CATDOLL: "Legend of the Card Fighter" live-action Japanese drama production press conference held, attended by Kanata Hongo and others

Anime Star previously reported on the production of a live-action Japanese TV series of the popular mahjong manga "Dou Pai Chuan". Today (June 23), a production press conference for the TV series was held in Tokyo. Kanata Hongo, who plays the protagonist Akagi Shigeru, Masahiko Tsugawa, who plays the nemesis Takeshi Washi, Yoji Tanaka, who plays Takeshi Ōgi, Satoshi Jimbo, who plays the detective Yasuoka, and the original author Nobuyuki Fukumoto all attended the press conference.

This time, the Japanese drama version will be a live-action version of the "Waise's Nest Mahjong Arc" which has been serialized for 15 years. Each episode of the Japanese drama version is 60 minutes, and there are a total of 10 episodes, all of which revolve around playing mahjong, and the basic rules of mahjong will not be explained, so it is a relatively high-end mahjong Japanese drama.

When asked if the filming went smoothly, Kanata Hongo said, "We were just sitting around the mahjong table playing mahjong, so we were not affected by the weather at all, and we didn't have to change the scene at all, so of course it went smoothly." Tanaka also said, "The filming location is a place near the sea with beautiful scenery, but we were always in the room, and it was always at night. To be honest, I felt a whole mess." It seems that most of the plots of this work are about playing mahjong in the same room. Tanaka also said, "This work will surpass "24 Hours". It is usually 6 to 8 hours at night, which is strange to calculate, and the timeline is strange." He used the word "strange" several times in a row. When talking about his role, Tanaka said, "I don't have to play mahjong myself, so I feel more relaxed, but I have to keep explaining and analyze the mahjong played by everyone in my mind. Why did I take such a hard role?"

The original author Nobuyuki Fukumoto said that the reason why he thought of "Wing Nest Mahjong" that uses blood for gambling is because "you can directly see the remaining amount of life, or how long it will take for humans to die, which should be very attractive." When talking about "Crow Mahjong", he said: "In a game like Mahjong, it is easier to engage in psychological warfare after seeing the cards, but it will be very difficult to actually play."

Lead actor Kanata Hongo believes that the most interesting part of this film is the blood drawing scene. "Wusui competed with me by drawing blood, and when it was finally time to draw blood, Tsukawa was very excited. In short, he acted very well." Tanaka and Jinbo also said, "Tsukawa was amazing. He laughed out loud and jumped up and down when he saw the blood drawing."

In addition, SHOCK EYE, a member of the uncle band Shonan No Kaze who sang the theme song "DON'T BE AFRAID" for this work, also appeared at the venue. He said, "I started to get in touch with Fukumoto's works from "Ten", and I have basically seen all of his works." He said that he is a big fan of Fukumoto, and even his music is influenced by Fukumoto.

The original manga of "Dou Pai Chuan" is a mahjong manga serialized by Nobuyuki Fukumoto in "Modern Mahjong" (Takeshobo). The single volume has been published to the 29th volume. It was adapted into a live-action version starring Takashi Kashiwabara in 1995 and 1997. A 26-episode TV animation was also produced in 2005. It tells the story of "Waishuo Mahjong" who gambles with their own blood instead of cash. The Japanese drama version is supervised and directed by Hitoshi Iwamoto and Mitsuru Kubota, and the script is written by Mitsuru Tanabe.