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Over a year ago, development of a Japanese reboot of the hit American TV series "24" began. While met with skepticism, the original show had been hugely popular in Japan, leaving many hungering for more counter-terrorism thrills and cliffhangers.
▼ We like to think the show’s popularity owed a lot to these weird songs that were used to promote it.
Now, new details have emerged from the Japanese 24’s producers at TV Asahi. Most importantly, the role of Japanese Jack Bauer had been bestowed to Toshiaki Karasawa.
▼ Toshiaki Karasawa
Those outside of Japan may know Karasawa best from his roles as Kenji Endo in "20th Century Boys" and Burai in the live-action "Casshern" adaptation.
Karasawa has a reputation for pulling off emotional roles such as the lead in the 2003 remake of the medical drama "Shiroi Kyoto" as well as deftly handling action parts involving martial arts and guns. It’s a great resume so far, but he’s not resting on that alone to fill the blood-soaked shoes of Kiefer Sutherland.
The 56-year-old actor said, “I think a lot of Japanese people have seen '24' and think ‘this can’t work in Japan.’ Criticism and complaints are natural. Even if I worry about it, it can’t be helped. However, I want to make people think ‘even though he’s Japanese, Toshi-Bauer works quite hard, doesn’t he?'”
Toshi-Bauer is also training hard every day and practicing his hand-to-hand-combat to prepare for the physically demanding role of an oft-stepped-on CTU agent. “I don’t usually put it all on the line for acting, but this time I’m going to.”
It sounds promising, considering that from the outset a Japanese production of "24" had a very high potential to become laughably bad. Comments online, however, remain skeptical.
“He’s too old, isn’t he?”
“Is a small old guy okay here?”
“The good news is that expectations are so low, that they can only impress us.”
“I’m not worried about Karasawa as much as the average quality of Japanese TV shows.”
“His face looks too warm and round.”
“Wait a minute… There’s a CTU in Japan?”
“If there’s gun fights in Japan it’s unrealistic, but is there’s no gun fights in 24 it’s uninteresting.”
Karasawa is about the same size and age as Keifer Sutherland…granted, the original "24" began 19 years ago. The plot seems to be sticking closely to the original as well, with Karasawa playing CTU First Division A Team Agent Genba Shido who gets mixed up in a plot to assassinate Japan’s first female prime minister.
It’s a measured optimism though. As some comments rightfully pointed out, the original "24" plots involved lots of gunfights and international espionage that don’t seem very at-home in Japan. Moreover, having watched Japanese televised dramas for so many years, it’s still painfully easy to see how this could devolve into a low-budget "Matlock" rip-off or romantic comedy by the time it airs this October.
Sources: Sponnichi Annex, Otaku.com
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- External Link
- https://soranews24.com/2020/03/27/20th-century-boys-star-toshiaki-karasawa-named-japanese-jack-bauer-in-24-reboot/
22 Comments
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Sneezy
You okay, buddy?
Breakout
Godzilla, dame da yo!
Joe Blow
I hope all the people who are outraged when Hollywood remakes a Japanese movie/anime are equally as outraged by this.
Shipwrecker
Karasawa was superb in Shiroi Kyotou, when he was given the time and space to act and a story with actual characters. Like Plastic Monkey said, it doesn't matter how good you are if all the production company wants is the same old formula.
Silvafan
LOL! I just spilled my juice watching that video!
Stewart Gale
@smithinjapan
Right!
And in series two Jack Bauer is thrust in to action when a routine stop reveals a foreigner riding an unregistered bicycle.
mmwkdw
Japan used to copy everything... lack of imagination. Well, this latest knockoff may appeal to the local audience, but that's as far as it goes. Maybe it's a start towards creativity - learning from others, hopefully we will see some original content coming out from Japan in the future - that's surely something to wait for.
kurisupisu
Imagine the endless car chases through Tokyo traffic-that’ll be half the show at least!
smithinjapan
Stewart Gale: "Knowing Japanese work practices and their fondness for overtime, they'd better call it 28."
That, and all 28 hours would be of the government just thinking about forming a panel to decide whether to call the lead character or not.
GW
Just watched the vid again LOL!!!
Serrano
If you didn't click on the video do so its hilarious!!! LOL!!!
I did. Bauer: "My phone bill is crazy." hahahahahahaha
K3PO
GW
Thanks (?). Almost a buccaneer's sea shanty with a handy guitar solo thrown in.
Stewart Gale
Knowing Japanese work practices and their fondness for overtime, they'd better call it 28.
Jonathan Prin
In 24 hour, some times plenty of hard romance with kisses, all to disappear.
Also, you won't ever see his blonde daughter heavily nice looking fleeing the bad men by running with tight t-shirt and boobs all over the place. Ah, still a good trauma to my eyes....
FizzBit
Ha ha
smithinjapan
Officer: "Bauwah-san, you forgot to lock the Koban again! The 100-yen shop thief escaped and is perhaps sleeping on a bench in the vicinity of the park!"
Bauwah-san: "Oh, shucks!"
smithinjapan
A Japanese 24?? hahaha. I know they can't be original, but man!
plasticmonkey
There are plenty of good actors in Japan. What sinks these things is more often a culture among producers, production companies, and network executives that encourages tired old formulas, tropes, cliches, etc.
GW
If you didn't click on the video do so its hilarious!!! LOL!!!
TumbleDry
@Big: an usual bad acting...
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Big
Yawn... every Japanese production is the same tired actors all the time.