"Glory Back Home", Sparkling like Fireworks [Enokido Ichiro's Films Akasatana Vol.92]

I felt I couldn't avoid writing a review of "Glory Back Home" (25). This is partly because I'm a huge baseball fan, of course, but also because I was forced to change career paths after suffering from a brain tumor in my 30s. That's why I've been following the news about the film's protagonist, Hanshin Tigers' Shintaro Yokota. Yokota, in his fourth year as a pro, complained of headaches and other symptoms during spring training in 2017, and was diagnosed with a brain tumor. He is an unfinished talent who has been battling the disease The Day After. His father, Masayuki Yokota, was also a powerful hitter who played for the Lotte Marines, making them a father-son duo. He was a promising athlete with excellent running, offense, and defense.

This film begins with Shintaro Yokota's high school days in his hometown of Kagoshima, when he aimed for the Koshien tournament but fell just short. He then enters the world of professional baseball, devotes himself to his efforts, and finally realizes his dream of playing at Koshien. However, just as he was about to secure a regular spot, he is struck by illness, forcing him to abandon his career. Watching the film, I felt a pang of resemblance to my own experience, including the scene where the doctor tells him his diagnosis. I found it difficult to accept, too, and pleaded, "This is a critical time. Doctor, please do something." I left the examination room, too shocked to stand. I sat on the hospital stairs. I couldn't help but wonder why it had to be me. Everyone else in the world is doing well, so why is it that I'm the only one who has to stop?

The only thing that separates me from Yokota is the difference between malignant and benign tumors. In other words, I didn't have cancer. That said, the size of the bee on my head is fixed, so even benign tumors can be troublesome if they grow larger. The tumor was near the optic nerve, and in the past, it could have caused blindness. I was serializing articles for nearly 30 magazines at the time, but I had to stop most of them. The Day After surgery, hospitalization, and rest, I reevaluated my desk-bound lifestyle, pushing myself to the limits of my physical strength, and increased my radio work. I could never get back to my previous way of working. It was frustrating for me, but I didn't die. When you're told the diagnosis, you can't choose whether it's benign or malignant, and of course it's something you don't even think about until the very last moment, so it's really just a coincidence. I'm alive, really.

So Yokota is me, isn't he? Or maybe it could have been me? Aren't elite athletes in even more tragic situations than me? He was a promising star who inherited the number 24 jersey from Shinjiro Hiyama, the pinch-hitting god of the Hanshin Tigers. He was blessed with potential, honed his skills, and lost his career just one step before performing in front of a throng of fans. After rehabilitation, he returns to fielding practice, suffering from a condition known as double vision, and there's a scene where he laments, "I hate baseball..." It was unbearable. He's afraid of outfield flies. He can't do things that once came so easily. He feels like he's not himself anymore. He's come to hate baseball, a sport he once loved so much.

"Glory Back Home" ©2025 "Glory Back Home" Production Committee

The casting is incredibly stellar. Kyoka Suzuki plays the mother, Yokota Manami, and Katsunori Takahashi is also amazing as the father, Yokota Masayuki. Kawato Kozo is played by Emoto Akira, Kakefu Masayuki is played by Furuta Arata, and Hirata Katsuo is played by Omori Nao. Actually, I can't list them all, but they've used a ton of actors, like Sato Koichi and Hagiwara Masato, which is a bit extravagant. I guess this is due to both the popularity of the Hanshin Tigers and Yokota Shintaro's character. It would be a lie if this movie wasn't a spectacular piece.

One interesting aspect of the film is Takaya Matsutani, who plays the lead role of Shintaro Yokota. He had a connection with the real-life player Yokota (he's introduced later in the film), so it seemed inevitable that he would play the role. He gives a truly outstanding performance as the earnest Shintaro Yokota. There's a scene in the film where Yokota struggles to make it as a professional baseball player. Hirata Katsuo and Kakefu Masayuki offer advice to the troubled player. This seems to have two double meanings. One, of course, is the story itself: "Shintaro Yokota receives advice from his pro baseball seniors." The other is "Takaya Matsutani, an up-and-coming actor, receives advice from Nao Omori and Arata Furuta." We're all familiar with Kozo Kawato's appearance, Masayuki Kakefu's way of speaking, and Katsuo Hirata's personality. Even in character, Arata Furuta doesn't really look like Kakefu. We can't see it, but it's precisely because we can't see it that the scene where the senior actor speaks to "the single-mindedly hard-working Matsutani Takaya" really stands out. I thought it was really great.

The Day After came the miraculous return home run, the title of the film. In a Western League game against the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, Yokota Shintaro's heroic final performance was burned into the memories of fans. Playing center field, he showed off his sharp shoulder and tagged out the runner at home plate. The runner who was then called out was none other than Mizutani Shun, currently playing for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. This was around the time he had yet to show his true potential with SoftBank. He later joined the Fighters in the active player draft, became the MVP with the highest batting average in interleague play history, and became a rising star who would go on to play for Samurai Japan. The lives of Yokota Shintaro and Mizutani intertwine for a moment, sparkling like fireworks, on home plate. I hope this film reaches many viewers.

Text: Ichiro Enoki

Born in 1959. Born in Akita Prefecture. Debuted in a commercial magazine with ``Takarajima'' in 1980 while studying at Chuo University. Since then, he has serialized columns and essays in various magazines, and continues to this day. Also active on radio and television. Twitter @ichiroenokido

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Distribution: Gaga

©2025 "Glory Back Home" Production Committee