The television drama “Gekokujo Kyuuji,” currently airing in the TBS Sunday Theater slot and approaching its final episode, marks Ryohhei Suzuki’s second starring role in the Sunday Theater, following his previous role in “TOKYO MER~Emergency Room on the Run~” approximately two years ago. Based on the non-fiction work “Gekokujo Kyuuji” by Takahiro Kikuchi (published by Kanzen), the drama depicts the journey of Mie Prefectural Hakusan High School, a perennial underdog that had suffered ten consecutive defeats in the prefectural tournament’s first round, until their first-ever appearance at the Summer Koshien in 2018. It’s important to note that while the drama is based on a true story, all characters, schools, organizations, and the plot itself are fictional.
Although the narrative of a struggling high school baseball team making its debut at Koshien aligns with the typical sports drama genre, both lead actors, Ryohhei Suzuki and Hikari Mitsushima, emphasized from the outset that it is more than just a conventional sports drama. The drama, titled “Gekokujo Kyuuji,” began with the tagline “Dream Human Entertainment portraying various forms of love through high school baseball.” In light of this, let’s reflect on the significance of this drama that aired in 2023.
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The Drama Adaptation of High School Baseball by the Female-Majority “Saiai” Team

Drama lovers may recall the recent “Old Rookie” (2022 / TBS), “No Side Game” (2019 / TBS), and “Roosevelt Game” (2014 / TBS) as dramas about sports in the Sunday theater. Furthermore, some may recall “The Theory of Kaisei High School Baseball Club” (2014 / NTV), “ROOKIES” (2008 / TBS), and “H2: Kimi to ita Hibi” (2005 / TBS) for dramas about high school baseball.

However, there is a major difference between these works and “Gekkokujo-Kyuu-Ji”. That is that the script, direction, and producer are all handled by women. All of the dramas listed here are written, directed, and produced by men (some of the directing is done by women). One might think that it would be a natural progression for men to serve as scriptwriters and directors, especially when the subject matter deals with men’s sports played by a group of men, since most of the performers will be men. However, female scriptwriters have long been active in drama production, not to mention Kuniko Mukoda and Hisakako Hashida, and they have naturally portrayed male protagonists in their works. Although gender should not have a significant impact on the portrayal of human beings (even if there are differences in perception, adjustments can be made based on the opinions of the opposite sex), women have never served as scriptwriters, directors, or producers in sports dramas, which are the core of drama productions. In this respect, this drama, written by Sadoko Okudera, directed by Ayuko Tsukahara, and produced by Junko Arai, is a milestone.

However, of course, it is not because it is groundbreaking that they made a sports drama with a female main character. Speaking of Sadoko Okudera screenplay x Ayuko Tsukahara direction x Junko Arai producer, they are the famous tag team of “Night Ferris Wheel” (2013 / TBS), “For N” (2014 / TBS), “Rebirth” (2017 / TBS), and “Saiai” (2021 / TBS) that became a big hit and won a Galaxy Award After building up a track record step by step in TBS dramas, he was finally appointed to TBS’s signature slot, the Sunday Gekijo, for this film. Although high school baseball is a unique genre when juxtaposed with past works, all of the works they have worked together on in the past are dramas that are moving after carefully depicting human relationships, which is similar to “Gekijo Kyuji,” which depicts the honest growth of a weak baseball school without easy-to-understand romantic relationships or abrupt incidents. There is something about this film.
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Actors who Achieved ‘Gekokujo’ through Acting and Baseball Practical Auditions
Not only the production team, but also the actors in the film have been selected in what can be called a “gekkokujo” style. The cast includes Ryohei Suzuki, Hana Kuroki, and Haruka Igawa, all of whom have appeared in numerous dramas and movies, making it seem like the quintessential Sunday theater. That is because these actors were selected through a six-month-long audition process called “Gekkokujo Selection,” in which they auditioned for both acting and baseball skills. The baseball auditions are unique to this film, and the members of the Koshiyama High School baseball team who were selected after winning the auditions – Shumpei Ikuta, who plays Shinjiro Nirei, is from Aomori Yamada High School, a prestigious high school baseball team, and has participated in the Koshien National High School Baseball Tournament, and Atsuya Suzuki, who plays Taiga Fujimoto, is from the prestigious Sakushin Gakuin baseball team. Atsuya Suzuki, who plays Taiga Fujimoto, is a member of the prestigious Sakushin Gakuin baseball team. The realistic game scenes in which these players play are one of the major highlights of the film.


The audition scene of the main characters is available on U-NEXT as “Gekokokujo Selection Complete Version”. Just as watching a practice session in a sporting event can make you feel more involved in the game, watching the members of the Zan High (Koshiyama High School) baseball team will surely make you feel more involved in their performances.

The lead actors, Ryohei Suzuki and Hana Kuroki, have not had smooth sailing careers. Ryohei Suzuki is a man who has had his resume turned down by more than 50 entertainment agencies and production companies. Since his acting debut in 2006 in the TV drama “Regatta: Kimi to ita Eien” (TV Asahi), he has continued to appear in movies and TV dramas, but it was seven years until “HK Henkyo Kamen” (2013), which expanded his recognition. It took her eight years to get her breakthrough in the TV series “Hanako to Anne” (2014 / NHK).
Kuroki Hana is also a member of the high school theater elite, having played the lead role in the drama club at Otemon Gakuin High School, a prestigious high school theater school, for three years from her freshman year, but when she entered Kyoto University of Art and Design, she was not offered a casting in the school production of a play. After attending a theater workshop and making his first stage appearance, he won the role of the heroine in an audition, and after appearing in a number of theatrical productions, he has been an actor who has advanced his career step by step since 2011 by entering the film industry (by the way, he and Ryohei Suzuki played a couple in the historical drama “Saigodon” (2018 / NHK)). (Incidentally, he and Ryohei Suzuki played a married couple in the historical drama “Saigo-don” (2018 / NHK), which was a great collaboration for Saigo-don fans. Even though Ryohei Suzuki has starred in Sunday dramas in the past with “TOKYO MER: Running Emergency Rescue Room,” no one could have predicted a Sunday drama with the two stars 10 years ago. In that respect, too, it could be called a “downright success”.


Finally, after the 9th inning (episode 9), “Gekkokujo Kyuuji” is going into extra innings (the final game). Because it is based on a true story, the outcome is predetermined and there may not be any big surprises like in the previous Sunday drama “VIVANT”. However, we will never forget them as they move step by step toward “undercutting” the competition. If they can burn it all out, they won’t regret a thing.