Koshi Mizukami and Yunho Push for 'TOKYO BURST' Sequel at Premiere
The enthusiastic calls for a sequel from both the Japanese lead and the Korean star, alongside Fukushi's extreme physical transformation, signal strong cast investment in a franchise that could bridge Japanese and Korean action cinema audiences.
Reporting from 2 sources: Eiga Natalie, Cinema Today.
The cast and director of 'TOKYO BURST - Crime City -' gathered at TOHO Cinemas Shinjuku in Tokyo on May 29 for the film's opening day stage greeting. Koshi Mizukami, who plays rookie detective Shiro Aiba, expressed strong interest in a sequel, joking that he would grow his character's afro hairstyle five centimeters longer and use dirtier language. Yunho (TVXQ), making his first appearance in a Japanese film as Korean detective Choi Si-woo, called the movie 'amazing' and urged audiences to spread the word. Sota Fukushi, who plays crime boss Renji Murata, revealed he gained 15 kilograms and did push-ups in front of 300 extras in Kabukicho to build his villainous physique. Director Eiji Uchida reportedly warned Fukushi that his eyes were 'shining too brightly.' The film is a Japanese original story that expands the universe of the Korean 'The Outlaws' series starring Ma Dong-seok. It follows Aiba and Choi Si-woo as they team up to pursue an internationally wanted criminal organization hiding in Shinjuku's Kabukicho district. The theme song is THE RAMPAGE's 'BLACK TOKYO.' The film is now showing nationwide.
Kiyohiko Shibukawa plays Shinjuku Central Station Organized Crime Countermeasures Section chief Kobayashi. Hikorohi plays multilingual intellectual detective Miyuki Yoshii. Shin Nagasawa (THE RAMPAGE) plays Kuya, the number two of Shinjuku's largest host group Dreaming. Takenori Goto plays Takeshi Toyama, the young head of the Iwaki-gumi gang rooted in Shinjuku.
Nagasawa, a big fan of the Korean "The Outlaws" series, said, "I was glad to get beaten up by everyone." The theme song is THE RAMPAGE's "BLACK TOKYO." Nagasawa added, "I'm truly honored to also be in charge of the theme song!"
About a year after filming, Mizukami said, "I miss the days of filming in Shinjuku and various local areas. Since Mr. Fukushi's birthday is May 30, we just had a celebration ceremony. We also celebrated exactly a year ago, so it was quite moving." Mizukami also noted that people who know him say his character Shiro Aiba is just like him.
The talk turned to what kind of villain each actor would like to play. Mizukami said, "Like Mr. Fukushi this time, I'd like to play a villain that is thoroughly hated someday." Fukushi expanded his imagination, saying, "I'd like to play a role that kills people refreshingly." At the event, Mizukami, Yunho, and Fukushi performed a flashy scattering of cash-like flyers using a bazooka cannon, in reference to a scene where Murata scatters bundles of cash at a Shinjuku intersection.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 2 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
Sources
- Eiga Natalie 水上恒司が「TOKYO BURST-犯罪都市-」続編を熱望、ユンホは「この映画すごいよ！」
- Cinema Today 水上恒司『TOKYO BURST』公開でアフロに惜別 続編あれば「5センチアップ」と熱望