Satoshi Tokushige gets starring role in “Dr. Irabu Ichiro”

Actor Satoshi Tokushige (32) has been given his first starring role in a drama series. The show is titled “Dr. Irabu Ichiro” and will be aired on TV Asahi starting next month.

The series will focus on Ichiro Irabu, a character who appears in Hideo Okuda’s Naoki Prize-winning novel “Kuchu Buranko.” Irabu is an eccentric psychiatrist with a penchant for giving injections and unusual treatments for his patients’ problems. In a 2005 drama special based on “Kuchu Buranko,” the character was played by Hiroshi Abe.

Tokushige’s supporting cast will feature Kimiko Yo (54) as a nurse, and gravure idol Mikie Hara (23) as Irabu’s ex-wife who married him for money.

Although he is relatively unknown, Tokushige has been in show business for ten years. In 2000, he won an audition that was searching for the “21st century’s Yujiro Ishihara,” topping a field of 52,000 applicants.

“Dr. Irabu Ichiro” will air on Sundays at 11:00pm, starting on January 30.

Source:
Sankei Sports