Riding Uphill (Japanese title Gachi Boshi ガチ★星) is a 2018 "local drama" Japanese film created by Nishi-Nihon Television. Directed by Kan Eguchi and starring Kenichi Abe, it shows the life of a downtrodden man who turns to competitive cycling to succeed.
Overview
This is the second film in Nishi Nihon Television's "local drama" genre (which is designed to bring a spotlight to more local areas of the country and different walks of life in each said area). The first was the 2013 television drama Mentai Piriri (めんたいぴりり), also directed by Kan Eguchi. Mentai Pririri showed the life of a struggling actor living in the Fukuoka Prefecture area. Riding Uphill, too, focuses on the Fukuoka Prefecture lifestyle, and much of the promotional materials and events take place there.
After the success of the 2016 television drama, the footage was re-edited into a 90-minute feature film, which is set to be released in May 2018 by the distribution company Magnetize.
Cast
Koji Hamashima - Kenichi Abe
Hisamatsu Takaaki - Fukuyama Shota
Hamashima Yao - Hayashi Mari
Uesugi Akira - Funasaki Ryo
Iwashita Yoichiro - Morisaki Kengo
Irie Kensuke - Ito Koichi
Fukuda Kenji - Yoshizawa Shogo
Yayama Shusaku - Nishihara Seigo
Ramen patron - Hakata Hanamaru
Konoshita Kazuhide - Moro Morooka
Matsunaga Mami - Furusaki Hitomi
Hamashima Kenta - Kimura Sei
Summary
The story takes place a Kokura Cycling Stadium in Kita-Kyushu.
References
External links
Official Website (Japanese) Magnetize distribution website
''Content in this edit is translated from the existing Japanese Wikipedia article at jp:ガチ★星; see its history for attribution.