{"rewrite":{"id":"r_b87bfcb0a7eb02b825451174","clusterId":"c_d6322294d6c9ff3e5474de1e","slug":"producer-kensuke-zushi-explains-why-be-first-s-junon-was-cast-in-ryuji","model":"deepseek-v4-1-flash","headline":"Producer Kensuke Zushi Explains Why BE:FIRST's JUNON Was Cast in RYUJI","summary":"Producer Kensuke Zushi gave his reason for casting JUNON of BE:FIRST in RYUJI, the new adaptation of the 1983 film, now in theaters. Zushi said he wanted a musical element in the work and saw JUNON as right for Hiroshi, a yakuza who hides strong feelings behind stillness. JUNON plays a younger brother figure to Yuya Yagira's Ryuji and handles the theme song and a solo insert song.","whyItMatters":"Zushi's comments put the casting down to a deliberate mix of music and character fit, which is the kind of reasoning that decides how a 1980s-set yakuza remake is sold to an audience that knows the original's history.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eJUNON\u0026#39;s role is Hiroshi, one of the younger brother figures in Ryuji\u0026#39;s \u0026#34;other family,\u0026#34; a yakuza who chases after his big brother and rises through the ranks. Zushi said he wanted to bring a musical element into the film through the casting, and that Hiroshi\u0026#39;s outward stillness, with strong feelings underneath, made JUNON the right choice.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eZushi also said JUNON\u0026#39;s responsiveness on set did not read like a second film, and that his willingness to work made him well liked by the cast and crew. Costume designer Isao Tsuge kept Hiroshi\u0026#39;s clothing restrained in color and shape, which Tsuge said is where the character\u0026#39;s scariness sits.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Producer Kensuke Zushi explains the RYUJI casting of BE:FIRST's JUNON: he wanted a musical element in the film, and saw JUNON as right for Hiroshi, a yakuza whose stillness hides strong feelings. JUNON also handles the theme song and a solo insert song.","twitterPost":"Producer Kensuke Zushi explains why BE:FIRST's JUNON was cast in RYUJI: he wanted a musical element in the film, and saw JUNON as right for Hiroshi, a yakuza whose stillness hides strong feelings. JUNON also sings the theme and a solo insert song.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"Producer Kensuke Zushi has explained the casting of BE:FIRST's JUNON in RYUJI, the new adaptation of the 1983 film now in theaters. Zushi said he wanted to bring a musical element into the work and saw JUNON as right for Hiroshi, a yakuza who hides strong feelings behind a still exterior. JUNON plays a younger brother figure to Yuya Yagira's Ryuji and sings the theme song with BE:FIRST plus a solo insert song.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Cinema Today\",\"url\":\"https://www.cinematoday.jp/news/N0157705\",\"title\":\"Why BE:FIRST's JUNON Was Cast in \\\"RYUJI\\\": Producer Reveals\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":5387,"outputTokens":813,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1793490418,"createdAt":"2026-10-31T23:41:21.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-10-31T23:45:56.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-31T23:45:56.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_d6322294d6c9ff3e5474de1e","canonicalTitle":"『RYUJI 竜二』BE:FIRST・JUNON起用の理由　プロデューサーが明かす","representativeArticleId":"a_286031981ee238bac211d690","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"RYUJI 竜二\"],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[\"JUNON\",\"Yuya Yagira\",\"Masatsugu Kaneko\"],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"other\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-10-31T23:02:00.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-10-31T23:02:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-31T23:45:57.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Cinema Today","url":"https://www.cinematoday.jp/news/N0157705","title":"『RYUJI 竜二』BE:FIRST・JUNON起用の理由　プロデューサーが明かす"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["RYUJI 竜二"],"studios":[],"people":["JUNON","Yuya Yagira","Masatsugu Kaneko"],"type":"news","domain":"other","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["Producer Kensuke Zushi explained why JUNON of BE:FIRST was cast in RYUJI.","JUNON plays Hiroshi, a younger brother figure to Yuya Yagira's Ryuji.","Zushi said he wanted to bring a musical element into the film through the casting.","JUNON handles the theme song \"It's not a bad life\" with BE:FIRST and the insert song \"Melody\" as a solo artist.","Costume designer Isao Tsuge kept Hiroshi's clothing restrained in color and shape."],"pageLinks":{"healthSlugs":["ryuji","junon","yuya-yagira","masatsugu-kaneko"],"storySlugs":[],"entities":[{"slug":"ryuji","supported":0,"disputed":0,"contradicted":0,"unverified":19,"overall":"unverified","story_count":13,"has_dossier":true},{"slug":"junon","supported":1,"disputed":0,"contradicted":0,"unverified":7,"overall":"green","story_count":10,"has_dossier":true},{"slug":"yuya-yagira","supported":0,"disputed":0,"contradicted":0,"unverified":3,"overall":"unverified","story_count":7,"has_dossier":true},{"slug":"masatsugu-kaneko","supported":0,"disputed":0,"contradicted":0,"unverified":0,"overall":"unverified","story_count":1,"has_dossier":false}],"stories":[],"entitiesOk":true,"storiesOk":true}}