Takuya Kimura

Exclusive Interview

From “Kazama Kimichika:Kyojo Zero”

Takuya Kimura

© Hiroki Nagaoka/Shogakukan © Fuji Television Network, Inc.

The Exclusive Interview with Takuya Kimura from Fuji Television’s Monday Night drama “Kazama Kimichika:Kyojo Zero”. How did that most fearsome instructor come to being? The popular special “Kyojo” starring Takuya Kimura has been adapted into a drama series on the renowned Monday Night 9 p.m. broadcast slot. It has been 9 years since the second series of “HERO” that Takuya Kimura is appearing on a Fuji TV drama series taking on the starring role for the Monday Night “Getsuku” slot!

Q: What was your reaction to the decision to make “Kazama Kimichika:Kyojo Zero” into a drama series?

I really think the drama series was made possible since there was a strong desire from the viewers for a sequel, as there were still untold stories and unexplored aspects of the character Kazama, which hadn't been depicted in the past SP dramas. While the first and second installments were set in a police academy, this time we have created a series about how and why Kazama became a police academy instructor in the first place. I was originally thinking whether it would be difficult to portray Kazama's character with the rest of society, someone who only seems to successfully exist as a unique figure in “Kyojo.” Discussing about this with the director has helped in filling in on these issues. I really believe that this drama series is a bold attempt. As an astonishing content which I believe many would have been surprised at the ways in which they have been aired on New Year’s, now we have something which I’m sure will leave another huge milestone on the “renowned” broadcast slot. This is going to surprise viewers in many ways.

Q: Looking back at the past special episodes...

When we were making the first installment, we were excited about whether we could really make it all work?! And while the rest of the world was still in a New Year's daze, we were discussing whether it was okay to broadcast something that was completely opposite to the mainstream way of thinking. In the second installment, the actors and actresses who played the role of students of the “198 class” that belongs to various entertainment production agencies, came to the set to participate in the training sessions as seniors each wearing their uniforms. Both the first and second installments were challenging projects that we tackled as a team, but I think this time it’s even being a bigger challenge.

Q: In this series, Kazama Kimichika is an instructor of detectives rather than at a police academy?

Kazama will not be standing giving lectures to the students like the previous installments but will rather be at locations in society such as convenience stores or at a busy downtown district of crime scenes. In that respect, the background behind Kazama will be completely different from the first and second installments. Through reading the script, the more I read it, the more ideas I came up with after talking with the director and about how we could do this or that differently. I’m working on this project with the staff from the first and second installments, so we already share the same sense of atmosphere and enthusiasm which essentially results in great new prospects.

Q: Regarding broadcasting this work on the renowned Monday Night 9 p.m. broadcast slot?

For a typical drama series, it's usually produced simultaneously following the weekly broadcast schedule. However, for this work, we had made sufficient preparations and started filming in advance. I have personally experienced the atmosphere of the Monday 9 p.m. time slot, and although it may sound a bit exaggerated, I think that the whole feeling of “Monday Night 9 p.m.” will completely change this time round.

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