With the global recognition of the Netflix Original series, Alice in Borderland, the attention towards Japanese films and its rich roster of actors grew tenfold.While this isn’t the first time that Japan has been recognized with its unique storyline and its cinematic prowess, the show, without doubt, gave fans around the globe another masterpiece. Kento Yamazaki as Arisu has immensely brought the series’ protagonist alive and well loved. But it is known that aside from Alice in Borderland, Yamazaki has delivered hits in his filmography that fans, old and new, can and should enjoy.
With his portrayal in numerous anime live-adaptations in Japan, Yamazaki has since been dubbed as the “Prince of Live-Action”. With months before the release of the Alice in Borderland Season 2, here are some of Yamazaki’s impressive filmography that best showcases his versatility in acting.
Mare (2015)
![Pureness of the Symphony: [Asadora] Mare (2015) 720p x265 HEVC Eng Sub](http://i.imgur.com/m0if8qd.jpg)
Official poster courtesy of NHK
In case you didn’t know, Kento Yamazaki and Tao Tsuchiya starred first in a 2015 Asadora (morning drama series) named Mare portraying a married couple.
Fleeing from Tokyo due to their family debts, Mare Tsumura (Tao Tsuchiya) along with her family, settled in a small coastal town in Noto Peninsula, and from there, the story showed her life as she makes her dream to be a patissier come true. In the same town, she met Keita (Yamazaki), a boy whom she first helped during their first encounter upon arriving in Noto.
Aired in NHK network, the series had 156 episodes with 15 minutes running time each.
One Week Friends (2017)
If one follows Yamazaki’s filmography, his effortless charisma playing a high school student in countless films made him a favorite among viewers. One of the films that showed the giddy side and playful acting of Yamazaki is Yūki Hase in One Week Friends.
Being struck with love at first sight, Yuki Hase, an aspiring comic artist, falls for Kaori Fujimiya (Haruna Kawaguchi) after their chance encounter in a train where he left a book, which Kaori, in turn, brought to him. After finding out they will both be in the same class next school year, Yuki asked Kaori to be his friend but along with his offer comes another rejection.
Later on, he found out that Kaori is suffering both retrograde and anterograde amnesia that makes her forget memories made just after a week.
Hyouka: Forbidden Secrets (2017)
Official poster courtesy of Kadokawa Pictures
Forced to join by his sister in the Classic Literature Club in Kamiyama High School, Hotaro Oreki (Kento Yamazaki), who is exceptionally gifted with his logical deductions, joined the club to prevent it from dissolving. Despite disliking joining events, wasting time, and living with “If I don’t have to do something, I won’t, but if I have to, I’ll do it quickly,” he found himself changing when he, along with his club members, discovered an interesting mystery behind the classic literature club.
Hyouka: Forbidden Secrets is a live adaptation from a mystery novel by Honobu Yonezawa in 2001.
Good Doctor (2018)
Swerving from his usual line of characters, Yamazaki played Minato Shindo, a person with autism with savant syndrome and a pediatric surgeon. With his exceptional ability to distinguish human organs at a young age, he became a resident pediatric surgeon with the help of Akira Shiga, a doctor whom he met and supported him.
The drama is based on the 2013 South Korean series with the same name by Park Jae-bum.
A Forest of a Wool and Steel (2018)
In unusual circumstances, high school student Naoki Tomura (Kento Yamazaki) can smell the forest on a piano tuned by Itadori Soichiro (Miura Tomokazu). When he graduated, Tomura worked at Soichiro’s music store. From there, the story unfolds on Naoki’s relationships, deeply related to the piano.
The film is adapted from the 2016 bestselling novel Hitsuji to Hagane no Mori by Natsu Miyashita.
Kingdom (2019)
Official poster courtesy of Sony Pictures Japan
Taking the role of Xin, a war orphan, in a historical drama set in Qin Dynasty, Yamazaki leads Kingdom, a film based from manga series with the same name by Yasuhisa Hara. The story is about a boy who aims to be a great general as he reunites with a King, and together, they face battles as they aim to unify China.
Kingdom showed Yamazaki’s martial arts rarely seen in his films. The sequel to Kingdom is set to premiere this 2022.
Theatre: A Love Story (2020)
In this Yamazaki takes on a realistic character that is torn with love and passion as an unsuccessful theater director. With all the struggles in his finances, put side by side his devotion towards theater, he leans on to his lover Saki (Matsuoka Mayu).
Based on the novel “Gekijou” by Matayoshi Naoki. Theatre: Love Story leaves Yamazaki’s innocent and bright image as his eyes speak how he dreads life trying to pursue his dreams.
Door Into Summer (2021)
Official poster courtesy of Aniplex
Among his recent projects, Door Into Summer is a sci-fi drama that travels both past and future to reconnect with his adopted sister. In it, Soichiro Takakura, who works as a scientist whose goal is to maneuver plasma energy into robots in succeeding the invention of Koichi Matsushita, his deceased adoptive father. However, before succeeding, he faces the betrayal of his company which led him to sign up in a ‘cold sleep’ , a freezing machine from 1995 to year 2025.