Sanctuary Trailer: Wataru Ichinose is Ready to Break Through the World of Sumo

Sanctuary Trailer shows how a delinquent finds a place in society through the world of Sumo. It is an upcoming Japanese drama series which is directed by Kan Eguchi from a screenplay written by Tomoki Kanazawa. Produced by Fujita Daisuke and Sakamoto Kaata.

The ensemble cast of the series includes Wataru Ichinose, Shota Sometani, Shioli Kutsuna, Tomorowo Taguchi, Kitarou, Katsuya Maiguma, Hiroki Sumi, So Kaku, Akito Inui, Omusubi, Rio Teramoto, Sei Ando, Daichi Kaneko, Nobuko Sendo, Kensho Sawada, Shuhei Ishikawa, Kazuya Yoshie, Kei Kobayashi, Meccha, Takaaki Kikuchi, Kimiko Yo, Goro Kishitani, Akira Nakao, Takashi Sasano, Suzuki Matsuo, Koyuki, and Pierre Taki.

Netflix’s description of the series reads, “A tough, desperate kid becomes a sumo wrestler, captivating fans with his cocky attitude — and upsetting an industry steeped in tradition.” It will show that while sumo is known across the globe as a part of traditional Japanese culture and a religious ritual passed down for over 1,500 years, it remains veiled in secrecy. The dohyo, the ring where the sumo matches are fought, is truly a sanctuary built on the foundation of this unusual world.

In the trailer, we see that Kiyoshi Oze (played by Wataru Ichinose) comes from a troubled family and has been a part of the world of crime throughout his life. In need of money, when he gets to know that a Sumo can earn a lot of money, he starts thinking that with his body & fighting skills, he can take on anyone.

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However, stubborn to the core & overconfident in his skills, Oze often skips practice and defies his more experienced seniors, branded as a hopeless case. Even though he isn’t able to stand in front of the years of practice, he still has his way – until he has a match with a Sumo named Frankenstein. After getting brutally defeated by him, Oze is almost kicked out of the sport. That’s when he gradually delves deeper into the world of sumo.

Training hard according to the rules and the traditions, Oze determines to make his name – Sumo Enno. Along with his inspirational story, it is also about young people surrounding the world of sumo as they struggle to find their way in life.

We also see another character named Shimizu (played by Shota Sometani), who loves the sport but is not blessed with an ideal physique, and Kunishima (played by Shioli Kutsuna), a newspaper reporter who gets relegated to covering sumo. Like any other sport, there are also some under-the-table things happening, which might be exposed by Kunishima & even help in Oze’s journey.

Watch Sanctuary Trailer

Sanctuary is scheduled to be released on 4th May 2023 on Netflix.

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