It's impossible to have seen the Imperial Match production of Tenimyu without noticing the lanky lad in glasses heading up the Seigaku cast. At 6'2", Shirota Yu tends to stand out amongst his peers in more than one way. I'm not sure if I'm more impressed by his acting or his multilingual ability: he can speak Japanese, Spanish and English quite well, and switch almost seamlessly between them.
He gained celebrity status as a member of the acting group D-BOYS, but it's the numerous shows he's performed in since then that have actually made him famous. Aside from portraying the stoic, determined tennis player Tezuka in the Prince of Tennis movie and several musicals, he's had the opportunity to act in several dramas in varying capacities. I haven't been able to locate them all online, but I can give a quick rundown of the shows I've seen. But first, an example of his vocal ability from the Prince of Tennis musical soundtrack (did I mention the boy can sing?):
Onto the shows:
Team Batista no Eiko
http://www.veoh.com/videos/v16249437SKJmasQw
This is a new series that's just started airing in Japan, with a few non-subbed episodes available online. A crack surgical team at Tojo University Hospital specializes in a heart procedure that normally has a 60% survival rate. They revel in the attention after 27 successful consecutive procedures, but when three patients die on the table one right after another, an investigation is launched that could reveal a sinister plot. We haven't seen much of Shirota yet, but he's one of the medical team directly involved with the surgeries so it's a guarantee he'll be around.
Koshonin
http://www.mysoju.com/koshonin/
Hooray for psychopathic inmates! This is another recent series, focusing on the only female in a special investigation/negotiation team as she struggles to overcome a horrific event five years ago that ties her to a merciless serial killer. The opening scene of Koshonin features a rather scary, insane Shirota as he speaks to the main chracter through six-inch prison glass. Considering the first role I ever saw him in was the serious and very down-to-earth Tezuka, this role was a delight from an actor's standpoint as I was able to see a much wider range of his acting ability.
Heat Island
I've only seen a little of this and it wasn't subbed, so there's not much I can say about it. It seemed rather violent, but given the subject matter I guess that's to be expected. Shirota plays a street thug whose gang stumbles across money belonging to the yakuza--a group not known for their forgiving ways. I'm not a big fan of yakuza plots, so the point may have been lost on me. It didn't seem like a bad film, per se, it just wasn't aimed at my demographic.
There's one other show I've seen him featured in, but I'll reserve that for my next post since that particular drama stars another actor I'm going to highlight. And before I get hit with questions regarding this, I might as well say it up front: yes, Shirota also apparently played Tuxedo Mask in a stage musical version of Sailor Moon. This would be the part where I tell my audience that there are some shows that, no matter who may be in them, I simply can't watch. (Especially Sailor Moon. A live action version of Sailor Moon is bad enough; a musical is just...wrong.)
