From left: Arisa Mizuki, Mariya Yamada, Sachiko Kokubu, Misato Tanaka (seated) and Rieko Miura.

Arisa Mizuki to play hooker in postwar drama

Thursday 11th December, 05:06 AM JST

TOKYO —

Arisa Mizuki and four other actresses will star in the upcoming drama special “Nikutai no mon” (Gate of Flesh), to be shown on TV Asahi at 9 p.m. on Dec 27. Mizuki, 32, who stars as a “lady of the night” in the aftermath of World War II, said: “I gave it my all to play this strong woman. It was challenging.”

Shido Nakamura, 36, plays a kamikaze pilot returning from battle, but was absent from the press event and became the topic of conversation. All of the girls, including Mariya Yamada, Misato Tanaka, Sachiko Kokubu and Rieko Miura, said that Nakamura was nicer than they thought, but Mizuki later said: “Actually he told us to say that.”

Tanaka added: “I watched with interest the scenes of Nakamura wearing just a loincloth.”

Wire reports

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Latest 15 of 23 Total Comments Show All

Scrote at 09:12 AM JST - 11th December

"Shido Nakamura, 36, plays a kamikaze pilot returning from battle" : I thought the kamikaze pilots were on a one-way trip to doom.
BlackFlag at 10:00 AM JST - 11th December

a failed kamikaze pilot then. dramas about brazen hussies making the best of it against the odds...no ta very much
Samuraiiki at 10:24 AM JST - 11th December

All these dramas have only one purpose in mind: stir anti US and anti foreigner sentiment. I guess they really want to become a shell.
timorborder at 10:36 AM JST - 11th December

A failed kamikaze pilot.

What a rare species. I know one old chap who was trained as a kamikaze pilot but never got a chance to fly (due to a lack of aircraft), however, I wasn't aware of any surviving failures. According to the old guy I know, at the end of the war the young guys would fly with an experienced pilot (who was in a seperate plane and could actually read a compass). The actual kamikaze would be let go to do their stuff when in close proximity to the target (while the smarter experienced guy would scoot home and live for another day). As such, I don't think there were many folks who survived as "failed pilots" per se. Moreover, given the pap that is Japanese drama, with all these women in the program there has to a love angle involving the "failed" kamikaze pilot. Let's hope that for the sake of artistic license, the character of the "failed" pilot will not fail between the sheets.
soldave at 11:16 AM JST - 11th December

Would be a more interesting role to see her play a Korean or Chinese "comfort woman"
techall at 12:01 PM JST - 11th December

There's nothing quite like veteran kamikaze pilots. What do you say when you land back at the airfield, "I think I left the water running"? Anyway, any one of them can come play hooker at my house.
fatloser at 01:42 PM JST - 11th December

I don't get it!! Is it a ghost story or something?? How can a kamikaze pilot who didn't kamikaze be a kamikaze????????????????????????????????
SumoBob at 01:44 PM JST - 11th December

“She describes the hooker as a strong woman, which hardly fits the reality of press-ganged slaves from China, North Korea and rural Japan. Perhaps this shouldn't be described as a postwar drama but as a postwar fantasy.”

It falls in line with the post-war thinking of sacrifice for the good of the country. John Dower in his book, “Embracing Defeat” mentions this in regards to “comfort stations” being set up by Japanese officials and US command filled with Japanese women (read: poor and from the provinces needing work to survive) who were willing to “take one (many) for the team” as it were, by providing US servicemen an outlet to satisfy their urges, thus “saving” the average Japanese women at large from being raped or molested. One could imagine the Japanese thinking of these women, willing to sacrifice themselves by laying down with large, hulking, hairy foreign men as being “strong” of will.
Sarge at 05:33 PM JST - 11th December

"Shido Nakamura, 36, plays a kamikaze pilot returning from battle"

Nessie: "How embarassing."

The only thing embarrassing is your spelling nyuk nyuk nyuk! How about, "How lucky!"?

"Nikutai no mon ( Gate of Flesh )"

Gosh, couldn't they have come up with a better title than that?
sageb1 at 05:56 PM JST - 11th December

so, aren't a few of these actresses making money with gravure books of themselves?
magpie at 08:10 PM JST - 11th December

There's several reasons for a failed kamikaze pilot. My old man ws one. He was stationed in Kyushu at the end of the war. He was 22 at the end of the war and had finished school. He was trained for three months and during that time accepted his fate. His squadron didn't fly out due to a mechanical failure with the engine. In total 4 of them survived as his plane didn't work the other three planes were also grounded on the basis that they would fly out on the next one, which never happened. he never forgave the mechanic that serviced his plane, although that saved his life.
JoiceRojo at 08:31 PM JST - 11th December

Arisa-san... she's kinda "my rival" (sorry, internal joke)... but that dress is awful
samsarks at 12:12 AM JST - 12th December

''samuiraiki'-nowhere has it been said that is the purpose.and even if it is,so be it .i am willing to see the drama
OssanAmerica at 02:50 AM JST - 12th December

All these dramas have only one purpose in mind: stir anti US and anti >foreigner sentiment. I guess they really want to become a shell.

Could you substantiate that comment please?
MottoMatto at 02:15 AM JST - 17th December

well, i'm interested to know how this drama turns out since i got to play an extra during filming. the whole thing seemed quite absurd. i play an american MP who is searching for the kamikaze (who runs away). which was quite strange since as far as i know kamikaze commit suicide. also, they had us salute the officer after every order because as everyone knows you should be saluting officers constantly instead of actually chasing criminals. it looks more "authentic" that way. yeah, i'm not holding my breath for the quality of this drama but it was quite fun being involved as a foreign 'talent' even at a basic level.