{"rewrite":{"id":"r_a8d9cd1d62cd4ea8b5df7b75","clusterId":"c_5f30c10f3f7a47a7a8e05f65","slug":"sho-sakurai-joins-sunday-theater-gift-as-wheelchair-rugby-chairman","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"Sho Sakurai Joins Sunday Theater GIFT as Wheelchair Rugby Chairman","summary":"Sho Sakurai (Arashi) will appear in the final chapter of TBS's Sunday Theater drama GIFT, playing Shunji Yanagihara, chairman of a wheelchair rugby association. It is his first co-starring role with lead actor Shinichi Tsutsumi. The drama follows a genius astrophysicist who guides a weak wheelchair rugby team. Sakurai has a background in parasports coverage and participation.","whyItMatters":"Sakurai's casting brings a performer with real-world parasports involvement into a drama that centers on wheelchair rugby, adding authenticity to the final chapter.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eSho Sakurai (Arashi) will appear in the final chapter of TBS's Sunday Theater drama \u003ci\u003eGIFT\u003c/i\u003e, playing Shunji Yanagihara, chairman of a wheelchair rugby association. It is his first co-starring role with lead actor Shinichi Tsutsumi. The story follows Gote Fumito, a genius astrophysicist who by chance encounters wheelchair rugby and guides a weak team called Blaze Bulls through difficult problems while seriously engaging with the players. The cast also includes Yuki Yamada, Kasumi Arimura, and Hibiki Honda.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSakurai has been deeply involved with parasports, serving as a special navigator for NHK during the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics and playing a player in the wheelchair basketball drama \u003ci\u003eEmblem for You\u003c/i\u003e. He said he was happy to participate in a sport he had covered for years and watched privately, and that working with Tsutsumi for the first time was fulfilling. \u003ci\u003eGIFT\u003c/i\u003e airs on TBS every Sunday at 21:00, with script by Tomoki Kanazawa and direction by Shunichi Hirano, Naoki Kato, and Hiroaki Ito.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Sho Sakurai joins the final chapter of TBS drama GIFT as wheelchair rugby association chairman, co-starring with Shinichi Tsutsumi for the first time.","twitterPost":"Sho Sakurai joins the final chapter of TBS drama GIFT as wheelchair rugby association chairman, co-starring with Shinichi Tsutsumi for the first time.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"Sho Sakurai (Arashi) will appear in the final chapter of TBS's Sunday Theater drama GIFT, playing Shunji Yanagihara, chairman of a wheelchair rugby association. It is his first co-starring role with lead actor Shinichi Tsutsumi. Sakurai has a background in parasports coverage and participation.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Eiga Natalie\",\"url\":\"https://natalie.mu/eiga/news/674117\",\"title\":\"Sho Sakurai to co-star with Shinichi Tsutsumi in Sunday Theater \\\"GIFT\\\", playing chairman of wheelchair rugby association\"}]","lintFlagsJson":"[]","lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":3715,"outputTokens":657,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1780139046,"createdAt":"2026-05-30T11:04:01.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-05-30T11:15:58.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-05-30T11:15:58.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_5f30c10f3f7a47a7a8e05f65","canonicalTitle":"櫻井翔が日曜劇場「GIFT」で堤真一と初共演、車いすラグビー協会の理事長演じる","representativeArticleId":"a_c0849ac0cb6be3326bb813dd","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"GIFT\"],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[\"櫻井翔\",\"堤真一\"],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"other\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-05-30T09:00:00.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-05-30T09:00:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-05-30T11:15:58.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Eiga Natalie","url":"https://natalie.mu/eiga/news/674117","title":"櫻井翔が日曜劇場「GIFT」で堤真一と初共演、車いすラグビー協会の理事長演じる"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["GIFT"],"studios":[],"people":["櫻井翔","堤真一"],"type":"news","domain":"other","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["Sho Sakurai (Arashi) will appear in the final chapter of TBS's Sunday Theater drama GIFT, playing Shunji Yanagihara, chairman of a wheelchair rugby association.","It is Sakurai's first co-starring role with lead actor Shinichi Tsutsumi.","The drama follows Gote Fumito, a genius astrophysicist who guides a weak wheelchair rugby team called Blaze Bulls.","Sakurai served as a special navigator for NHK during the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics and played a player in the wheelchair basketball drama Emblem for You.","GIFT airs on TBS every Sunday at 21:00, with script by Tomoki Kanazawa and direction by Shunichi Hirano, Naoki Kato, and Hiroaki Ito."]}