VIVANT's Chokki Visits Japan, Greets 300 Fans In Japanese
TBS put a Thai cast member in front of a Japanese lottery audience for a drama whose second-half rescue mission was filmed in Azerbaijan, making the event a measure of how much of VIVANT's pull sits outside Japan.
Key Facts
- Ohm Thanaphat plays Chokki Thepanit in TBS's Sunday drama VIVANT.
- Ohm Thanaphat greeted 300 lottery-selected fans at the TBS SPORTS & VIVANT PARK opening stage on September 19 at Shinjuku Sumitomo Building Triangle Plaza.
- The second half of VIVANT season two begins October 4 after a two-week broadcast break.
- Ryusei Ryo plays Kotaro Shinjo, whose survival was revealed in episode 18 of season two.
- Natsumi Tsunoda, a Paris Olympics women's judo gold medalist, attended as a TBS athlete ambassador for the Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya.
Reporting from 1 source: Cinema Today.
Thai actor Ohm Thanaphat, who plays Chokki Thepanit in TBS's Sunday drama VIVANT, appeared at the opening stage of TBS SPORTS & VIVANT PARK on September 19 at Shinjuku Sumitomo Building Triangle Plaza. He greeted 300 fans chosen by lottery in Japanese with "I love you!" and said people had asked him for autographs from the moment he landed. Ryusei Ryo, who plays Kotaro Shinjo, also attended, along with the actor playing Drum and judo gold medalist Natsumi Tsunoda, a TBS athlete ambassador for the Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya. VIVANT is an original drama about Yusuke Nogi, a member of the Self-Defense Forces' top-secret intelligence organization Betsuhan. After a two-week broadcast break, the second half of season two begins October 4. Ohm said Chokki will have more scenes in the back half but could not discuss the story because of spoilers.
- Chokki is a Thai businessman who has feelings for Shinjo, a monitor (collaborator) for the terrorist organization Tent; he is now on the Betsuhan team carrying out Nogi's rescue of a comrade.
- Shinjo was believed to have died early in season two, but Nogi had secretly arranged a path for him to survive; episode 18 revealed he was alive.
- Ryusei said viewers had already guessed it: "Most people were thinking 'He's probably alive, isn't he' (laughs)."
- Ryusei on the rescue mission: "I, Chokky, Drum - all of us will be active." He added, "The Betsuhan member rescue mission is getting incredible."
- The second-half rescue mission was filmed in Azerbaijan. Ryusei said it was "quite tough" but became "a story on such a huge scale that everyone watching will say, 'Is this really a Japanese drama?'"
- Asked about betrayals ahead, Ryusei said, "When you say 'VIVANT,' you think betrayal. We still don't know anything yet."
- Ohm said he ate yakiniku and sushi in Japan and wants time to shop: "If I have time, I'd like to enjoy shopping too!"
- Ryusei on the reunion: "Chokki also came to Japan, and I'm really glad we could show the two of us in front of everyone."
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
Sources
- Cinema Today 「VIVANT」竜星涼「生きてました！」新庄“復活”を生報告 別班員奪還作戦は「すごいことになってます」