Aoi Nakamura, Yoshiki Saito starring in baseball movie

[Tokyograph News]

16-year-old actors Aoi Nakamura and Yoshiki Saito will co-star in a movie called "Hyakuhachi," directed by Yoshitaka Mori. Nakamura was the Grand Prix winner of the 2005 JUNON Superboy Contest.

The title, which translates to the number 108, refers to the number of stitches on a baseball and to the number of kleshas (worldly passions) in Buddhism.

Nakamura and Saito play two reserve members of a strong high school team in Kanagawa led by a demanding coach (Riki Takeuchi). To secure a place on the bench, they are willing to do anything to prove their value to the team.

The two actors, who are managed by different agencies, were chosen by audition, but by coincidence they are actually classmates at a private Tokyo high school. Neither had any experience in baseball, so they spent three months in special training for their parts.

Also part of the cast is Ichiro Hashimoto, the son of actor Koji Yakusho. Hashimoto appeared in "Ore wa, Kimi no Tame ni Koso Shini ni Iku" earlier this year, but this will be his first time in a speaking role.

"Hyakuhachi" is scheduled for release in 2008.

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