Shunji Igarashi
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese actor, most notably known for the lead role of Mirai Hibino/Ultraman Mebius in the 2006-2007 tokusatsu
series Ultraman Mebius
. Igarashi is affiliated with the acting unit D-BOYS
, produced by Watanabe Entertainment.
in the group's first open audition, held on July 27, 2004. Winner of the Grand Prix second place, Igarashi joined the group shortly after, along with first placer Yuichi Nakamura
and third placer Katsuki Nakamura.
In early 2006, Igarashi conquered his first lead role as Mirai Hibino/Ultraman Mebius in the tokusatsu
series Ultraman Mebius
, the 40th anniversary production in the Ultraman series
. He was chosen for the role for being able to convey the part of a "rookie" hero well, being at the time a new actor with little experience in demanding lead roles himself. A fan of the Ultraman series, Igarashi has declared that the desire to play the role of Ultraman was one of the reasons he entered the entertainment world, and that being able to work with the same actors who had played his childhood heroes was one of his highest personal accomplishments. Igarashi was so fond of his work in the series that he eventually incorporated the Möbius strip
sign "∞
" to his autograph.
With the end of Mebius in March 2007, Igarashi turned his focus to television series and invested on broadening his work. The heroic Mirai of Mebius was followed by diverse characters such as the young psychopath Otoya in the adult drama Watashitachi no Kyokasho, the naive otaku
Shinji in the teenage comedy Hana-Kimi and the lively street musician Mitsuru in the late night suspense Shigeshoshi, allowing Igarashi to develop his acting through various genres and different character types.
June 2007 marked Igarashi's theatre debut, guest-starring in the musical D-BOYS STAGE Volume 1: Kanbai Onrei, a D-BOYS
project featuring all group members, in the same manner of the 2006 drama/documentary series DD-BOYS. In 2008 he will again guest star in D-BOYS STAGE Volume 2: Last Game. In October 2007 came Igarashi's radio debut with D-RADIO BOYS, another D-BOYS project. Igarashi hosts the weekly show with Shigeshoshi co-star Masato Wada
, featuring guest D-BOYS members in each show.
CDs
Photobooks
Tokusatsu
is a Japanese term that applies to any live-action film or television drama that usually features superheroes and makes considerable use of special effects ....
series Ultraman Mebius
Ultraman Mebius
is a Japanese television series produced by Tsuburaya Productions and Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting. It is the 17th TV series and 40th anniversary production in the Ultra Series, which first began in 1966. It premiered on the Tokyo Broadcasting System on April 8, 2006...
. Igarashi is affiliated with the acting unit D-BOYS
D-Boys
D-BOYS is a young male actors group under the management of Watanabe Entertainment. The D in the group's name stands for "Drama" , "Dream", "Debut", "Discovery" and "Development" ....
, produced by Watanabe Entertainment.
Career
Igarashi started his entertainment career auditioning for D-BOYSD-Boys
D-BOYS is a young male actors group under the management of Watanabe Entertainment. The D in the group's name stands for "Drama" , "Dream", "Debut", "Discovery" and "Development" ....
in the group's first open audition, held on July 27, 2004. Winner of the Grand Prix second place, Igarashi joined the group shortly after, along with first placer Yuichi Nakamura
Yuichi Nakamura
is a Japanese voice actor who is affiliated with Sigma Seven.-2001:* Dennou Boukenki Webdiver , Griffion, Ligaon, Raada* The Prince of Tennis , Ginka Center member 1-2003:* Crush Gear Nitro , Hugo...
and third placer Katsuki Nakamura.
In early 2006, Igarashi conquered his first lead role as Mirai Hibino/Ultraman Mebius in the tokusatsu
Tokusatsu
is a Japanese term that applies to any live-action film or television drama that usually features superheroes and makes considerable use of special effects ....
series Ultraman Mebius
Ultraman Mebius
is a Japanese television series produced by Tsuburaya Productions and Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting. It is the 17th TV series and 40th anniversary production in the Ultra Series, which first began in 1966. It premiered on the Tokyo Broadcasting System on April 8, 2006...
, the 40th anniversary production in the Ultraman series
Ultra Series
The is the collective name for all the shows produced by Tsuburaya Productions featuring Ultraman, his many brethren, and the myriad Ultra Monsters. The Ultra Series is one of the prominent tokusatsu superhero genre productions from Japan, along with Toei produced series Kamen Rider, Super...
. He was chosen for the role for being able to convey the part of a "rookie" hero well, being at the time a new actor with little experience in demanding lead roles himself. A fan of the Ultraman series, Igarashi has declared that the desire to play the role of Ultraman was one of the reasons he entered the entertainment world, and that being able to work with the same actors who had played his childhood heroes was one of his highest personal accomplishments. Igarashi was so fond of his work in the series that he eventually incorporated the Möbius strip
Möbius strip
The Möbius strip or Möbius band is a surface with only one side and only one boundary component. The Möbius strip has the mathematical property of being non-orientable. It can be realized as a ruled surface...
sign "∞
Infinity
Infinity is a concept in many fields, most predominantly mathematics and physics, that refers to a quantity without bound or end. People have developed various ideas throughout history about the nature of infinity...
" to his autograph.
With the end of Mebius in March 2007, Igarashi turned his focus to television series and invested on broadening his work. The heroic Mirai of Mebius was followed by diverse characters such as the young psychopath Otoya in the adult drama Watashitachi no Kyokasho, the naive otaku
Otaku
is a Japanese term used to refer to people with obsessive interests, particularly anime, manga or video games.- Etymology :Otaku is derived from a Japanese term for another's house or family , which is also used as an honorific second-person pronoun...
Shinji in the teenage comedy Hana-Kimi and the lively street musician Mitsuru in the late night suspense Shigeshoshi, allowing Igarashi to develop his acting through various genres and different character types.
June 2007 marked Igarashi's theatre debut, guest-starring in the musical D-BOYS STAGE Volume 1: Kanbai Onrei, a D-BOYS
D-Boys
D-BOYS is a young male actors group under the management of Watanabe Entertainment. The D in the group's name stands for "Drama" , "Dream", "Debut", "Discovery" and "Development" ....
project featuring all group members, in the same manner of the 2006 drama/documentary series DD-BOYS. In 2008 he will again guest star in D-BOYS STAGE Volume 2: Last Game. In October 2007 came Igarashi's radio debut with D-RADIO BOYS, another D-BOYS project. Igarashi hosts the weekly show with Shigeshoshi co-star Masato Wada
Masato Wada
is a Japanese actor and singer. He is known most notably for his role as Sengoku Kiyosumi in The Prince of Tennis musical series, Tenimyu...
, featuring guest D-BOYS members in each show.
Television
| Title | Character | Year | Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ruri no Shima Ruri no shima -Synopsis:On Hatomi , a small island in Okinawa state part of Japan's southern sea frontier, the social environment is suffering. With the last student of the elementary school leaving the place, the closing of the school is a virtual given. Mr... |
n/a | 2005 | NTV |
| Hana Yori Dango | n/a | 2005 | TBS |
| Hatsukare | Tabane | 2006 | GyaoNet Cinema |
| DD-BOYS | Himself | 2006 | TV Asahi |
| Ultraman Mebius Ultraman Mebius is a Japanese television series produced by Tsuburaya Productions and Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting. It is the 17th TV series and 40th anniversary production in the Ultra Series, which first began in 1966. It premiered on the Tokyo Broadcasting System on April 8, 2006... |
Mirai Hibino/Ultraman Mebius | 2006/2007 | TBS |
| Kuuneru to koro sumu to koro | Keita Aoki | 2007 | ktv |
| Watashitachi no Kyokasho | Otoya Amagi | 2007 | Fuji TV |
| Hanazakari no Kimitachi e | Shinji Noe | 2007 | Fuji TV |
| Shigeshoshi | Mitsuru Natsui | 2007 | TV Tokyo |
| Oishii Depachika | Kensaku Kashiwagi | 2008 | TV Asahi |
| Isshun no Kaze ni Nare | Kagiyama | 2008 | Fuji TV |
| Rookies Rookies (manga) is a Japanese shōnen manga written and illustrated by Masanori Morita. The series was featured on Weekly Shōnen Jump during its original run from 1998 to 2003. The series was licensed for release in France by Edition Tonkam and in Italy by Star Comics, where it was featured in the magazine Express... |
Tetsuro Yufune | 2008 | TBS |
| Ando Natsu | Kenji | 2008 | TBS |
| Giragira | Eagle | 2008 | TV Asahi |
| Ninkyo Helper | Kurosawa Goro | 2009 | Fuji TV |
Cinema
| Title | Character | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Neo Horror Series: Oresama Dai Kouzui | Takumi | 2005 |
| Ultraman Mebius & Ultraman Brothers Ultraman Mebius & Ultraman Brothers , an Ultraman Mebius theatrical film adaptation, was released in Japan on September 16, 2006. It is the 10th original film series in the Ultraman franchise, it also celebrates the 40th anniversary of the franchise. The movie peaked at 3rd in the Japanese box offices... |
Mirai Hibino/Ultraman Mebius | 2006 |
| Drift 3: Taka | Hayato | 2007 |
| Drift 4: Hayato | Hayato | 2007 |
| Superior Ultraman 8 Brothers | Mirai Hibino/Ultraman Mebius | 2008 |
| Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy | Mirai Hibino/Ultraman Mebius | 2009 |
| Ultraman Zero: The Revenge of Belial | Mirai Hibino/Ultraman Mebius | 2010 |
| Paradise Kiss Paradise Kiss , abbreviated to "ParaKiss", is a manga series written and illustrated by Ai Yazawa. It appeared as a serial in the Japanese manga magazine Zipper. Shodensha collected the chapters into five volumes... |
Daisuke Yamamoto/Isabella Yamamoto | 2011 |
Theatre
- Out of Order (2007)
- D-BOYSD-BoysD-BOYS is a young male actors group under the management of Watanabe Entertainment. The D in the group's name stands for "Drama" , "Dream", "Debut", "Discovery" and "Development" ....
STAGE Vol.1: Kanbai Onrei (2007) - D-BOYSD-BoysD-BOYS is a young male actors group under the management of Watanabe Entertainment. The D in the group's name stands for "Drama" , "Dream", "Debut", "Discovery" and "Development" ....
STAGE Vol.2: Last Game (2008, in pre-production)
Promotional Media
Igarashi has been featured in the following promotional releases:CDs
- Ultraman Mebius/Run through! -CREW GUYS- - Project DMM with Ultra Bouei-tai (Ultraman MebiusUltraman Mebiusis a Japanese television series produced by Tsuburaya Productions and Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting. It is the 17th TV series and 40th anniversary production in the Ultra Series, which first began in 1966. It premiered on the Tokyo Broadcasting System on April 8, 2006...
)
Photobooks
- D-BOYS: D-BOYS (2005/04, ISBN 4-924566-42-X)
- D-BOYS: START! (2006/03, ISBN 4-05-403035-1)
- mirai (2006/09, ISBN 4-8470-2962-3) - solo photobook
- Hanazakari no Kimi Tachi e - Ikemen Paradise Making Book (2007/09, ISBN 4-8470-1739-0)
External links
- Official Blog
- Official Profile at Watanabe Entertainment
- Shunji's Official friendster page
- D-BOYS official website
- Wikipedia Japanese article on 五十嵐 隼士
- Wikipedia Japanese article on D-BOYS