The meet and greet will be on Saturday, May 17, 6 pm, at the Skydome of SM North EDSA.
Japanese celebrities don’t get as much love as their Korean counterparts. That doesn’t mean they’re any less talented or attractive. In fact, many J-stars have been slowly but surely carving their own niche in the global entertainment scene. Case in point: Kentaro Sakaguchi.
For longtime J-dorama fans like me, Kentaro has been one of Japan’s most bankable actors for the past decade. His breakout role was in the 2015 film No Longer Heroine (Japanese: Heroine Shikkaku (more on this below), where he starred alongside fellow popular Japanese actor Kento Yamazaki of Alice in Borderland fame, who was at that time already one of Japan’s biggest young actors. Since then, Kentaro has steadily risen among the ranks of the country’s A-list, a popularity driven not only by his good looks, but more so by his acting prowess.
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By the way, allow me to digress a bit. Kentaro is known in Japan as the original shiogao, literally “salt-faced man.” This subcategory of a handsome Japanese man refers to a face with a “simple, light flavor,” one with small, unobtrusive facial features and whose eyes reduce to slits when smiling. Can be too abstract, yes, so just look at Kentaro and there you have the quintessential shiogao!
Going back: Fast forward to a decade since No Longer Heroine, the 33-year-old now boasts an impressive filmography, as well as local and international awards, including trophies from the 2021 Seoul International Drama Awards and the 2023 Asia Artist Awards, among others.
The Tokyo-born actor’s modeling portfolio has also expanded in the past several years. He has been a Prada ambassador since 2022 and the face of Uniqlo since last year. This is on top of numerous brand endorsements in his native Japan from food to konbini (convenience stores).
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And we have some good news for all you fellow fans, Kentaro Sakaguchi will have a meet and greet here in the Philippines! The event will be held this Saturday, May 17, 6 pm, at the Skydome of SM North EDSA in Quezon City. He last visited the country in December 2023 for the Asia Artist Awards at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan.
The POST gathers here five of Kentaro Sakaguchi’s most popular series/movies for the ultimate starter pack to help set the mood before his much awaited fan meet.
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‘What Comes after Love,’ Viu (2024)
2024 was a busy year for Kentaro Sakaguchi, who saw himself star not just in one, but in two hit dramas, the first being this one, a joint Korean-Japanese production, where he co-stars with Korean actress Lee Se-young. In this moody, atmospheric series, Lee stars as Hong, a Korean student who moves to Japan to study. There she meets Jungo (Sakaguchi), they fall in love with each other and eventually break up. Five years later, Hong and Jungo meet in Korea—and unexpectedly realize they still feel the same way for each other.
Watch if you believe in second chances.
‘Beyond Goodbye,’ Netflix (2024)
This is another series that proves that Kentaro is Japan’s reigning romantic drama king. In this hit Netflix original, he stars alongside Kasumi Arimura, one of my favorite Japanese actresses. Kasumi plays Saeko Sugawara who is in a relationship with Yusuke (Toma Ikuta) who proposed to her in the pilot episode. On that same fateful day, he dies in an avalanche. Saeko falls into a deep despair. A few months later, she meets Kazumasa Naruse (Kentaro Sakaguchi) who, though unaware at that time, received a heart transplant from Yusuke. As the series progresses, Naruse realizes he feels something for Saeko. Is it Yusuke’s love that remains or is its Naruse’s own feelings?
Watch if you’re looking for a good cry.
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‘The Last 10 Years,’ Disney+ (2023)
In another romantic drama, Kentaro stars opposite the beautiful Nana Komatsu. Komatsu plays 20-year-old Matsuri Takabayashi who learns that she only has 10 years to live due to an incurable disease. She decides to not dwell too much on this sad reality and also not to fall in love—until she meets Kazuto Manabe (Sakaguchi) at a school reunion.
Watch if you STILL need a good cry.
‘Signal,’ Disney+ (2018)
In this Japanese adaptation of the hit Korean drama of the same title, Kentaro stars as Kento Saegusa, one of two detectives who communicate through a walkie-talkie to solve a cold case. A cool twist: one of the detectives exists in the present day and the other from 15 years ago. I won’t tell you which is which, but trust me, this series is as good as the K-drama original.
Watch if you love crime dramas and mystery/thrillers.
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‘No Longer Heroine’ (2015)
Ah the film that started my love affair with Kentaro Sakaguchi (and Kento Yamazaki, too, hehe!). The movie follows high school student Hatori Matsuzaki (played by Mirei Kiritani) who has a crush on her childhood friend Rita Terasaka (Yamazaki). She believes he will eventually choose her as his “heroine”—the number one girl in his heart—until he begins dating someone else. Kentaro plays the most popular male student, Kosuke Hiromitsu, who takes an interest in Hatori Matsuzaki. Who will end up with the bubbly Hatori? Watch this cult favorite to find out.
Watch if you’re looking for a cute high school romance.
