SixTONES‘ member Hokuto Matsumura has been announced as the lead actor in NTV’s July Saturday drama “Kokuhaku: 25-nenme no Himitsu” ( 告白－25年目の秘密－/ -Confession-Secrets After 25 Years) (airing every Saturday from 9:00 to 9:54 p.m.). This marks his first solo lead role in a terrestrial TV drama. Hokuto will play the protagonist, Sota Yukimura (32), a man who has continued to love one woman for 25 years.
This completely original story is a love suspense drama spanning 25 years, depicting the fine line between love and obsession. Sota works in the general affairs department of “Nose Cosmetics” and is known for his calm personality, rarely asserting himself while being attentive to those around him, earning strong trust in the workplace. His feelings for a woman began with an encounter in childhood, and those emotions have quietly accumulated over the years without ever fading.
Is his devotion “pure love,” or is it the madness known as “obsession”? Sota has continued to watch over her, living in the same era, standing in the same places, sometimes staging coincidences just to remain by her side. It’s natural to want to know everything about someone you love, but how far is too far? The moment he finally breaks years of silence and forms a connection with her, his ordinary life begins to shift into something thrilling. And if everything has been carefully orchestrated? Behind his long years of watching her from the shadows lies a brutal incident from 25 years ago, deeply tied to the secrets each of them carries.
COMMENT BY HOKUTO
—How did you feel when it was decided that you would take on your first solo lead role in a terrestrial TV drama, and what are your thoughts going into it?
I’m very grateful for this wonderful opportunity. I previously appeared in a project written by Watanabe Mako six years ago, and I’ve always hoped we could work together again, so I’m really looking forward to it. I want to face the script sincerely and do my best to help bring this work to life.
—What were your impressions after reading the script? Also, what aspects of your character would you like viewers to pay attention to?
It’s a story with a delicate and perfectly balanced sense of suspense, which I find very compelling. I hope to portray that carefully while carrying many layers within the character as I perform. I think the way the story feels will change depending on how you interpret him, so I’m excited to see how everyone perceives it. I’ll give it my all with sincerity.
COMMENT BY YASUNORI AOKI (PLANNING & PRODUCER)
—This is an ambitious work that can be interpreted as either “pure love” or “madness,” with a man continuing to love someone from the shadows for 25 years. What are the highlights of the drama?
This story portrays the fine line between love and obsession through a man who has watched over a woman for 25 years since childhood. The protagonist, Sota Yukimura, investigates everything about her and would do anything for her happiness. But is his devotion simply the result of unwavering love, or is it tied to a secret connected to an incident that occurred 25 years ago, or something else entirely?
Centered on the theme of the boundary between love and obsession, the story gradually reveals both a present-day incident and the truth behind a past that has been hidden for 25 years.
Can someone truly continue to love one person for so long? Through a quarter of a century, the drama questions the very meaning of love. It’s a thrilling and suspenseful love story, so we hope you’ll look forward to it.
—Why did you choose Hokuto Matsumura for the role, and what are your expectations for him?
Sota Yukimura is a man who has watched over a woman for 25 years without ever expressing his feelings. He keeps his distance so she won’t notice him, suppressing his emotions, yet his love still seeps through. I believed that Hokuto Matsumura is the only actor who could naturally portray such a delicate character, and together with writer Watanabe, we carefully developed the script through many discussions.
Feelings left unspoken for 25 years. A distance never crossed. And yet, a love that never faded. Not just kindness, but a presence shaped by carrying the weight of those 25 years. I believe this role will showcase a new side of Hokuto Matsumura’s appeal.
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https://www.ntv.co.jp/kokuhaku/
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