{"rewrite":{"id":"r_ccd36294a8d88b1e7c52ffb7","clusterId":"c_84c5c5dc9736e82874c4405e","slug":"kenji-sakaguchi-says-ikebukuro-west-gate-park-was-his-turning-point-as-an-actor","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"Kenji Sakaguchi Says 'Ikebukuro West Gate Park' Was His Turning Point as an Actor","summary":"Kenji Sakaguchi, playing Kanki in the upcoming 'Kingdom: Soul's Decisive Battle' film, reflects on his year-long preparation for the role and identifies his 2000 drama 'Ikebukuro West Gate Park' as the first turning point in his acting career, a role he says connects to his current work.","whyItMatters":"Sakaguchi's return to acting after illness and his deep immersion into the complex Kanki role highlight a personal and professional milestone for the actor, linking his early breakthrough to a major franchise installment.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eKenji Sakaguchi, who plays the Qin general Kanki in the fifth \u0026#39;Kingdom\u0026#39; live-action film \u0026#39;Kingdom: Soul\u0026#39;s Decisive Battle\u0026#39; (releasing July 17), spent a year preparing for the role. After suspending entertainment activities due to illness and working in coffee businesses, he received the offer around summer 2023 and decided to take it, thinking it might be his last chance at a major role. He practiced horseback riding, sword fighting, and strength training, and kept a Kanki figure on his desk and the character\u0026#39;s face as his phone wallpaper to immerse himself. Sakaguchi calls Kanki a \u0026#39;dark hero\u0026#39; like Darth Vader or the Joker, full of contradictions, and says his 2000 drama \u0026#39;Ikebukuro West Gate Park\u0026#39; was his first turning point as an actor, a role that still connects to his work today.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Sakaguchi traces his acting method back to 'Ikebukuro West Gate Park,' a role that let him find common ground with his father. The same instinct drives his Kanki performance in 'Kingdom: Soul's Decisive Battle.'","twitterPost":"Sakaguchi's Kanki in 'Kingdom: Soul's Decisive Battle' is built on a lesson from 'Ikebukuro West Gate Park' 24 years ago.","threadsPost":"Sakaguchi says 'Ikebukuro West Gate Park' was his first turning point as an actor because it let him find common ground with his father. Two decades later, that same approach shapes his Kanki for the new 'Kingdom' film.","newsletterBlurb":"Kenji Sakaguchi reflects on a year of preparation for the role of Kanki in 'Kingdom: Soul's Decisive Battle,' and identifies his 2000 drama 'Ikebukuro West Gate Park' as the first turning point in his acting career.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Cinema Today\",\"url\":\"https://www.cinematoday.jp/news/N0155781\",\"title\":\"Kenji Sakaguchi says turning point as actor was 'IWGP': 'I felt I found common ground with my father'\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":4285,"outputTokens":568,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1783841023,"createdAt":"2026-07-12T07:21:59.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-07-12T07:22:28.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-12T07:21:59.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_84c5c5dc9736e82874c4405e","canonicalTitle":"坂口憲二、俳優としての転機は「IWGP」　「父と共通項を見つけられた気がした」","representativeArticleId":"a_f845080380d3ce9fc173f782","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[\"キングダム\"],\"work_titles\":[\"キングダム 魂の決戦\"],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[\"坂口憲二\",\"原泰久\",\"山崎賢人\"],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"manga\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-07-09T21:15:00.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-07-09T21:15:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-12T07:22:29.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Cinema Today","url":"https://www.cinematoday.jp/news/N0155781","title":"坂口憲二、俳優としての転機は「IWGP」　「父と共通項を見つけられた気がした」"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":["キングダム"],"work_titles":["キングダム 魂の決戦"],"studios":[],"people":["坂口憲二","原泰久","山崎賢人"],"type":"news","domain":"manga","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":null}