Yu Shirota
Encyclopedia
, born December 26, 1985, is a Japanese-Spanish actor, most known for his role as Kagurazaka Makoto in the Japanese television drama
live-action adaption of Hana-Kimi
, Kunimitsu Tezuka
in the Prince of Tennis Musicals
, Tuxedo Mask in the Sailor Moon Musicals
, and as Kei Shinjo in Rookies. In 2009, he was named one of the most promising actors and actresses, placing 8th in a poll conducted by Oricon. He is a former member of the Watanabe Entertainment group, D-BOYS
.
, Spain
from when he was three to about seven years. He returned to Japan for elementary school and can still speak Spanish in ordinary conversation. He attended high school at Horikoshi High
along with NEWS
member Yamashita Tomohisa, WaT
's Teppei Koike
, Japanese actor Ikuta Toma and KAT-TUN
's Akanishi Jin and Tanaka Koki.
According to Shirota, when he was little, his family liked to sing songs, so he would borrow his older sister's keyboard, while his mother taught him piano. Thus spawned Shirota's love for composing. He composed his first piece when he was in the fourth grade, titled "The Tear".
. His first official performance as Tuxedo Kamen was on January 2, 2003, in the 2003 Winter Special Mugen Gakuen - Mistress Labyrinth (Kaiteiban). He also demonstrated his ability to play acoustic guitar on stage live, during the Starlights - Ryuusei Densetsu performances. The 2004 New Legend of Kaguya Island was Shirota's last performance as Tuxedo Kamen. That night, on September 5, 2004, after he performed his final rendition of "Prince of Earth", he announced his graduation from the role and received flowers from Kousei Amano who had previously played Tuxedo Kamen in the original 1999 Kaguya Island musical. He also began working for a year on the Japanese program, Hanamaru Cafe, as part of the Hanamaru apron team, often leaving set for locations and displaying prizes for viewers during game corners.
During this time, Shirota won the role of Kunimitsu Tezuka
, the stoic captain of Seigaku Middle School's tennis club, in the Prince of Tennis musicals series, Tenimyu
. From 2005 to 2006, he became the third actor to play Tezuka as a member of the second generation Seigaku cast. He made his first debut as Tezuka on January 8, 2005 in the Side Yamabuki performance in Osaka
. That same year, his role as Tezuka was carried into the live adaptation film of the manga
and marked his first major film appearance. He also released a Best Actor's album in 2005, for his role as Tezuka. On March 29, 2006, in the Dream Live 3rd Live concert, he along with the majority of the second generation Seigaku cast, graduated from their roles.
Through 2006, Shirota began appearing in a couple dramas and movies including the 2005 Watanabe net drama, Hice Cool, the TV drama
special, The Hit Parade, portraying the real-life Mickey Curtis, and the June Bride movie in which he played the title character, Natsumi, based on the original manga Jyun Bride by Satoshi Yoshida, resulted in a made for DVD release sequel, Zoku June Bride. In 2007, after nearly a year away from musicals, Shirota returned to stage and starred as Anthony Hope, the cheerful young sailor, in the Japanese stage production of Sweeney Todd. The musical opened on January 5, 2007 and ran through January 29, 2007 at the Nissay Theatre with additional performances during February in Osaka. Shirota then began appearing in a string of dramas, the first being the TV drama
, Dignity of Haken, featured Shirota as the half-Spanish Ryuto Amaya, premiered on January 10, 2007, on NTV
and ended its run on March 21, 2007. Shirota next appeared in his second TV drama
appearance, in the April 2007 drama, Seito Shokun!
, which is an adaptation of the manga series, Seito Shokun. He played Ken Mizuhara, a physical education teacher. In his third TV drama
role of the year, Shirota appeared in the popular adaptation of Hanazakari No Kimitachi e
, which began on July 3, 2007, playing the character of Kagurazaka Makoto, a high-jumping rival to Sano Izumi.
Shirota also appeared in a string of films in 2007. The first being Arakure KNIGHT, the live-action movie adaptation of the 1982 to 1988 manga series, Aratanaru Shobaku by Satosi Yoshida. The film opened in limited release, premiering at Cinema GAGA on April 28, 2007. The second of his three films, Shirota played a main supporting actor in the film adaptation of Gettsu Itaya's semi-autobiographical novel, Waruboro and was released on September 8, 2007 as principle filmography began on September 20, 2006. Before October 2006, Shirota finished filming for his third movie, Heat Island, which was released on October 20, 2007 and is based on the book of the same title written by Kakine Ryuosuke. Shirota played Aki, a street gangster who moves around Shibuya (a district in Tokyo) causing trouble and accidentally obtains a large sum of money that belongs to a crime group; however, the money once belonged to an illegal casino operated by the Yakuza and both groups are after the money.
After Shirota's run as Charles Lindbergh
in the 2007 year-end Japanese production of the Take Flight musical, Shirota starred in the January 2008 TV drama
, Koshonin - The Negotiator, portraying Mariya Kyousuke, a condemned criminal. Next, Shirota starred in Rookies, the successful baseball drama based on the manga of the same name by Morita Masanori, playing Kei Shinjo. The series first aired on April 19, 2008 and ended July 26, 2008 after 11 episodes. He would reprise his role as Kagurazaka Makoto in the 2008 Hana Kimi
special episode. In 2009, Shirota starred in the made for television movie, Go Ape, reprised his role as Shinjo Kei in the feature film for Rookies - Sotsugyou
, and co-starred with Haruma Miura
in Samurai High School as the soft-spoken, Nakamura Tsuyoshi. He also reprised his role as Mariya Kyousuke for the second season of Koshonin - The Negotiator and the 2010 feature film release of Koshonin - The Movie. He is also set to be in the Japanese stage production of Elisabeth as Der Tod from August 2010 to October 2010.
Shirota makes his solo singing debut as "U" in May 2011 under Avex Trax
, releasing his debut triple A-side single, "U/Heart of glass/Sisyphus".
For the Japanese edition of his solo debut album, BACK TO ME, Backstreet Boys
member Howie D (aka Howard Dorough) sought out Japanese idol Shirota for one of the bonus tracks, "If I Say" which was digitally released as a single on October 12, 2011.
in October 2004. As a member, he participated in photobook releases, stage performances, radio show hosting, event and meeting greetings, and filming variety shows.
With the D-BoYS, he was featured in their first two photobooks, the self-titled D-Boys and the second called Start. He hosted a radio show called "Marvelous Radio Vibration" with fellow D-BOYS member, Kotaro Yanagi and Yukki. The show aired on May 5, 2005 and ended its run on April 1, 2006. The D-BOYS then starred in their own drama documentary variety show called, DD-Boys in which Shirota's appeared in multiple episodes as himself. The show was 23 episodes long and ran from April 10 to September 25, 2006.
In June 2007, the D-BOYS starred in their first musical together called, D-BOYS STAGE, which ran from June 3 to June 10 at the Space Zero theater in Tokyo. Shirota appeared in the musical only as a guest performer, making select appearances on June 3, June 8 and June 10, due to his busy schedule. The D-BOYS then starred in their 2nd musical, The Last Game to which on June 27, 2008, Shirota announced his graduation during the encore of the play while assuring the media that he would still remain under the Watanabe Entertainment management and still participate in certain D-BOYS projects and events. He officially graduated from the group on July 6, 2008.
Despite having graduated from the D-BOYS, in December 2009, he was featured in both the sixth DVD release of the D-BOYS' Boy Friend series, called YU Channel and their "Kotoshi no Natsu wa Mainichi Dokoka de D-BOYS ☆Uki-uki♪Yatta♪Hohohoy♪" performance events, resulting in appearances in all three Natsu Doko 2009 CD and DVD releases, as well as appearances for promoting their second tour, Fuyu Doko 2009.
, Rent
, Spelling Bee
, Sweeney Todd
, and The Phantom of the Opera
. Shirota appears regularly in many magazines and journals. In January 2007, Wink up Magazine (Wanibooks) started a monthly column written by Shirota. This column is titled "How are you?" and usually features one picture taken by Shirota.
He, with Hirofumi Araki
, also attended the opening night for the Advancement Side Rokkaku feat. Hyotei Gakuen of Tenimyu on August 3, 2006, to support Hiroki Aiba
and Kousuke Kujirai
.
His older brother by a year, Jun Shirota, designs and models for the collection, Janji and is also a member of the band, Alma.
TENIMYU: THE PRINCE OF TENNIS MUSICAL SERIES (as Kunimitsu Tezuka)
OTHER MUSICALS
albums with Avex Trax, one solo album for the Prince of Tennis musical
and three with the D-BOYS
in Japan (JPN), only.
, on September 26, 2007, he released his first solo photobook collection. This included childhood pictures of him as well as photos taken by Shirota himself.
Japanese television drama
, also called , are a staple of Japanese television and are broadcast daily. All major TV networks in Japan produce a variety of drama series including murder romance, comedy, detective stories, horror, and many others...
live-action adaption of Hana-Kimi
Hanazakari no Kimitachi e
, also known as Ike-para, is a Japanese drama produced by Fuji Television and first aired on July 3, 2007. It is based on the comic by Hisaya Nakajo, published in English as Hana-Kimi. Filming locations include the Ryutsu Keizai University....
, Kunimitsu Tezuka
Kunimitsu Tezuka
is a fictional character in the manga and anime series The Prince of Tennis created by Takeshi Konomi, who described Tezuka as the character who he has the least in common with. In the story, he is introduced as the strict and serious captain of Seishun Academy's tennis team who enforces order...
in the Prince of Tennis Musicals
Tenimyu
The Prince of Tennis Musical , also known as "TeniPuri Musical," "Tenimyu," or "GekiPuri" , is a series of live action stage musicals directed by Yukio Ueshima based on manga series The Prince of Tennis created by Takeshi Konomi and serialized by Shueisha in Weekly Shonen Jump.The first musical...
, Tuxedo Mask in the Sailor Moon Musicals
Sailor Moon musicals
The , commonly referred to as , are a series of live theatre productions based on Naoko Takeuchi's metaseries Sailor Moon. The series consists of 29 musicals which have had more than 800 performances since the show opened in Summer 1993...
, and as Kei Shinjo in Rookies. In 2009, he was named one of the most promising actors and actresses, placing 8th in a poll conducted by Oricon. He is a former member of the Watanabe Entertainment group, 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" ....
.
Early life
Shirota was born on December 26, 1985 to a Japanese father (城田光男) and a Spanish mother. Shirota lived in BarcelonaBarcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
from when he was three to about seven years. He returned to Japan for elementary school and can still speak Spanish in ordinary conversation. He attended high school at Horikoshi High
Horikoshi High School
is a Japanese private high school founded in 1923. The school is famous for being attended by many Japanese celebrities. It offers them lenient attendance requirements.- Notable students :* Yumi Adachi* Risa Ai* Jin Akanishi * Yū Aoi...
along with NEWS
NeWS
NeWS was a windowing system developed by Sun Microsystems in the mid 1980s. Originally known as "SunDew", its primary authors were James Gosling and David S. H. Rosenthal...
member Yamashita Tomohisa, WaT
WaT
WaT is a Japanese pop duo composed of singers/songwriters Eiji Wentz and Teppei Koike. They met each other in 2002 and formed WaT, playing live street performances with their guitars. Their debut single, "Boku no Kimochi", was released in 2005. Wentz, who is half German-American and half Japanese,...
's Teppei Koike
Teppei Koike
is an actor and singer from Japan. He was born in Ōsakasayama, Osaka Prefecture. He belongs to the production company Burning Productions and is a member of the singer-songwriter duo WaT with his partner, Eiji Wentz.- History :2001...
, Japanese actor Ikuta Toma and KAT-TUN
KAT-TUN
KAT-TUN is a Japanese boy band formed by Johnny & Associates in 2001. The group's name is an acronym based on the first letter of each member's family name until the departure of Jin Akanishi in 2010. As of 2010, KAT-TUN stands for Kazuya KAmenashi, Junnosuke Taguchi, Koki Tanaka, Tatsuya Ueda,...
's Akanishi Jin and Tanaka Koki.
According to Shirota, when he was little, his family liked to sing songs, so he would borrow his older sister's keyboard, while his mother taught him piano. Thus spawned Shirota's love for composing. He composed his first piece when he was in the fourth grade, titled "The Tear".
Career
Yuu Shirota's acting career began from 2003 to 2004, when Shirota became the 7th actor to play Tuxedo Kamen (Tuxedo Mask) in the Sailor Moon MusicalsSailor Moon musicals
The , commonly referred to as , are a series of live theatre productions based on Naoko Takeuchi's metaseries Sailor Moon. The series consists of 29 musicals which have had more than 800 performances since the show opened in Summer 1993...
. His first official performance as Tuxedo Kamen was on January 2, 2003, in the 2003 Winter Special Mugen Gakuen - Mistress Labyrinth (Kaiteiban). He also demonstrated his ability to play acoustic guitar on stage live, during the Starlights - Ryuusei Densetsu performances. The 2004 New Legend of Kaguya Island was Shirota's last performance as Tuxedo Kamen. That night, on September 5, 2004, after he performed his final rendition of "Prince of Earth", he announced his graduation from the role and received flowers from Kousei Amano who had previously played Tuxedo Kamen in the original 1999 Kaguya Island musical. He also began working for a year on the Japanese program, Hanamaru Cafe, as part of the Hanamaru apron team, often leaving set for locations and displaying prizes for viewers during game corners.
During this time, Shirota won the role of Kunimitsu Tezuka
Kunimitsu Tezuka
is a fictional character in the manga and anime series The Prince of Tennis created by Takeshi Konomi, who described Tezuka as the character who he has the least in common with. In the story, he is introduced as the strict and serious captain of Seishun Academy's tennis team who enforces order...
, the stoic captain of Seigaku Middle School's tennis club, in the Prince of Tennis musicals series, Tenimyu
Tenimyu
The Prince of Tennis Musical , also known as "TeniPuri Musical," "Tenimyu," or "GekiPuri" , is a series of live action stage musicals directed by Yukio Ueshima based on manga series The Prince of Tennis created by Takeshi Konomi and serialized by Shueisha in Weekly Shonen Jump.The first musical...
. From 2005 to 2006, he became the third actor to play Tezuka as a member of the second generation Seigaku cast. He made his first debut as Tezuka on January 8, 2005 in the Side Yamabuki performance in Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
. That same year, his role as Tezuka was carried into the live adaptation film of the manga
The Prince of Tennis (film)
is a 2006 live-action movie directed by Yuichi Abe and based on The Prince of Tennis manga series by Takeshi Konomi. It condenses the storyline from when Ryoma arrives in Japan to the match against Hyotei Academy...
and marked his first major film appearance. He also released a Best Actor's album in 2005, for his role as Tezuka. On March 29, 2006, in the Dream Live 3rd Live concert, he along with the majority of the second generation Seigaku cast, graduated from their roles.
Through 2006, Shirota began appearing in a couple dramas and movies including the 2005 Watanabe net drama, Hice Cool, the TV drama
Japanese television drama
, also called , are a staple of Japanese television and are broadcast daily. All major TV networks in Japan produce a variety of drama series including murder romance, comedy, detective stories, horror, and many others...
special, The Hit Parade, portraying the real-life Mickey Curtis, and the June Bride movie in which he played the title character, Natsumi, based on the original manga Jyun Bride by Satoshi Yoshida, resulted in a made for DVD release sequel, Zoku June Bride. In 2007, after nearly a year away from musicals, Shirota returned to stage and starred as Anthony Hope, the cheerful young sailor, in the Japanese stage production of Sweeney Todd. The musical opened on January 5, 2007 and ran through January 29, 2007 at the Nissay Theatre with additional performances during February in Osaka. Shirota then began appearing in a string of dramas, the first being the TV drama
Japanese television drama
, also called , are a staple of Japanese television and are broadcast daily. All major TV networks in Japan produce a variety of drama series including murder romance, comedy, detective stories, horror, and many others...
, Dignity of Haken, featured Shirota as the half-Spanish Ryuto Amaya, premiered on January 10, 2007, on NTV
Nippon Television
is a television network based in the Shiodome area of Minato, Tokyo, Japan and is controlled by the Yomiuri Shimbun publishing company. Broadcasting terrestrially across Japan, the network is commonly known as , contracted to , and abbreviated as "NTV" or "AX".-Offices:*The Headquarters : 6-1,...
and ended its run on March 21, 2007. Shirota next appeared in his second TV drama
Japanese television drama
, also called , are a staple of Japanese television and are broadcast daily. All major TV networks in Japan produce a variety of drama series including murder romance, comedy, detective stories, horror, and many others...
appearance, in the April 2007 drama, Seito Shokun!
Seito Shokun!
is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Yoko Shoji. It is serialized in Kodansha's Shōjo Friend from 1977 to 1984. The individual chapters were published into 24 tankōbon by Kodansha between February 1978 and June 1985...
, which is an adaptation of the manga series, Seito Shokun. He played Ken Mizuhara, a physical education teacher. In his third TV drama
Japanese television drama
, also called , are a staple of Japanese television and are broadcast daily. All major TV networks in Japan produce a variety of drama series including murder romance, comedy, detective stories, horror, and many others...
role of the year, Shirota appeared in the popular adaptation of Hanazakari No Kimitachi e
Hana-Kimi
Hana-Kimi or known originally as in Japan, is a shōjo manga series written by Hisaya Nakajo. The manga was serialized in Japan in Hakusensha's semi-monthly shōjo manga magazine, Hana to Yume...
, which began on July 3, 2007, playing the character of Kagurazaka Makoto, a high-jumping rival to Sano Izumi.
Shirota also appeared in a string of films in 2007. The first being Arakure KNIGHT, the live-action movie adaptation of the 1982 to 1988 manga series, Aratanaru Shobaku by Satosi Yoshida. The film opened in limited release, premiering at Cinema GAGA on April 28, 2007. The second of his three films, Shirota played a main supporting actor in the film adaptation of Gettsu Itaya's semi-autobiographical novel, Waruboro and was released on September 8, 2007 as principle filmography began on September 20, 2006. Before October 2006, Shirota finished filming for his third movie, Heat Island, which was released on October 20, 2007 and is based on the book of the same title written by Kakine Ryuosuke. Shirota played Aki, a street gangster who moves around Shibuya (a district in Tokyo) causing trouble and accidentally obtains a large sum of money that belongs to a crime group; however, the money once belonged to an illegal casino operated by the Yakuza and both groups are after the money.
After Shirota's run as Charles Lindbergh
Charles Lindbergh
Charles Augustus Lindbergh was an American aviator, author, inventor, explorer, and social activist.Lindbergh, a 25-year-old U.S...
in the 2007 year-end Japanese production of the Take Flight musical, Shirota starred in the January 2008 TV drama
Japanese television drama
, also called , are a staple of Japanese television and are broadcast daily. All major TV networks in Japan produce a variety of drama series including murder romance, comedy, detective stories, horror, and many others...
, Koshonin - The Negotiator, portraying Mariya Kyousuke, a condemned criminal. Next, Shirota starred in Rookies, the successful baseball drama based on the manga of the same name by Morita Masanori, playing Kei Shinjo. The series first aired on April 19, 2008 and ended July 26, 2008 after 11 episodes. He would reprise his role as Kagurazaka Makoto in the 2008 Hana Kimi
Hanazakari no Kimitachi e
, also known as Ike-para, is a Japanese drama produced by Fuji Television and first aired on July 3, 2007. It is based on the comic by Hisaya Nakajo, published in English as Hana-Kimi. Filming locations include the Ryutsu Keizai University....
special episode. In 2009, Shirota starred in the made for television movie, Go Ape, reprised his role as Shinjo Kei in the feature film for Rookies - Sotsugyou
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...
, and co-starred with Haruma Miura
Haruma Miura
is a Japanese actor and singer. He is part of the Amuse agency, and debuted as one of the members of Brash Brats, a J-pop group. However, they are currently on hiatus, while Haruma is still active as an actor. He gained popularity with Gokusen 3 and 2007 film Koizora...
in Samurai High School as the soft-spoken, Nakamura Tsuyoshi. He also reprised his role as Mariya Kyousuke for the second season of Koshonin - The Negotiator and the 2010 feature film release of Koshonin - The Movie. He is also set to be in the Japanese stage production of Elisabeth as Der Tod from August 2010 to October 2010.
Shirota makes his solo singing debut as "U" in May 2011 under Avex Trax
Avex Trax
, listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange as 7860 and abbreviated as AGHD, is the holding company for a group of entertainment-related subsidiaries based in Japan...
, releasing his debut triple A-side single, "U/Heart of glass/Sisyphus".
For the Japanese edition of his solo debut album, BACK TO ME, Backstreet Boys
Backstreet Boys
The Backstreet Boys are an American vocal group, formed in Orlando, Florida in 1993. The band originally consisted of A. J. McLean, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, Nick Carter and Kevin Richardson. They rose to fame with their debut international album, Backstreet Boys...
member Howie D (aka Howard Dorough) sought out Japanese idol Shirota for one of the bonus tracks, "If I Say" which was digitally released as a single on October 12, 2011.
With the D-BOYS
Shirota joined the Watanabe Entertainment group, the 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 October 2004. As a member, he participated in photobook releases, stage performances, radio show hosting, event and meeting greetings, and filming variety shows.
With the D-BoYS, he was featured in their first two photobooks, the self-titled D-Boys and the second called Start. He hosted a radio show called "Marvelous Radio Vibration" with fellow D-BOYS member, Kotaro Yanagi and Yukki. The show aired on May 5, 2005 and ended its run on April 1, 2006. The D-BOYS then starred in their own drama documentary variety show called, DD-Boys in which Shirota's appeared in multiple episodes as himself. The show was 23 episodes long and ran from April 10 to September 25, 2006.
In June 2007, the D-BOYS starred in their first musical together called, D-BOYS STAGE, which ran from June 3 to June 10 at the Space Zero theater in Tokyo. Shirota appeared in the musical only as a guest performer, making select appearances on June 3, June 8 and June 10, due to his busy schedule. The D-BOYS then starred in their 2nd musical, The Last Game to which on June 27, 2008, Shirota announced his graduation during the encore of the play while assuring the media that he would still remain under the Watanabe Entertainment management and still participate in certain D-BOYS projects and events. He officially graduated from the group on July 6, 2008.
Despite having graduated from the D-BOYS, in December 2009, he was featured in both the sixth DVD release of the D-BOYS' Boy Friend series, called YU Channel and their "Kotoshi no Natsu wa Mainichi Dokoka de D-BOYS ☆Uki-uki♪Yatta♪Hohohoy♪" performance events, resulting in appearances in all three Natsu Doko 2009 CD and DVD releases, as well as appearances for promoting their second tour, Fuyu Doko 2009.
Personal life
In April 2006, Shirota experienced language study studying abroad for 1 week in the Australian gold coast. His experiences were recorded in the Language Study studying abroad 2007 journal series and covered in detail over 13 pages of his thoughts after the experience and the return home. In June 2006, he then visited New York to see five Broadway musicals: The ProducersThe Producers (musical)
The Producers is a musical adapted by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan from Brooks' 1968 film of the same name, with lyrics written by Brooks and music composed by Brooks and arranged by Glen Kelly and Doug Besterman. As in the film, the story concerns two theatrical producers who scheme to get rich...
, Rent
Rent (musical)
Rent is a rock musical with music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson based on Giacomo Puccini's opera La bohème...
, Spelling Bee
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a one act musical comedy conceived by Rebecca Feldman with music and lyrics by William Finn, a book by Rachel Sheinkin and additional material by Jay Reiss. The show centers on a fictional spelling bee set in a geographically ambiguous Putnam Valley...
, Sweeney Todd
Sweeney Todd (musical)
Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a 1979 musical thriller with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and libretto by Hugh Wheeler. The musical is based on the 1973 play Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street by Christopher Bond....
, and The Phantom of the Opera
The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical)
The Phantom of the Opera is a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux.The music was composed by Lloyd Webber, and most lyrics were written by Charles Hart, with additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. Alan Jay Lerner was an early collaborator,...
. Shirota appears regularly in many magazines and journals. In January 2007, Wink up Magazine (Wanibooks) started a monthly column written by Shirota. This column is titled "How are you?" and usually features one picture taken by Shirota.
He, with Hirofumi Araki
Hirofumi Araki
is a Japanese actor and singer. He is known most notably for his roles as Sadaharu Inui in The Prince of Tennis , and as The Black Lion Rio in the tokusatsu television series Juken Sentai Gekiranger...
, also attended the opening night for the Advancement Side Rokkaku feat. Hyotei Gakuen of Tenimyu on August 3, 2006, to support Hiroki Aiba
Hiroki Aiba
is a Japanese actor, dancer and singer. He is best known for his role as Shusuke Fuji in The Prince of Tennis musical series, Tenimyu, and the live film adaptation. He was also part of a young men's 3-member streetdancing group called Brights, which was disbanded in 2004...
and Kousuke Kujirai
Kousuke Kujirai
is a Japanese actor and singer. He is known most notably for his role as Jenath Dira in the Get Ride! Amdriver anime series and Kaoru Kaidoh and The Prince of Tennis musical series, Tenimyu, and the live film adaptation, and as Panther in Eyeshield 21.-Career:He works primarily in stage...
.
His older brother by a year, Jun Shirota, designs and models for the collection, Janji and is also a member of the band, Alma.
Selected filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Stay With You | Himself | Music Video (Mai Hoshimura Mai Hoshimura is a Japanese singer and songwriter. She writes and composes all of her music. She is known for her famous standing crouched stance while playing the piano.She is a graduate of Shobi University.On May 31, 2009, her contract with Sony ended.- Biography:... ) |
| 2003 | In My Soul | Himself | Music Video (Misia) |
| 2004 | Hanamaru Cafe | Himself | Variety TV Program |
| 2005 | Tokimeki Memorial Tokimeki Memorial is a popular dating simulation series by Konami. It consists of 6 main games in addition to a large number of spin-offs. The games are notable in the dating sim genre for being highly nonlinear. Their nickname amongst their fans is the contraction TokiMemo.... Girl's Side |
Johnny Garland | Commercial Web Episodes |
| Shadow Hearts Shadow Hearts is a series of role playing games for the PlayStation 2. The original Shadow Hearts was developed by Sacnoth and released by Midway in the United States on December 11, 2001. The sequel, Shadow Hearts: Covenant , was also made by the same group, although Sacnoth reformed itself into a company... From the New World |
N/A | Commercial Video | |
| Hice Cool | Makoto | Net Drama | |
| Pink no Idenshi | Nakajo | TV Drama (Episode 12) | |
| 2006 | Kimi no Tame ni Boku ga Tate ni Naro | Himself | Music Video (RAG FAIR Rag Fair RAG FAIR is a Japanese male a cappella band. Its members are Reo Tsuchiya, Yosuke Hikichi, Kenichi Arai, Yoshiyuki Kato, Takamasa Kano, and Masayoshi Okumura.... ) |
| Kami wa Saikoro wo Furanai | Ayase | TV Drama (Episode 7) | |
| DD-BOYS | Shirotan | Episodes 1-3, 5, 8, 9, 12, 14, 16, 18-20, 22, 23 | |
| The Hit Parade | Mickey Curtis | TV Drama | |
| Shoujo ni wa Mukanai Shokugyou (A Business Unfit for a Young Lady) | Tatsukawa Ryo | Net Drama | |
| The Prince of Tennis The Prince of Tennis (film) is a 2006 live-action movie directed by Yuichi Abe and based on The Prince of Tennis manga series by Takeshi Konomi. It condenses the storyline from when Ryoma arrives in Japan to the match against Hyotei Academy... |
Kunimitsu Tezuka Kunimitsu Tezuka is a fictional character in the manga and anime series The Prince of Tennis created by Takeshi Konomi, who described Tezuka as the character who he has the least in common with. In the story, he is introduced as the strict and serious captain of Seishun Academy's tennis team who enforces order... |
Movie | |
| Jun Bride | Natsumi | Movie (Leading Role) | |
| Zoku Jun Bride | Natsumi | V-Cinema V-Cinema Japanese is the direct-to-video industry that appeared in Japan in the 1980s. The term is a trademark of Toei Company but is widely used in the West to describe any Japanese direct-to-video release. In Japan the term used is... (Leading Role) |
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| 2007 | Dignity of Haken | Ryuto Amaya | TV Drama |
| Arakure KNIGHT | Naito Zenba | Movie (Leading Role) | |
| Seito Shokun | Ken Mizuhara | TV Drama | |
| Hanazakari no Kimitachi e Hanazakari no Kimitachi e , also known as Ike-para, is a Japanese drama produced by Fuji Television and first aired on July 3, 2007. It is based on the comic by Hisaya Nakajo, published in English as Hana-Kimi. Filming locations include the Ryutsu Keizai University.... |
Kagurazaka Makoto | TV Drama | |
| Waruboro | Takemi | Movie | |
| Heat Island | Aki | Movie (Leading Role) | |
| 2008 | Koshonin - The Negotiator | Mariya Kyousuke | TV Drama |
| Rookies | Shinjo Kei | TV Drama | |
| Shinizokonai no Ao | Haneda Mitsunori | Movie | |
| Hanazakari no Kimitachi e Hanazakari no Kimitachi e , also known as Ike-para, is a Japanese drama produced by Fuji Television and first aired on July 3, 2007. It is based on the comic by Hisaya Nakajo, published in English as Hana-Kimi. Filming locations include the Ryutsu Keizai University.... SP |
Kagurazaka Makoto | TV Drama | |
| Team Batista no Eiko Team Batista no Eiko is a Japanese mystery film and television show adapted from the best-selling novel of the same name by Takeru Kaidō. The story revolves around a hospital with a team of doctors known for their success with a type of heart surgery... |
Himuro Koichiro | TV Drama | |
| Nagaiki Kyousou | Shimoda Takeshi | TV Drama | |
| 2009 | Tenchijin Tenchijin is the 48th NHK Taiga drama. It airs on NHK from January 4, 2009 every Sunday from 20:00 to 20:44 JST to November 22, 2009 spanning 47 episodes. The story centers on the life of the 16th century samurai Naoe Kanetsugu.... |
Sanada Yukimura Sanada Yukimura was a Japanese samurai, second son of the Sengoku period daimyo Sanada Masayuki . His proper name was Sanada Nobushige , named after Takeda Shingen's younger brother Takeda Nobushige, who was a brave and respected warrior. He and his father were known as being excellent military tacticians... |
Taiga drama Taiga drama is the name NHK gives to the annual, year-long historical fiction television series it broadcasts in Japan. Beginning in 1963 with the black-and-white Hana no Shōgai, starring kabuki actor Onoe Shōroku and Takarazuka star Awashima Chikage, the network has hired a producer, director, writer, music... |
| Koshonin SP | Mariya Kyousuke | TV Drama | |
| Go Ape | Yukio | TV Movie | |
| Rookies - Sotsugyou 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... |
Shinjo Kei | Movie | |
| Samurai High School | Nakamura Tsuyoshi | TV Drama | |
| Koshonin - The Negotiator (season 2) | Mariya Kyousuke | TV Drama | |
| 2010 | Kondo wa Aisaika | Nishida Ken | Movie |
| Koshonin The Movie: Time Limit Kodo 10,000m no Zunosen | Mariya Kyousuke | Movie | |
| Iris | Sau Ching / Chung Joon (Japanese dub) | Korean TV Drama | |
| Keizoku 2: SPEC | Chii Satoshi | TBS TV Drama | |
| 2011 | Shitsuren Hoken | Katsuki Ayumu | NTV TV Drama |
| Arakawa Under the Bridge | Sister | TV Drama | |
Stage
- March 22 and 23, 2007 as a guest performer in the Out of Order Live Entertainment Show
Musicals
SAILOR MOON MUSICALS (as Tuxedo Kamen)- Musical Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Aki no Fan Kansha Event (2002)
- Winter Special Musical Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Mugen Gakuen - Mistress Labyrinth (Kaiteiban) (2003)
- Musical Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon GW Fan Kansha Event (2003)
- Summer Special Musical Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Starlights * Ryuusei Densetsu (2003)
- Musical Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Aki no Fan Kansha Event (2003)
- Winter Special Musical Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Kakyuu-Ouhi Kourin THE SECOND STAGE FINAL (2004)
- Summer Special Musical Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Shin - Kaguya Shima Densetsu Golden Week Fan Kansha Event (2004)
- Summer Special Musical Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Shin - Kaguya Shima Densetsu NEW LEGEND OF KAGUYA ISLAND (2004)
TENIMYU: THE PRINCE OF TENNIS MUSICAL SERIES (as Kunimitsu Tezuka)
- The Prince of Tennis Musical: Side Yamabuki feat. St Rudolph (In Winter of 2004-2005)
- The Prince of Tennis Musical: Dream Live 2nd (2005)
- The Prince of Tennis Musical: The Imperial Match Hyotei Gakuen (In Winter of 2005-2006)
- The Prince of Tennis Musical: The Imperial Match Hyotei Gakuen in Winter (2006)
- The Prince of Tennis Musical: Dream Live 3rd (2006)
- The Prince of Tennis Musical: Dream Live 7th (2010, guest appearance)
OTHER MUSICALS
- Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Japanese Production) - Anthony Hope (January 5 to January 29, 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 - Guest Performer (on June 6 and June 9, 2007) - Take Flight (Japanese Production) - Charles LindberghCharles LindberghCharles Augustus Lindbergh was an American aviator, author, inventor, explorer, and social activist.Lindbergh, a 25-year-old U.S...
(November 24, 2007 to January 5, 2008) - 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: The Last Game - Performer (June 2008) - Elisabeth (Japanese Production) - Der Tod (August 2010 to October 2010)
Discography
Shirota has currently released two solo EPExtended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
albums with Avex Trax, one solo album for the Prince of Tennis musical
Tenimyu
The Prince of Tennis Musical , also known as "TeniPuri Musical," "Tenimyu," or "GekiPuri" , is a series of live action stage musicals directed by Yukio Ueshima based on manga series The Prince of Tennis created by Takeshi Konomi and serialized by Shueisha in Weekly Shonen Jump.The first musical...
and three with the 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" ....
in Japan (JPN), only.
| Year | Cover | Info | Chart positions | Track Listings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPN | ||||
| 2005 | Musical Tennis no Ohjisama (The Prince of Tennis) Imperial Match Hyotei Gakuen Best Actor's Series 001 Yu Shirota as Kunimitsu Tezuka
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N/A |
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| 2011 | U
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17 |
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| 2011 | Setsuna ~ A Sandglass of Fate (Type C)
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43 |
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| Year | Title | CD Info | Track List |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Seramyu - Starlights - Ryuusei Densetsu | OST of the Musical as Tuxedo Kamen |
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| 2004 | Seramyu - New Legend of Kaguya Island | OST of the Musical as Tuxedo Kamen |
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| Seramyu - Marinamoon Special Edition | OST of the Musical as Tuxedo Kamen |
|
|
| 2005 | Tenimyu Tenimyu The Prince of Tennis Musical , also known as "TeniPuri Musical," "Tenimyu," or "GekiPuri" , is a series of live action stage musicals directed by Yukio Ueshima based on manga series The Prince of Tennis created by Takeshi Konomi and serialized by Shueisha in Weekly Shonen Jump.The first musical... - Side Yamabuki Feat. St. Rudolph Gakuen in Winter |
OST of the Musical as Kunimitsu Tezuka Kunimitsu Tezuka is a fictional character in the manga and anime series The Prince of Tennis created by Takeshi Konomi, who described Tezuka as the character who he has the least in common with. In the story, he is introduced as the strict and serious captain of Seishun Academy's tennis team who enforces order... |
Track List |
| Tenimyu - Dream Live 2nd | OST of the Musical as Kunimitsu Tezuka Kunimitsu Tezuka is a fictional character in the manga and anime series The Prince of Tennis created by Takeshi Konomi, who described Tezuka as the character who he has the least in common with. In the story, he is introduced as the strict and serious captain of Seishun Academy's tennis team who enforces order... |
Track List | |
| Tenimyu - The Imperial Match Hyoutei Gakuen | OST of the Musical as Kunimitsu Tezuka Kunimitsu Tezuka is a fictional character in the manga and anime series The Prince of Tennis created by Takeshi Konomi, who described Tezuka as the character who he has the least in common with. In the story, he is introduced as the strict and serious captain of Seishun Academy's tennis team who enforces order... |
Track List | |
| 2006 | Tenimyu - Dream Live 3rd | OST of the Musical as Kunimitsu Tezuka Kunimitsu Tezuka is a fictional character in the manga and anime series The Prince of Tennis created by Takeshi Konomi, who described Tezuka as the character who he has the least in common with. In the story, he is introduced as the strict and serious captain of Seishun Academy's tennis team who enforces order... |
Track List |
| Musical Tennis no Ohjisama Complete CD Box | OST of the Musical as Kunimitsu Tezuka Kunimitsu Tezuka is a fictional character in the manga and anime series The Prince of Tennis created by Takeshi Konomi, who described Tezuka as the character who he has the least in common with. In the story, he is introduced as the strict and serious captain of Seishun Academy's tennis team who enforces order... |
Track List |
Official DVDs
On November 16, 2005, Shirota released an Idol DVD called With U. The DVD includes an acoustic performance for the song "Natsu no Owari ~ Mou Kako no Koi", for which he had composed and written lyrics. Despite having graduated from the D-BOYS, in December 2009, he was featured in both the sixth DVD release of the D-BOYS' Boy Friend series, called YU Channel and their "Kotoshi no Natsu wa Mainichi Dokoka de D-BOYS Ukiuki Yatta Hohhohoi" event, resulting in appearances in all three Natsu Doko CD and DVD releases.| Year | Series | DVD Title | DVD Cover | DVD Info | Release Date | Label / Distributor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Men's DVD Series | With U | First Solo DVD | November 16, 2005 | | MMV | |
| 2009 | Natsu Doko 2009 | Natsu Doko 2009 Kaze - Team Wind version | Memorial Footage | December 16, 2009 | | Sony Music Entertainment | |
| Natsu Doko 2009 | Natsu Doko 2009 Yama - Team Mountain version | Memorial Footage | December 16, 2009 | | Sony Music Entertainment | ||
| Natsu Doko 2009 | Natsu Doko 2009 Kawa - Team River version | Memorial Footage | December 16, 2009 | | Sony Music Entertainment | ||
| 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" .... Boy Friend Series |
YU Channel | Vol 6. | December 23, 2009 | | Geneon Entertainment |
Official Photobooks
Besides appearing in the first two photobooks with the 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" ....
, on September 26, 2007, he released his first solo photobook collection. This included childhood pictures of him as well as photos taken by Shirota himself.
| Year | Photobook Title | Description | Release Date | Publisher | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | D-BOYS | 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" .... First Photobook |
April 27, 2005 | Tokyo News Agency | ISBN 4-924566-42-X |
| 2006 | START | D-BOYS Second Photobook | March 15, 2006 | Gakken Co., Ltd. | ISBN 4-05-403035-1 |
| 2007 | Yu Shirota | Yu Shirota First Solo Photobook | September 26, 2007 | Wani Books Co., Ltd. | ISBN 978-4-84-704020-7 |
| 2009 | Rookies - Sotsugyo - Perfect Book | Rookies Cast Photobook | May 28, 2009 | Shueisha Publishing Co., Ltd. | |
| 2009 | Sugao | Yu Shirota Second Solo Photobook | June 27, 2009 | Kodansha, Ltd. | ISBN 978-4-06-353711-6 |
External links
See also
- 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" ....
- TenimyuTenimyuThe Prince of Tennis Musical , also known as "TeniPuri Musical," "Tenimyu," or "GekiPuri" , is a series of live action stage musicals directed by Yukio Ueshima based on manga series The Prince of Tennis created by Takeshi Konomi and serialized by Shueisha in Weekly Shonen Jump.The first musical...
- The Prince of TennisThe Prince of Tennis (film)is a 2006 live-action movie directed by Yuichi Abe and based on The Prince of Tennis manga series by Takeshi Konomi. It condenses the storyline from when Ryoma arrives in Japan to the match against Hyotei Academy...
Movie - The Prince of TennisThe Prince of Tennisis a Japanese shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Takeshi Konomi. The title is often shortened to , a portmanteau of the two parts in the Japanese pronunciation of the words "Tennis Prince". The manga was first published in Japan in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump in July 1999, and ended...
- Kunimitsu TezukaKunimitsu Tezukais a fictional character in the manga and anime series The Prince of Tennis created by Takeshi Konomi, who described Tezuka as the character who he has the least in common with. In the story, he is introduced as the strict and serious captain of Seishun Academy's tennis team who enforces order...
- Sailor Moon MusicalsSailor Moon musicalsThe , commonly referred to as , are a series of live theatre productions based on Naoko Takeuchi's metaseries Sailor Moon. The series consists of 29 musicals which have had more than 800 performances since the show opened in Summer 1993...
- Tuxedo Kamen