Fukuda Yuichi Returns to Hometown Tochigi for Sakamoto Days Stage Greeting
The event shows the film's strong regional draw and gives new detail on Meguro Ren's physically demanding performance, which Fukuda described as operating at real speed where other actors would need fast-forward.
Reporting from 1 sources: Eiga Natalie.
Director Fukuda Yuichi, Totsuka Shunki, and Kawakubo Takuji attended a stage greeting at Oyama Cinema Harvest in Tochigi on May 22 to celebrate the live-action Sakamoto Days film's box office of 2.4 billion yen and 1.73 million admissions over 26 days. Fukuda praised lead actor Meguro Ren's action performance, and Totsuka discussed his fidelity to the original manga character Heisuke.
Fukuda opened with a hometown greeting-"I'm home, Tochigi!"-and the audience responded with applause and shouts of "Welcome back." Totsuka, whose high fidelity to the original manga has been a topic of discussion, urged attendees to look at his character's profile, and Kawakubo noted the protective gear left a lasting impression despite tough scenes on set.
During a teach-in, Fukuda explained that only Meguro could play Sakamoto Taro, citing his stoic nature and ability to perform action at real speed. Totsuka recalled an ad-libbed amusement park scene where he called out to Pii-suke about ten times, only to have half cut from the final film. Fukuda also revealed he directed the voice actor for Pii-suke to chirp as if being called.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.