An intense medical action-drama comes to life on the big screen exclusively at Ayala Malls Cinemas in Tokyo MER: Mobile Emergency Room,
a Japanese film based on the award-winning television series of the same title.
Moved by the sight of medical practitioners and other essential workers risking their lives to save people at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, TV producer Masanao Takahashi created Tokyo MER (stands for Mobile Emergency Room), a tribute to the heroes of the pandemic. What started as a humble show of gratitude would go on to become a hit TV series in 2021 – with a movie adaptation that is currently one of the highest-grossing films in Japan this year.
In the film, a life-saving medical team is deployed when an explosion occurred at the Landmark Tower in Yokohama where thousands of people are trapped. Under the direct control of the Tokyo governor, the medical team rushes to the scene of the accident or disaster with their large vehicle equipped with an operating room (ER car) and fights for the lives of patients, regardless of their own risks.
Watch the trailer:
The movie, directed by Aya Matsuki, takes place two years after the TV series, and the setting is the nearby city of Yokohama. The filmmakers wanted the big-screen adaptation to have a more realistic feel, so the main setting of the emergency is the Yokohama Landmark Tower, one of the tallest buildings in Japan. “In terms of the story, it matches the setting of spreading MER across the country [creating more MERs], and the Tokyo MER team is also close enough to rush to rescue,” said screenwriter Tsutomu Kuroiwa.
As the emergency in the film is a big fire breaking out at the Tower, the filmmakers consulted with the city’s Fire Department to lend more authenticity to the film. They also consulted with medical supervisors about designing the newly established Yokohama MER’s ER car; the ER car, an emergency vehicle with the technology and equipment to perform emergency surgery on the scene before transporting seriously injured patients to the hospital, is a signature element of the show.
Get ready to see an ER car that’s even more advanced than the one on the TV series. “I think it truly became a ‘dream vehicle,’” director Matsuki said.
The movie also features an exciting roster of cast that includes Ryohei Suzuki who won Best Actor at the 4th Asian Contents Awards for his role in the series, Suzuki also received the Screen International Rising Star Asia Award from the 22nd edition of the New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) and has been cast as Ryo Saeba in the upcoming live action City Hunter movie. Jesse Lewis of the popular Jpop band SixTONES, Hayato Sano from “Trillion Game” series and Kento Kaku who won Newcomer of the Year at the 45th Elan d’or Awards (2021).
Ryohei Suzuki takes on the lead role as Kota Kitami, a surgeon with a talent for triage and a casual disregard for safety protocols. As the main character is Kota Kitami, a brilliant young ER doctor, he has been handpicked by Mayor Azusa Akatsuka (Yuriko Ishida) to head a new emergency response team dubbed TOKYO Mobile Emergency Room, or MER. Outfitted with leading-edge medical technology and a large mobile operating room allows the team to quickly respond to major accidents, natural disasters, and other emergencies. Their mission is simple: Save every life.
Team member Nao Otowa played by Kento Kaku , sent by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare on a secret mission, ends up forming a close professional bond with Kota, and together the two men put their lives on the line every day to rescue others.
Jesse Lewis plays Tomohiro Shiomi, a trainee doctor with a passionate sense of mission. “I had been watching the drama before I got the offer, I hope you can see my role (Shiomi) growing up in the movie version,” says Jesse.
Yagi said, “I thought Jesse would show a new side through the role of Shiomi, which is a little different from the bright characters he shows on variety shows. Shiomi is a character who grows out of his shell, so I was hoping that it would be similar to how Jesse himself tackles roles that he has never played before.”
Of the new additions to the cast, the Producer Ami Yagi added Anne Watanabe as Tomo Kamoi, the chief doctor of the MER team in the neighboring city of Yokohama. Yagi said, “[The character of Yokohama MER Chief] Kamoi is a cool woman, in contrast to Kitami [Tokyo MER chief played by Suzuki both on TV and in the movie]. However, she is not just cold, but also has a side that shows her loveliness as a human being. I cast Anne Watanabe because I thought she would be able to embody this character.”
This month, Filipino audiences can experience this thrilling medical drama Tokyo MER on the big screen when it opens exclusively in
Ayala Malls Cinemas on November 22.
Log into www.sureseats.com for your tickets.
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