{"rewrite":{"id":"r_9fe55ccba80889a4e4ca40ea","clusterId":"c_8337fb56c0968b6a1c1723a2","slug":"tomoko-yamaguchi-on-why-she-joined-gift-despite-disliking-sports-dramas","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"Tomoko Yamaguchi On Why She Joined 'Gift' Despite Disliking Sports Dramas","summary":"Tomoko Yamaguchi, who plays art writer Hiroe Sakamoto in TBS Sunday Theater 'GIFT,' said in an interview that she dislikes sports dramas focused on winning at all costs. She joined the wheelchair rugby drama because producers and director Shunichi Hirano emphasized it is a story about life and the universe, not competition.","whyItMatters":"Yamaguchi's public stance against 'win at all costs' sports dramas and her decision to join 'GIFT' frames the series as a thematic outlier in Japanese television sports storytelling.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eTomoko Yamaguchi, who plays art writer Hiroe Sakamoto in the TBS Sunday Theater drama 'GIFT,' said in an interview released ahead of the 9th episode that she dislikes sports dramas that push winning above all else. Yamaguchi told Cinema Today she asked producers whether someone like her could participate in a wheelchair rugby drama. They responded that the show aims to depict a drama of life, not a passionate sports drama. Director Shunichi Hirano described seeing wheelchair rugby players as stars in the universe meeting and parting, which drew Yamaguchi to the project. She said she falls asleep watching videos about the universe and hopes her character's pursuit of beauty brings a different perspective to the story.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Tomoko Yamaguchi joined 'Gift' because producers framed it as a story about life and the universe, not competition. The show's appeal lies in rejecting the win-at-all-costs sports drama formula.","twitterPost":"Tomoko Yamaguchi joined 'Gift' because it's about life and the universe, not winning. A sports drama that rejects competition.","threadsPost":"Tomoko Yamaguchi joined 'Gift' because producers and director Shunichi Hirano emphasized it is a story about life and the universe, not competition. She dislikes sports dramas focused on winning at all costs. The show's angle is a sports drama that rejects the win-at-all-costs formula.","newsletterBlurb":"Tomoko Yamaguchi, who plays art writer Hiroe Sakamoto in TBS's 'GIFT,' said in an interview that she dislikes sports dramas focused on winning. She joined the wheelchair rugby series after producers and director Shunichi Hirano emphasized it is a story about life and the universe.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Cinema Today\",\"url\":\"https://www.cinematoday.jp/news/N0155180\",\"title\":\"Tomoko Yamaguchi, Not Interested in \\\"Winning or Losing\\\" - Why She Was Drawn to Sunday Theater \\\"GIFT\\\" Which Is Not Just a \\\"Sports Drama\\\"\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":4376,"outputTokens":558,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1780790695,"createdAt":"2026-06-06T23:47:58.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-06-06T23:52:26.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-06-06T23:52:26.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_8337fb56c0968b6a1c1723a2","canonicalTitle":"山口智子、“勝ち負け”に興味なし　ただの“スポ根”ではない　日曜劇場「GIFT」に惹かれた理由","representativeArticleId":"a_1552dbc43005cf40f268e208","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"GIFT\"],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[\"山口智子\",\"堤真一\"],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"other\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-06-06T23:00:00.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-06-06T23:00:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-06-06T23:52:26.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Cinema Today","url":"https://www.cinematoday.jp/news/N0155180","title":"山口智子、“勝ち負け”に興味なし　ただの“スポ根”ではない　日曜劇場「GIFT」に惹かれた理由"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["GIFT"],"studios":[],"people":["山口智子","堤真一"],"type":"news","domain":"other","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["Tomoko Yamaguchi plays art writer Hiroe Sakamoto in the TBS Sunday Theater drama 'GIFT.'","Yamaguchi said she dislikes sports dramas that push winning above all else.","She asked producers whether someone like her could participate in a wheelchair rugby drama.","Producers said the show aims to depict a drama of life, not a passionate sports drama.","Director Shunichi Hirano described seeing wheelchair rugby players as stars in the universe meeting and parting, which drew Yamaguchi to the project."]}