SixTONES' Jesse and Arata Furuta to appear as lawyers in Shuri's drama "Monster"

■ “When I first heard about the role, I was happy, but at the same time, I thought it might have been a casting mistake.” (Jesse, SixTONES)

Jesse (SixTONES) and Furuta Arata have been confirmed as new cast members for the new Monday 10pm drama “Monster” (Kantele/Fuji TV network/starting in October), starring Shuri.

This is Shuri’s first lead role in a primetime drama series, and it is a unique legal entertainment in which the mysterious monster lawyer, Ryoko Kannami, who is not bound by “common sense” and faces her opponents by “eliminating emotions”, faces various problems unique to the Reiwa era where the law sometimes does not keep up, and faces court battles as if it were a game. The original story is written by Atsuko Hashibe, a genius who has used her unique sensibility to portray “human beings” in works such as “My Way of Life”, “Mokomi: She’s a Little Weird”, and “We Are Made of Miracles”.

Shuri plays Ryoko Kanami, who has lived with her father since her mother died at a young age. With her outstanding talent and vast knowledge gained from attending court hearings, she passed the bar exam on the first try in her third year of high school. However, her father suddenly disappeared after that. For some reason, Ryoko never pursued the reason for this, did not enter the legal profession, and has lived alone ever since.

Through all of this, it is now 2024. By chance, she decides to work as a lawyer and joins the Okusa Keiko Law Office. As a game lover, she treats trials as a game as well, and winning is a given. To win, she will do anything to win, take seemingly inexplicable actions, and will not hesitate to confront the other party with truths that they would rather turn away from. She also fearlessly tackles various modern problems such as harassment, lookism, and reproductive medicine, and derives her own unique answers.

The law is merely a tool in the game, and it is only used to win from a bird’s-eye view. In this drama, the unconventional “monster” protagonist does not overlook the “dark” and “monster” parts of all human beings that even he cannot understand, and uncovers the truth of things.

■Jesse (SixTONES) and Furuta Arata play the two lawyers surrounding Ryoko!
Jesse plays Yoshihiro Sugiura, a third-year young lawyer at the Okusa Keiko Law Firm, where Ryoko works. He is honest, earnest, and hardworking, and graduated from the University of Tokyo’s Faculty of Law thanks to his diligence. He is good at studying, and on top of that, he is also good-looking, so he has a lot of pride. As a senior lawyer, he tries to teach Ryoko “common sense,” but Ryoko doesn’t listen, and instead is at the mercy of his overwhelming drive and ability to break through.

While active as a member of SixTONES, Jesse has been expanding his horizons as an actor in recent years, having starred in his first lead role in a terrestrial TV drama in 2022 in the drama “Hajime wa Par” (TV Asahi). In 2023, he will continue to appear in popular productions such as the movie “TOKYO MER ~Running Emergency Room~” and the musical “Beetlejuice”.

Her bright character on variety shows is impressive, but her acting skills are also highly praised, and in this film, she plays the charming Sugiura, who is at the mercy of the unconventional new lawyer Ryoko, despite being an “elite.” Keep an eye on this new mismatched lawyer duo, Shuri and Jesse.

Arata Furuta plays Haruaki Tsubuki, the father of Ryoko, played by Shuri. He is an undefeated lawyer who never says no to any request from any client and calmly leads them to victory. After losing his wife, he lived with Ryoko, but when Ryoko was in her third year of high school, he suddenly disappeared. After that, more than 10 years passed without any contact with Ryoko. At the same time that Ryoko became a lawyer, Haruaki was hiding in a dark world. Why did Haruaki disappear? This father and daughter had a mysterious relationship that is difficult for others to understand.

Furuta has been active as a leading actor of “Gekidan Shinkansen” for about 40 years, and always exudes a vivid personality and presence in any work or role. He is trusted by directors and scriptwriters who are representative of the theater world, and has played a wide variety of roles. In recent years, he has been appearing in a continuous stream of productions, including the stage plays “Parasite” and “Tengousei” (2023), the dramas “Inappropriate! 2024” and “Nurse Aide Next Door” (2024), the movies “Village” (2023) and “Silent Love” (2024), and is also busy with the 44th anniversary performance of “Gekidan Shinkansen” and the summer and autumn performances.

His role as an undefeated lawyer who goes missing as a father is sure to provide viewers with another fresh surprise.

■ Comment from Jesse (SixTONES)
When I first heard about the role, I was happy, but at the same time, I thought it might be a casting mistake. I thought that lawyers have an image of a serious job, so I thought it might be too far from me. The character I play, Sugiura, is an elite lawyer, a person with a strong sense of pride who doesn’t bend to himself. He teams up with Ryoko, played by Shuri, and is manipulated by her. A lawyer has a lot of lines in technical terms, and this is my first time playing a lawyer, so it’s a challenge, but I think it will be a good experience. Sugiura is sometimes confused and worried about where he stands, and I’m looking forward to seeing how he grows. It’s a one-episode drama, so I think it will be easy for viewers to get into. It deals with deep subjects that are relevant to the current era, but it’s also a pop drama with a lot of highlights. I will do my best to make sure you enjoy it.
■ Comment from Arata Furuta
When I received the offer, I thought, “Oh, it’s KTV! It’s been a while since I’ve been to KTV!” I guess I wasn’t disliked. Thank you! But when I heard that I was a lawyer…it’s really hard being a lawyer and a doctor. Ahh…I thought it was a lawyer, but the lead role is Shuri…I see, I thought, “I want to work with Shuri.” Shuri is very serious. I’m the type of person who can’t help but joke around, so I like serious people. I get bored if I’m always playing the same type of person. We worked together in a movie a while ago, and I have the image of her as an actress who acts honestly. She’s also charming, so it’s fun to work with her. In our previous co-starring roles, we’ve played many antagonistic roles, so this is the first time I’ve played the role of a father. I’m really looking forward to the complicated parent-child relationship of the “monster father and daughter.” And Jesse, who I’m co-starring with. How should I deal with such a beautiful boy? Oh, I see, I should take Shuri and Jesse to “Sancha”…a tempura restaurant, a motsuyaki restaurant… I’d love to have a drink with the three of us!