part drama SP "Olympic no Minoshirokin" was held in Tokyo on 31 October which was attended by cast members Takenouchi Yutaka, Matsuyama Kenichi, Kuroki Meisa, Izumiya Shigeru, Emoto Akira, Osugi Ren, Kurokawa Tomoka, Saito Takumi, Sasano Takashi, Sawamura Ikki, Hayami Mokomichi and Hara Sachie. The drama SP will be shown on 30 November and 1 December at 9pm.

When asked about his thoughts of working with Matsuyama for the first time, Takenouchi commented that although his co-star may seem like any young man of his age off screen, Matsuyama is able to act so well the moment they start filming. On the other hand, Matsuyama said that he had the impression all along that Takenouchi was no ordinary human being and reaffirmed this while working on this SP which led everyone to laugh at this comment.

Source: Sanspo

Cast announcements for TV Asahi's drama SP "Olympic no Minoshirokin"

Further cast announcements for the TV Asahi drama SP "Olympic no Minoshirokin" starring Takenouchi Yutaka and Matsuyama Kenichi were made on 2 October. The drama SP which will be shown over two nights in autumn, will include Kuroki Meisa who plays Takenouchi Yutaka's younger sister Ochiai Yumi who doesn't appear in the original novel. Despite Yumi's relationship with Ochiai, she finds herself drawn to the poor Shimazaki, a Todai student who is being hunted down by her brother as a serial arsonist to sabotage the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Hayami Mokomichi will play the role of Tadashi, the son of the person-in-charge of security during the Olympics while his boss Kasahara who is a reporter at a TV station will be played by Amami Yuki. Tadashi's girlfriend Midori will be played by Eikura Nana. Karasawa Toshiaki will also be a member of the star-studded cast.

Filming of the drama SP was completed this spring.

Source: Yomiuri Hochi

Takenouchi Yutaka & Matsuyama Kenichi team up in TV Asahi drama SP "Olympic no Minoshirokin"

Takenouchi Yutaka and Matsuyama Kenichi will be working together for the first time in the TV Asahi 55th anniversary 2-part drama SP "Olympic no Minoshirokin" (The Olympic's ransom) to be shown this autumn which is set during the period just before the Tokyo Olympics in 1964. The drama SP is based on Naoki Award writer Okuda Hideo's novel and describes how Ochiai (Takenouchi), a police detective in the 1st section of Metropolitan Police Department, strives to ensure that the Tokyo Olympics go on smoothly while hunting down Shimazaki (Matsuyama), an University of Tokyo student who wants to sabotage the Olympics because he thinks that the event is what causes the widening social and financial gap suffered by the general working public.

Filming will be done at various locations mainly within Japan as well as Busan, South Korea, which has some places resembling how Japan looked like back in 1964.

Source: Sanspo 1 / Sanspo 2