Nobuyuki Suzuki from the drama “Bantman” shows off his batting skills that rival the professionals! Taking pictures at the Chunichi Dragons home base dome

■“Seeing the pennant stirred up a fighting spirit in me like Taito.” (Nobuyuki Suzuki)

Tokai TV/Fuji TV’s local drama “Bantman”, which is attracting attention because Nobuyuki Suzuki plays a former professional baseball player, will start airing on October 12th.

The highlight of the drama is definitely Taisho’s brilliant play scenes. In order to pursue realism, we filmed at the Dragons’ home base, Vantelin Dome Nagoya.

Daisho Yanagisawa (Nobuyuki Suzuki)

“Bantman” is the first time that the Chunichi Dragons have been portrayed in a TV drama series. Places related to the team appear throughout the story, making it a content that can be enjoyed not only by Dragons fans but also by baseball fans.

■I took a photo session with my favorite golf in mind. What are the results?
For those with baseball experience, a professional home base is something special. “I’m really looking forward to filming at Banterin Dome Nagoya,” said Suzuki, unable to hide her excitement. On this day, before stepping onto the field, he took a quick bow before taking pictures.

In addition to game scenes, the drama also features many scenes related to baseball, such as batting practice, so he has been practicing his practice swings on a daily basis.

“I got a lot of blisters on my palms,” Suzuki says with a laugh, but in order to keep his batting sense intact, he put his hobby of golf away during filming. This stoic attitude was reflected in the sharpness of his batting that day and the dry sound he made when he hit the center of the ball and hit it back. Check out the drama to see his dynamic batting that rivals that of a professional.

However, unlike normal scenes, baseball scenes have to be hit in the direction the cameraman wants for the shot to turn out okay. In particular, when hitting a home run, many things are required, including not only beautiful form but also the angle and distance of the ball.

Suzuki swung the bat with all his might while making detailed adjustments, and the shot traveled in a spectacular parabola over the heads of the outfield players. After checking the footage, the cameraman said, “There’s no need for CG compositing, right?” and Suzuki himself was satisfied with the result. It was impressive that the extras who were participating as audience members were so excited.

■The fighting spirit inspired by the No. 1 pennant in Japan displayed in the team office

Shooting at the team office

What further boosted Suzuki’s spirits was the photo shoot at the team office. “It was decorated with photos of memorable moments in the Dragons’ history, as well as the pennant from when they became number one in Japan.The accumulation of each victory led to the league championship and number one in Japan. This has resonated with me in a real way.The character I play, Daito Yanagisawa, wants to remain a professional baseball player and return to being the No. 4 batter even though he is fired from the team. “I continue to burn the pennant, but seeing the pennant stirred within me a fighting spirit similar to Taisho’s,” he recalls.

By the way, the Dragons uniform that impressed Suzuki the most was the one with a thick blue line on a white background (used from 2006 to 2011). “I never thought the day would come when I would wear that uniform,” said Suzuki. They will wear several different uniforms, so it might be fun to think back on the “Dragons inside me” while watching the drama.

A drama that lets you feel the fun of baseball like never before. On this day, Masanari Wada, who plays Taito’s junior Yoshinobu Manabe, and Shunpei Ikuta, who plays Maya Nanami, a promising rookie from the Dragons, also participated, and various scenes were filmed. Like Suzuki, Wada also has baseball experience. Ikuta is a former high school baseball player who has played in Koshien.

Yoshinobu Manabe (Masanari Wada)

Maya Nanami (Shunpei Ikuta)

Thanks to the full cooperation of the Chunichi Dragons, we were able to capture a number of scenes at Vantelin Dome Nagoya, including scenes of the players moving on the field and scenes of Chunichi fans enthusiastically cheering. These realistic scenes make “Bantman” a baseball drama like no other. You can feel the fun and difficulty unique to baseball through this drama.

Suzuki also stood on the mound in between shots and showed off his amazing pitching. If I had time, I enjoyed the Banterin Dome, including batting. Check out Suzuki’s SNS, who doesn’t appear in the drama.

■Episode 1 synopsis
Daito Yanagisawa (Nobuyuki Suzuki) played as a slugger for the Chunichi Dragons. After his spectacular debut, he suffered from a series of injuries and slumps, and was finally given a notice that he was out of action. While he was struggling to give up on baseball, he suddenly received a call saying, “We want to sign a contract.” Nezuzu Hana (Kurashina Kana) works in the general affairs department of a large company. Even though she was living a quiet life doing unremarkable work, she suddenly received a job offer. When the two go to the designated location, Seiichiro Sakurada (Yajuro Bando) is waiting for them… Carve a score called happiness on someone’s scoreboard! The first sports entertainment drama on Saturday has begun!

Suzuka Ne (Kana Kurashina) Daisho Yanagisawa (Nobuyuki Suzuki) Seiichiro Sakurada (Yajuro Bando)

Release information

2024.10.13 ON SALE
DIGITAL SINGLE“Lifetime HERO”

Program information

Tokai TV/Fuji TV drama“Bantman”
Starts on 10/12 (Sat)
Every Saturday 23:40-24:35 / 11 times in total (planned)
Starring: Nobuyuki Suzuki, Kana Kurashina, Tetsu Hirahara, Hitoshi Akutsu, Ruka Ishikawa, Masanari Wada, Mami Kumagai / Mayumi Asaka, Moro Moroka / Yajuro Bando
Theme song: Nobuyuki Suzuki “Lifetime HERO”
Production: Tokai TV FOD

Program site
https://www.tokai-tv.com/buntman/

Dora official X (old Twitter)
https://x.com/tokaitv_dodra

Nobuyuki Suzuki OFFICIAL SITE
https://www.sonymusic.co.jp/artist/NobuyukiSuzuki/