A Dramatic Reading Heats Up the Cold Weather in Roppongi!

Shoji Mori. Photo by Brett Homenick.

 

Earlier tonight (Wednesday, December 7), I attended a dramatic reading in Roppongi with veteran actor Shoji Mori, whom I hadn't seen since before the pandemic began. It was long overdue for me to pay him a visit, so this proved to be the perfect time.

As readers of this blog ought to know by now, Shoji Mori began his career primarily in television during the mid-1960s, but by the '70s he began appearing in some notable films. Among his credits are: Zatoichi and the One-Armed Swordsman (1971), Woman Gambler's Iron Rule (1971), Zatoichi in Desperation (1972), and Slaughter in the Snow (1973). On TV, Mori-san appears in episode 3 of Kamen Rider Super-1 (1980-81), and episode 3 of the third season of the Shin Zatoichi TV series (1979).

After thanking the audience for attending the show, Mori-san passed by my chair and recognized me (even with my face mask on). He gave me a pat on the shoulder as he walked by. Afterward, I approached Mori-san and properly greeted him -- my first chance in to do so in a long time! I'm very glad to see he's still doing very well.

Ai Kiyohara. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Also on hand was the lovely and talented Ai Kiyohara. I've been acquainted with Kiyohara-san for several years, but, because she doesn't have any acting credits that readers of this blog would know, I never posted about her. However, she appears in the brand-new kaiju romp Yuzo the Biggest Battle in Tokyo (2022), which makes her a genuine genre actress.

We had a nice chat following her performance. She's always a lot of fun to talk to! 

And that's all for now!