Awakening 2020

"AWAKE" (AWAKE, tentative translation), directed and written by Yamada Atsuhiro and starring Yoshizawa Ryo, has released stills. The film tells the story of the chess player Eiichi, played by Ryo Yoshizawa, who quits the professional circle after being severely injured by a genius chess player. The frustrated Eiichi formed a research group with several friends and used computer AI to compete in a rematch with his former opponents. Later, in order to inspire chess players who were in a similar situation to himself, Eiichi chose to return to the stage. Director Atsuhiro Yamada said: In order to play this role, Yoshizawa Ryo had to gain weight, hunchback, and even walk. He even said to Yoshizawa Ryo on the set: "Seeing you now, I have forgotten how cool you were before." The film will be released in Japanese theaters on December 25, 2020.