New “JIN” cast members include former Olympic swimmer Fujimoto Takahiro
The upcoming sequel to the popular drama series “JIN” revealed a few new cast members today. One of them is actor Fujimoto Takahiro (40), who is also a retired medley swimmer with experience in the 1988 and 1992 Olympic Games.
Starring Osawa Takao (43), “JIN” is an adaptation of a manga by Murakami Motoka about a brain surgeon who gets sent back in time to the Bakumatsu era. TBS aired the first series during the fall of 2009, and it achieved over 19% ratings.
Since his retirement from swimming, Fujimoto has primarily been active in theater. He appeared in the NHK drama “Saka no Ue no Kumo,” but this will be his first appearance in a drama series on one of the major commercial networks. He has been cast as the famous samurai Saigo Takamori, who led the Satsuma Rebellion in 1877.
The new cast members also include Sato Ryuta (31) as a samurai of the Choshu Domain, an original character that did not appear in the manga. Ichikawa Kamejiro (35) will play Nakaoka Shintaro, one of the close associates of Sakamoto Ryoma (still being played by Uchino Masaaki). Miyazawa Kazufumi (45), a member of the rock band THE BOOM, has been cast as the Shinsengumi commander Kondo Isami.
The new season of “JIN” will air on Sundays at 9:00pm, starting on April 17. A collaborative promotional and educational campaign will begin in April with hospitals and other institutions across the country putting up approximately 300,000 posters, featuring cast members such as Ayase Haruka (25) and Nakatani Miki (35).
Poll
source: TOKYOGRAPH