TV Asahi has finally announced its selection of the actor to play Yusaku Godai in the upcoming "Maison Ikkoku" drama. 21-year-old Taiki Nakabayashi was chosen to co-star with Misaki Ito from a pool of approximately 3,200 people in an audition that was limited only to amateur actors.

Nakabayashi is a 4th-year graduate student at Osaka Gakuin University, and he currently lives in the Nara prefecture. So far, his only acting experience is in student-produced films.