Thread by @Umechan01234

Tori Matsuzaka
- Korou no Chi LEVEL2

1. Portrayal
Trapped by both Yakuza and the police, Hioka's energy is tremendous as he tries to pursue justice while turning a blind eye.

cinematoday.jp/news/N0125320

His desire to avenge the murder of Gami is conveyed throughout the film without the need for explanation in dialogue.

2. Relationship to crew

This film is a completely original story by screenwriter Junya Ikegami. As it's a completely new story of Hioka, Matsuzaka must have felt not only the pressure of "sequel" but also the pressure of playing the lead role and taking over from Koji Yakusho.

Nevertheless, Matsuzaka remained considerate to the staff and co-stars throughout the film. While showing a gentle appearance, he continued to play the role of Hioka with earnestness and sincerity.

3. Schedule arrangements

Matsuzaka joined the crew late on the 6th day of shooting, Dir. Shiraishi later said that this created the best chemistry between Matsuzaka and Uebayashi (Ryohei Suzuki).

During these 6 days, the main scenes were Uebayashi clan and they had completely taken over the set. As the film was shot in Hiroshima, Uebayashi clan became more and more unified. Suzuki, together with the young actors of the clan, welcomed Matsuzaka with all their might.

Uebayashi (Suzuki), welcomes Hioka with a "I've been waiting for you" attitude, and Hioka (Matsuzaka), who arrives on the scene full of energy, also challenges them with a fearless smile. This created the unusual tension that pervaded the screen.

4. Action Stunts

In the previous film, we didn't get to see much of Hioka's illustrious career as the karate club member at Hiroshima University, but in this film, we witness his physical strength.

One week after Matsuzaka arrived on set, the scene where he falls through the glass from a 10-meter high building onto the roof of a police car was shot. The scene was filmed in several parts.

It began with him breaking through the glass and jumping out from a room on the third floor of the building with a wire attached to his body. The film crew then moved to the outside of the building and shot Matsuzaka falling on the roof of the police car onto the lights.

For that scene, people from the action team pulled up Matsuzaka's body wrapped with a harness, and with the command "1, 2, 3!" they loosened the rope and slammed him against the roof.

In fact, there were no cushions on top of the police car, so his body was repeatedly slammed against the roof. Dull thuds echoed conveying the impact. Matsuzaka repeated many times without making a single whimper.

5. Final Duel

The duel between Hioka and Uebayashi was filmed on the 28th day of shooting, just before the crank-up. The scene was shot on consecutive nights at a site in a port area in Hiromachi, Kure City.

Despite the tension of the important scene, Team Shiraishi always maintains a friendly and good atmosphere, which is the charm of the film. Director Shiraishi, his eyes shining, smiled and said, "Well, it's finally here!"

On the other hand, Matsuzaka Tori and Suzuki Ryohei repeatedly checked their action moves as they waited for the call to shoot. Once they start acting with emotions, they don't have time to think about the movements one by one.

Therefore, they have to keep practicing until their bodies move by themselves. The intensity of this duel is hotter than a blazing fire that I wanted to watch repeatedly. Matsuzaka, who went through the filming during Covid with the crew, welcomed the crank-up with a happy smile.