Japanese superstar Ryohei Suzuki trained in Phl for ‘City Hunter’
Remember in February 2023 when we shared in this column that we flew to Tokyo for a yet to be revealed title of one of the biggest budgeted films in recent years?
Well, surprise! It’s the much-anticipated live-action adaptation of the legendary manga City Hunter, which sold over 50 million copies to date and is much loved globally. Finally, after more than a year, we can now share what went down during the trip.
I remember that it was our first time post-lockdown to fly back to Japan since 2020 and it was so emotional given that it was one of the most common playgrounds for international junkets that we attended.
Looking back on that event last year, it was like a different world with different customs as we masked up all the way with all the COVID set protocols in tow.
We first met Japanese star Ryohei Suzuki at this massive set with hundreds of cosplayers and we were just blown away by how punctual the Japanese people were even when they navigated a whole film production.
The shots were calculated, and because at the time we visited, Ryohei, who plays the lead Ryo Saeba, a premier “sweeper,” had demanding action scenes.
We noticed that after numerous takes, the production would take a break to massage Ryohei. At first I thought of it as ostentatious, but thinking about it now and reflecting further, it made sense. The action scene was demanding and in order to be efficient they had to make sure the lead star would not have tight muscles while the camera was rolling. Japan is just next level and top-notch.
Anyway, besides this, we also chanced upon Ryohei in Hong Kong last March for the Asian Film Awards. Being the cool guy that he is, he was game enough to chat and pose on the red carpet.
His role as Ryo has a cool demeanor with a fun and flirty personality. He is tough and has extremely quick reflexes in hand-to-hand combat, but on top of that, he is also a sharp shooter.
He opened up that because firearms are illegal in Japan, he actually trained in the Philippines. So cool!
Ryohei shared that he gave his A-game while training in our shores because the global audience had to see the best of the Japanese talent.
“I had four days in the Philippines, and I learned so many things about firearms because (as) you know this is a Netflix movie that goes out globally and (has) many audiences! I must be used to handling guns,” he said.
It’s also fun to note that the iconic setting of “City Hunter” is the Filipino’s favorite touristy area in Tokyo and that is the Shinjuku, Kabukicho area.
Fun fact: It is extremely difficult to shoot scenes in Shinjuku because the Government of Japan needs to grant permits. But since “City Hunter” is a national treasure of Japan, they were allowed.
Ryohei explained, “First of all, it is really difficult to get a permit to shoot in Shinjuku in Japan. It is tough to get a permit anywhere, especially in Shinjuku but this time it was so different because people were so cooperative. They were like oh you’re doing ‘City Hunter,’ so you definitely need to shoot in Shinjuku. So, they understand how important is it to shoot in Shinjuku.”
The times have changed and since “City Hunter” is an ‘80s original piece, Ryohei said that they retained the essentials but had to update certain aspects of how his character conducts himself to adjust to today’s world.
“This time, you try to make it more contemporary, so we made changes on the story, but we try to not change what is very important about the story, the basic philosophy of the ‘City Hunter’ and the universal appeal of the story,” he concluded.
“City Hunter” is now streaming on Netflix.
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