Let's enjoy the "aggressive" work starring Tori Matsuzaka. 10 recommended movies!

Recommended movies starring Tori Matsuzaka (2015~2017)

3. "The Longest Day of Japan" (15) Director: Masato Harada 136 minutes

This war film sees Matsuzaka take on a role with a completely different feel to his previous roles. This is a remake of a non-fiction book that was also made into a film by director Kihachi Okamoto, with director Masato Harada adding his own unique interpretation.

The year is 1945, during the Pacific War. Will the war end or will there be a decisive battle on the mainland? Director Harada's characteristic bold writing style etched in his memory what the important people were thinking and how they acted in this major crisis that would determine the future of the country. Matsuzaka plays a fanatical army major who is desperate for a decisive battle on the mainland, and he plays a devilish character that overturns his previous image. He plays an important role in plotting a coup d'état. He will also be working with Yakusho Koji, who co-starred with him in this film, again in "The Blood of Wolves" (2018).

While vividly showing the "fear" of a person obsessed with an ideology, he also vividly conveys the "pain" of a person's personality being shaped by being born in a time of war. Matsuzaka's performance is outstanding, as he is not a superficial villain, but is deeply tinged with a raw humanity.

During this period, Matsuzaka's roles seemed to expand rapidly, playing a transvestite in "Piece of Cake" (2015), a blue-haired assassin in "MOZU: The Movie" (2015), a crazed investigator in "The Top Secret" (2016), and Kirigakure Saizō (a role he also played in the stage version) in "The Sanada Ten Braves" (2016).

On the other hand, he also appeared in films such as "Her Love Boils Bathwater" (2016), demonstrating his presence as a supporting actor. In the drama "What's Wrong with Being a Yutori?", he played a comical virgin teacher, winning him a new fanbase. Incidentally, it was in 2016 that he also appeared in the stage version of "Call Boy," which was later made into a film, and tried his hand at dubbing foreign films in "Paddington" (2015).

Looking at it this way, we can see that after "The Longest Day," there was a big change in Matsuzaka's choice of films.

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4. "Kiseki: Sobito of that day" (17) Director: Jun Kaneshige 111 minutes

Matsuzaka, who has become increasingly versatile in the characters he plays, took on the challenge of a music film depicting the behind-the-scenes story of the formation of the popular music group "GReeeeN." Although he had previously appeared in music-themed works such as "Maestro!" (2015), in this film he plays a musician with a penchant for metal.

JIN (Matsuzaka) became a professional musician in rebellion against his feudal father. However, the music industry was not an easy place to jump into. The obsession with "having to be successful" caused discord within the band, and members left. JIN was dejected, but as he supported the musical activities of his younger brother (Masaki Suda), who aspires to be a dentist, and his friends, he awakened as a producer.

Matsuzaka, who dyed his hair, grew a scruffy beard and transformed into a wild-looking guy, powerfully leads the group as the "big brother" of the other members played by Suda, Yokohama Ryusei, Narita Ryo and Sugino Yosuke. He shows off a different kind of charm than before and also shows off his singing voice. His naive acting, such as fighting the pressure of being a professional alone and bowing to the record company while suppressing humiliation, adds depth to the work.

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5. "The Birds Without Names" (17) Director: Kazuya Shiraishi 123 minutes

Following the release of "Yurigokoro" (2017), which attracted attention for Yuriko Yoshitaka's shocking performance, this is a love mystery directed by Kazuya Shiraishi ("Kyoaku" (2013)). In this film, which sells the idea that "all the characters are the worst," Matsuzaka plays a department store employee who is engaged in an affair.

A self-centered woman (Aoi Yu) lives off the salary of her live-in partner (Abe Sadao). She cannot forget her ex-boyfriend (Takenouchi Yutaka) and is also having an affair with a department store employee (Matsuzaka). Meanwhile, the disappearance of her ex-boyfriend and the "mysteries" of each of their pasts are gradually revealed, and the story progresses in an unexpected direction.

This is a brilliant masterpiece with a brilliant twist in which the disgust towards the characters is reversed in the second half. Matsuzaka plays a comical character who exudes adult sex appeal but is frivolous inside, and whose heroic tales he brags about are completely copied from a book. The character is designed with "zero empathy," but it is interesting to see how Matsuzaka's calm acting adds a strange reality to the character.

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Recommended movies starring Tori Matsuzaka (2018)